Jerry Lee Lewis | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Is there an early rock & roller who has a crazier reputation than the Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis? His exploits as a piano-thumping, egocentric wild man with an unquenchable thirst for living have become the fodder for numerous biographies, film documentaries, and a full-length Hollywood movie. Certainly few other artists came to the party with more ego and talent than he and lived to tell the tale. And certainly even fewer could successfully channel that energy into their music and prosper doing it as well as Jerry Lee. When he broke on the national scene in 1957 with his classic "Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On," he was every parents worst nightmare perfectly realized: a long, blonde-haired Southerner who played the piano and sang with uncontrolled fury and abandon, while simultaneously reveling in his own sexuality. He was rock & rolls first great wild man and also rock & rolls first great eclectic. Ignoring all manner of musical boundaries is something that has not only allowed his music to have wide variety, but to survive the fads and fashions as well. Whether singing a melancholy country ballad, a lowdown blues, or a blazing rocker, Lewis wholesale commitment to the moment brings forth performances that are totally grounded in his personality and all singularly of one piece. Like the recordings of Hank Williams, Louis Armstrong, and few others, Jerry Lees early recorded work is one of the most amazing collections of American music in existence. He was born to Elmo and Mamie Lewis on September 29, 1935. Though the family was dirt poor, there was enough money to be had to purchase a third-hand upright piano for the familys country shack in Ferriday, LA. Sharing piano lessons with his two cousins, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Lee Swaggart, a ten-year old Jerry Lee Lewis showed remarkable aptitude toward the instrument. A visit from piano-playing older cousin Carl McVoy unlocked the secrets to the boogie-woogie styles he was hearing on the radio and across the tracks at Haneys Big House, owned by his uncle, Lee Calhoun, and catering to blacks exclusively. Lewis mixed that up with gospel and country and started coming up with his own style. He even mixed genres in the way he syncopated his rhythms on the piano; his left hand generally played a rock-solid boogie pattern while his right played the high keys with much flamboyant filigree and showiness, equal parts gospel fervor and Liberace showmanship. By the time he was 14, by all family accounts, he was as good as he was ever going to get. Lewis was already ready for prime time. But his mother Mamie had other plans for the young family prodigy. Not wanting to squander Jerry Lees gifts on the sordid world of show business, she enrolled him in a bible college in Waxahatchie, TX, secure in the knowledge that her son would now be exclusively singing his songs to the Lord. But legend has it that the Killer tore into a boogie-woogie rendition of "My God Is Real" at a church assembly that sent him packing the same night. The split personality of Lewis, torn between the sacred and the profane (rock & roll music), is something that has eaten away at him most of his adult life, causing untold aberrant personality changes over the years with no clear-cut answers to the problem. What is certain is that by the time a 21-year-old Jerry Lee showed up in Memphis on the doorstep of the Sun studios, he had been thrown out of bible college; been a complete failure as a sewing-machine salesman; been turned down by most Nashville-based record companies and the Louisiana Hayride; been married twice; in jail once; and burned with the passion that he truly was the next big thing. Sam Phillips was on vacation when he arrived, but his assistant Jack Clement put Roland Janes on guitar and J.M. Van Eaton on drums behind Lewis, whose fluid left hand made a bass player superfluous. This little unit would become the core of Lewis recording band for almost the entire seven years he recorded at Sun. The first single, a hopped-up rendition of Ralph Mooneys "Crazy Arms," sold in respectable enough quantities that Phillips kept bringing Lewis back in for more sessions, astounded by his prodigious memory for old songs and his penchant for rocking them up. A few days after his first single was released, Jerry Lee was in the Sun studios earning some Christmas money, playing backup piano on a Carl Perkins session that yielded the classics "Matchbox" and "Your True Love." At the tail-end of the recording, Elvis Presley showed up, Clement turned on the tape machine, and the impromptu Million Dollar Quartet jam session ensued, with Perkins, Presley, and Lewis all having the time of their lives. With the release of his first single, the road beckoned and it was here that Lewis lasting stage persona was developed. Discouraged because he couldnt dance around the stage strumming a guitar like Carl Perkins, he stood up in mid-song, kicked back the piano stool and, as Perkins has so saliently pointed out, "a new Jerry Lee Lewis was born." This newfound stage confidence was not lost on Sam Phillips. While he loved the music of Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash, he saw neither artist as a true contender to Elvis throne; with Lewis he thought he had a real shot. For the first time in his very parsimonious life, Sam Phillips threw every dime of promotional capital he had into Lewis next single, and the gamble paid off a million times over. "Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On" went to number one on the country and the R&B; charts, and was only held out of the top spot on the pop charts by Debbie Reynolds "Tammy." Suddenly, Lewis was the hottest, newest, most exciting rock & roller out there. His television appearances and stage shows were legendary for their manic energy, and his competitive nature to outdo anyone else on the bill led to the story about how he once set his piano on fire at sets end to make it impossible for Chuck Berry to follow his act. Nobody messed with the Killer. Jerry Lees follow-up to "Shakin" was another defining moment for his career, as well as for rock & roll. "Great Balls of Fire" featured only piano and drums, but sounded huge with Phillips production behind it. It got him into a rock & roll movie (Jamboree) and his fame was spreading to such a degree that Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins left Sun to go to Columbia Records. His next single, "Breathless," had a promotional tie-in with Dick Clarks Saturday night Bandstand show, making it three hits in a row for the newcomer. But Lewis was sowing the seeds of his own destruction in record time. He sneaked off and married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, the daughter of his bass-playing uncle, J.W. Brown. With the Killer insisting that she accompany him on a debut tour of England, the British press got wind of the marriage and proceeded to crucify him in the press. The tour was canceled and Lewis arrived back in the U.S. to find his career in absolute disarray. His records were banned nationwide by radio stations and his booking price went from $10,000 a night to $250 in any honky tonk that would still have him. Undeterred, he kept right on doing what he had been doing, head unbowed and determined to make it back to the bigs, Jerry Lee Lewis style. It took him almost a dozen years to pull it off, but finally, with a sympathetic producer and a new record company willing to exact a truce with country disc jockeys, the Killer found a new groove, cutting one hit after another for Smash Records throughout the late 60s and into the 70s. Still playing rock & roll on-stage whenever the mood struck him (which was often), while keeping all his releases pure country, Lewis struck a creative bargain that suited him well into the mid-70s. But while his career was soaring again, his personal life was falling apart. The next decade-and-a-half saw several marriages fall apart (starting with his 13-year-long union with Myra), the deaths of his parents and oldest son, battles with the I.R.S., and bouts with alcohol and pills that frequently left him hospitalized. Suddenly, the Ferriday Fireball was nearing middle age and the raging fire seemed to be burned out. But the mid-80s saw another jump start to his career. A movie entitled Great Balls of Fire was about to be made of his life and Lewis was called in to sing the songs for the soundtrack. Showing everyone who the real Killer was, Lewis sounded energetic enough to make you believe it was 1957 all over again with the pilot light of inspiration still burning bright. He also got a boost back to major-label land with a one-song appearance on the soundtrack for Dick Tracy. In 2006, Lewis released Last Man Standing, which featured duets with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Page, and others. He followed it up in 2010 with another album of duets, Mean Old Man, which saw him teaming with Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, John Fogerty, and Kid Rock, among others. Four years later came Rock & Roll Time, another record co-produced by Steve Bing and Jim Keltner; it also had superstar cameos but generally they were musical, not vocal. Released alongside the album was Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story, an as-told-to autobiography written by Rick Bragg. With box sets and compilations, documentaries, a bio flick, a memoir, and his induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame all celebrating his legacy, Lewis continued to record and tour, delivering work that vacillated from tepid to absolutely inspired. While his influence will continue to loom large until theres no one left to play rock & roll piano anymore, the plain truth is that theres only one Jerry Lee Lewis, and American music will never see another like him. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 46 Title: Jerry Lee Lewis Released: 1958-05 Tracks: 12 Duration: 27:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dont Be Cruel (02:00) 2 Goodnight Irene (02:53) 3 Put Me Down (02:09) 4 It All Depends (On Who Will Buy the Wine) (02:59) 5 Ubangi Stomp (01:47) 6 Crazy Arms (02:45) 7 Jambalaya (On the Bayou) (01:58) 8 Fools Like Me (02:51) 9 High School Confidential (02:30) 10 When the Saints Go Marching In (02:07) 11 Matchbox (01:42) 12 Itll Be Me (02:14) |
 | Album: 2 of 46 Title: Jerry Lee’s Greatest! Released: 1961-12 Tracks: 12 Duration: 29:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Money (02:43) 2 As Long as I Live (02:27) 3 Hillbilly Music (Hillbilly Fever) (02:07) 4 Break Up (02:37) 5 Hello, Hello Baby (03:23) 6 Home (01:58) 7 Lets Talk About Us (02:07) 8 Great Balls of Fire (01:52) 9 Frankie and Johnny (02:33) 10 Cold Cold Heart (03:07) 11 Whatd I Say (02:26) 12 Hello Josephine (02:23) |
 | Album: 3 of 46 Title: The Return of Rock Released: 1965 Tracks: 12 Duration: 28:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Believe in You (02:34) 2 Maybelline (02:09) 3 Flip Flop and Fly (02:00) 4 Roll Over Beethoven (02:48) 5 Dont Let Go (02:27) 6 Herman the Hermit (01:55) 7 Baby, Hold Me Close (03:05) 8 You Went Back on Your Word (02:02) 9 Corrine, Corrina (02:02) 10 Sexy Ways (02:25) 11 Johnny B. Goode (02:10) 12 Got You on My Mind (03:19) |
 | Album: 4 of 46 Title: Country Songs for City Folks Released: 1965 Tracks: 12 Duration: 31:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Green, Green Grass of Home (02:40) 2 Wolverton Mountain (02:53) 3 Funny How Time Slips Away (02:49) 4 North to Alaska (01:55) 5 The Wild Side Of Life (03:03) 6 Walk Right In (02:05) 7 City Lights (02:21) 8 Ring of Fire (02:11) 9 Detroit City (02:42) 10 Crazy Arms (02:23) 11 King of the Road (02:09) 12 Seasons of My Heart (03:55) |
| Country Songs for City Folks : Allmusic album Review : Country Songs for City Folks (later repackaged and retitled All Country) was one of those albums from a period that, for most of us, can safely be called Jerry Lee Lewis "lost years," in between his legendary-50s rise to fame and subsequent flame-out, and his comeback as a country artist and subsequent return to rock & roll as a living legend on the oldies circuit. Apart from Live at the Star Club, which was a sort of British Invasion-related crossover oddity; few except serious fans know a lot about Lewis records from this period. Country Songs for City Folks is an astoundingly good country album, presenting Lewis as more of a rich-voiced crooner than a piano-playing wild man (not that there arent some places where the ivories ripple, especially on "Wolverton Mountain"), throwing his pipes hard into numbers like Willie Nelsons "Funny How Time Slips Away" and the old Hank Thompson hit "The Wild Side of Life," interspersed with more pop-oriented songs such as "North to Alaska" (on which he duets with his sister Linda Gail Lewis), "Walk Right In," "King of the Road," and even his old labelmate Johnny Cashs "Ring of Fire" (on which Lewis does astonishingly well). "Crazy Arms," in Lewis third studio rendition of the song -- most closely associated with Ray Price -- could have been the single off the album, and might well have conjured up images of Lewis classic sound, but by 1965 that sound was more of a novelty out of musics past than something that was going to scale the charts, at least in rock & roll music. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 46 Title: Roy Orbison Sings Released: 1965 Tracks: 10 Duration: 23:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Problem Child (02:01) 2 Youre My Baby (02:05) 3 Bonnie B (02:18) 4 Lewis Boogie (01:58) 5 Pretty Girl (02:12) 6 I Never Knew (02:21) 7 Domino (02:14) 8 Ill Make It Up to You (03:06) 9 It Hurt Me So (02:40) 10 The Room (02:16) |
 | Album: 6 of 46 Title: Sunstroke! 12 Great Classics of Country Rock Released: 1966 Tracks: 12 Duration: 28:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Im Feelin Sorry (02:40) 2 Down the Line (02:10) 3 Ill Make It All Up to You (03:02) 4 The Ballad of Billy Joe (02:59) 5 Baby, Baby, Bye Bye (01:58) 6 Bonnie B (02:18) 7 Im Sorry Im Not Sorry (02:24) 8 Dixie Fried (02:23) 9 Forever Yours (02:34) 10 Thats Right (02:25) 11 Lend Me Your Comb (01:55) 12 Glad All Over (01:39) |
 | Album: 7 of 46 Title: Soul My Way Released: 1967 Tracks: 11 Duration: 26:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Turn on Your Love Light (02:34) 2 Its a Hang Up Baby (02:16) 3 Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) (02:25) 4 Just Dropped In (02:25) 5 Wedding Bells (02:28) 6 He Took It Like a Man (01:50) 7 Hey! Baby (02:12) 8 Treat Her Right (02:01) 9 Holdin On (02:59) 10 Shotgun Man (02:45) 11 I Bet Youre Gonna Like It (02:38) |
 | Album: 8 of 46 Title: Breathless Released: 1967 Tracks: 14 Duration: 34:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Breathless (02:37) 2 Ive Been Twistin (03:11) 3 Good Golly Miss Molly (02:16) 4 Livin Lovin Wreck (01:59) 5 It Wont Happen With Me (02:53) 6 Teen Age Letter (02:18) 7 Save the Last Dance for Me (01:48) 8 Ramblin Rose (02:53) 9 When I Get Paid (02:44) 10 Hows My Ex Treating You (02:35) 11 Seasons of My Heart (02:57) 12 I Cant Trust Me (02:10) 13 Love Made a Fool of Me (02:41) 14 End of the Road (01:49) |
 | Album: 9 of 46 Title: Another Place Another Time Released: 1968-06 Tracks: 11 Duration: 27:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Whats Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me) (02:36) 2 Play Me a Song I Can Cry To (02:54) 3 On the Back Row (02:50) 4 Walking the Floor Over You (02:09) 5 All Night Long (02:33) 6 Im a Lonesome Fugitive (03:02) 7 Another Place, Another Time (02:26) 8 Break My Mind (02:27) 9 Before the Next Teardrop Falls (02:06) 10 All the Good Is Gone (02:12) 11 We Live in Two Different Worlds (02:14) |
| Another Place Another Time : Allmusic album Review : Jerry Lee Lewis had been at Smash Records for several years, searching for a hit and searching for a direction, prior to releasing Another Place Another Time in 1968. While the quality of his music didnt necessarily dip -- he was still capable of transcendent moments on a regular basis -- he was out of step with the times and lacked focus, simply cutting whatever he or producers laid across his piano. With Another Place, he snapped into focus and moved toward country. Not that the Killer had avoided country -- his first single for Sun was a version of Ray Prices "Crazy Arms," and he cut many Hank Williams songs and country standards while at Sam Phillips label -- but here, he deliberately sticks to pure, hardcore country throughout the record, refashioning himself as a barroom balladeer and honky tonk raver. This reignited his career, sending him to the top of the charts with this album and its singles "Whats Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)" and "Another Place Another Time." Even though this brought him success, this was not the sound of Jerry Lee pandering for a mass audience. In 1968, hardcore country was not a stranger to the top of the charts -- Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash were charting regularly -- but it was not a sure-fire success, either, especially in a year when Glen Campbell had six different number one albums. Also, there were no other singers as stubbornly hardcore as the Killer, who not only made everything sound as if it was written for him, he made everything sound like it could only be played in a dark, damp bar late, late in the evening. This is seriously pure country music, and while he tackles some familiar songs, its not in predictable ways -- witness the storming "Walking the Floor Over You" or the heavy backbeat on "Break My Mind," where Jerry Lee takes standards and imparts his own signature. Then, there are the ballads and barroom weepers that form the heart of this record -- the two hits, plus "Play Me a Song I Can Cry To," a sadly elegant "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," a high lonesome take on "Im a Lonesome Fugitive," and a duet with Linda Gail Lewis on "We Live in Two Different Worlds." Song for song, theres not a bad tune here, and each performance is a stunner, making for not just a great second beginning, but for one of the greatest hardcore country albums ever. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 46 Title: She Still Comes Around (To Love Whats Left of Me) Released: 1969 Tracks: 11 Duration: 26:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 To Make Love Sweeter for You (02:45) 2 Lets Talk About Us (01:54) 3 I Cant Get Over You (02:58) 4 Out of My Mind (02:17) 5 Today I Started Loving You Again (02:07) 6 She Still Comes Around (To Love Whats Left of Me) (02:25) 7 Louisiana Man (01:42) 8 Release Me (02:55) 9 Listen, Theyre Playing My Song (02:40) 10 There Stands the Glass (02:33) 11 Echoes (02:30) |
| She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me) : Allmusic album Review : Another Place Another Time kicked off Jerry Lee Lewis career as a straight-ahead country singer, bringing him his first hit in nearly five years. Renewed success was a long time in coming, so it made perfect sense to follow it up with a record that pretty much mirrored its predecessor, right down to another fine Merle Haggard cover (this time, "Today I Started Loving You Again"). While it is accurate to call She Still Comes Around (To Love Whats Left of Me) similar to Another Place, its hardly devoid in inspiration; it was more like Jerry Lee found a good groove and continued to ride it, turning out another terrific hardcore country record. This time, the pain perhaps runs even stronger, with the Killer sounding tormented on the classic title track, remorseful on "Listen, Theyre Playing My Song" and heartbreaking on "To Make Love Sweeter for You," where his phrasing gives lie to the sentiments hes crooning. He also sounds a little emboldened by his success, not afraid to revisit the Sun side "Lets Talk About Us" and rock "Louisiana Man" pretty hard. Still, this is hardly a rock & roll record -- its a pure country record, made for late nights and smoky bars, and its nearly as good as Another Place, containing the same consistent high quality of songs and performance. Based on this, the Killer had clearly entered a second golden age at the end of the 60s. (Footnote: the cover of this album, featuring a reflected Jerry Lee in the mirror of a desolate motel room -- a tremendous visualization of the title song -- is one of the greats.) | ||
 | Album: 11 of 46 Title: Together Released: 1969 Tracks: 11 Duration: 25:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Milwaukee Here I Come (02:04) 2 Jackson (02:24) 3 Dont Take It Out on Me (02:04) 4 Cryin Time (02:37) 5 Sweet Thang (02:15) 6 Secret Places (02:50) 7 Dont Let Me Cross Over (02:56) 8 Gotta Travel On (01:58) 9 We Live in Two Different Worlds (02:14) 10 Earth Up Above (01:58) 11 Roll Over Beethoven (02:00) |
 | Album: 12 of 46 Title: Original Golden Hits - Volume 2 Released: 1969 Tracks: 11 Duration: 26:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Fools Like Me (02:48) 2 Break-Up (02:35) 3 Money (02:12) 4 Ill Make It All Up to You (03:00) 5 Mean Woman Blues (02:22) 6 Whatd I Say (02:23) 7 High School Confidential (02:27) 8 Hows My Ex Treating You (02:35) 9 Ill Sail My Ship Alone (02:07) 10 I Could Never Be Ashamed of You (02:23) 11 Save the Last Dance for Me (01:49) |
 | Album: 13 of 46 Title: Original Golden Hits - Volume 1 Released: 1969 Tracks: 11 Duration: 25:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Crazy Arms (02:41) 2 End of the Road (01:45) 3 Great Balls of Fire (01:49) 4 Itll Be Me (02:12) 5 Move On Down the Line (02:10) 6 You Win Again (02:52) 7 Whole Lotta Shakin Going On (02:51) 8 Little Queenie (02:22) 9 Breathless (02:40) 10 Teen-Age Letter (02:18) 11 Lewis Boogie (01:58) |
 | Album: 14 of 46 Title: Rockin Rhythm & Blues Released: 1969-12 Tracks: 11 Duration: 26:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Good Golly Miss Molly (02:17) 2 Big Legged Woman (02:25) 3 Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes (02:34) 4 Save the Last Dance for Me (01:50) 5 Little Queenie (02:23) 6 Johnny B. Good (02:39) 7 Hello Josephine (My Girl Josephine) (02:21) 8 Sweet Little Sixteen (02:29) 9 C.C. Rider (02:37) 10 Whatd I Say (02:24) 11 Good Rockin Tonight (02:43) |
 | Album: 15 of 46 Title: The Golden Cream of the Country Released: 1969-12 Tracks: 11 Duration: 26:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Invitation to Your Party (01:53) 2 Jambalaya (01:57) 3 Ramblin Rose (02:52) 4 Cold Cold Heart (03:05) 5 As Long as I Live (02:27) 6 Seasons of My Heart (02:58) 7 One Minute Past Eternity (02:03) 8 I Cant Trust Me in Your Arms Anymore (02:12) 9 Frankie and Johnny (02:33) 10 Home (01:57) 11 Hows My Ex Treating You (02:36) |
 | Album: 16 of 46 Title: She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye Released: 1970 Tracks: 11 Duration: 26:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Once More With Feeling (02:24) 2 Workin Man Blues (02:52) 3 Waiting for a Train (01:58) 4 Brown-Eyed Handsome Man (02:08) 5 My Only Claim to Fame (02:13) 6 Since I Met You Baby (02:45) 7 She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye (02:44) 8 Wine Me Up (02:21) 9 When the Grass Grows Over Me (02:41) 10 You Went Out of Your Way (To Walk on Me) (01:54) 11 Echoes (02:27) |
| She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye : Allmusic album Review : Jerry Lee Lewis turned to pure country in 1968, releasing two killer albums (no pun intended) in a row with Another Place Another Time and She Still Comes Around (To Love Whats Left of Me), which brought him the elusive success he so desired, so he and Smash cemented his reputation as a country crooner by releasing several albums in 1969 that were explicitly collections of covers of classic country albums. So, it wasnt until early 1970 that he unveiled a record of primarily new songs with She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye. He was riding high on his new hits -- so successful that new collections of his Sun singles made it to the country Top Ten -- and took that as encouragement to do whatever he damn well pleased on this new record. So, he cut pure rock & roll (a thundering cover of "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"), inserted his name in every other song (in every verse on "Since I Met You Baby," where he manages to find a place to say his full name), laughed and leered, growled and crooned, pounding and gliding down the keyboard in equal measure. These are the fieriest, loosest performances hes given since leaving Sun (not counting, of course, the then-unreleased Star Club live recording), which jolts the hardcore country of Another Place and She Still Comes Around to a different stratosphere. Those were spectacular pure country records by any measure, but this is a spectacular pure Jerry Lee country record, where hes the center of every cut, every performance, and the record is tremendously addictive for it. Another stellar Smash platter from the Killer. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 46 Title: A Taste of Country Released: 1970-04 Tracks: 11 Duration: 26:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 I Cant Seem to Say Goodbye (02:31) 2 I Love You So Much It Hurts (02:17) 3 Im Throwing Rice (02:12) 4 Goodnight Irene (02:53) 5 Your Cheatin Heart (02:10) 6 Am I to Be the One (01:41) 7 Crazy Arms (02:37) 8 Night Train to Memphis (02:07) 9 As Long as I Live (02:25) 10 You Win Again (02:54) 11 It Hurt Me So (02:38) |
 | Album: 18 of 46 Title: Sunday Down South Released: 1970-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 21:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 If the Good Lord’s Willing (01:43) 2 I Was There When It Happened (02:13) 3 Remember Me (I’m the One Who Loves You) (01:59) 4 Belshazah (02:24) 5 Goodnight Irene (02:40) 6 Will the Circle Be Unbroken (02:24) 7 Old Time Religion (01:36) 8 Carry Me Back to Old Virginia (02:31) 9 When the Saints Go Marching In (02:07) 10 Silver Threads Among the Gold (02:06) |
 | Album: 19 of 46 Title: Ole Tyme Country Music Released: 1970-09 Tracks: 11 Duration: 23:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Waiting for a Train (01:40) 2 Carry Me Back to Old Virginia (02:31) 3 John Henry (02:30) 4 Old Black Joe (02:04) 5 My Blue Heaven (01:38) 6 Youre the Only Star (In My Blue Heaven) (02:21) 7 Crawdad Song (01:49) 8 Hand Me Down My Walking Cane (02:19) 9 You Are My Sunshine (02:11) 10 Ill Keep on Loving You (If the World Keeps on Turning) (01:48) 11 Deep Elem Blues (02:45) |
| Ole Tyme Country Music : Allmusic album Review : Taken from auditions for Sam Phillips, this is a wonderful collection of mostly traditional songs, all stamped with Jerry Lee Lewis honky tonk piano. Lewis singing is more subdued, but "Deep Elem Blues" and "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia" rock just as hard as his hits. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 46 Title: Touching Home Released: 1971 Tracks: 11 Duration: 28:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 When He Walks on You (Like You Have Walked on Me) (02:30) 2 Time Changes Everything (02:24) 3 Help Me Make It Through the Night (02:57) 4 Mother, the Queen of My Heart (03:04) 5 Hearts Were Made for Beating (02:34) 6 Foolish Kind of Man (02:33) 7 Touching Home (02:36) 8 Please Dont Talk About Me When Im Gone (02:23) 9 You Helped Me Up (When the World Let Me Down) (02:14) 10 When Baby Gets the Blues (02:48) 11 Comin Back for More (02:54) |
| Touching Home : Allmusic album Review : The Killer made his country comeback in 1968, so Touching Home came in the thick of his period as a reliable country hit-maker -- and, appropriately enough, there are hits here. Specifically, Touching Home has the title track, which reached number three on the U.S. country charts, and "When He Walks on You (Like You Have Walked on Me)," which made it to 11. Although it has its share of backing vocals, Touching Home is a hard country album, lacking overall sweetened gloss. Its a good, strong shot of barroom country, filled with brokenhearted ballads and enlivened by a rollicking "Please Dont Talk About Me When Im Gone," and given some pathos by "Mother, The Queen of My Heart," a bit of kitsch that doesnt seem so corny when surrounded by so much tough country. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 46 Title: Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis Sing Hank Williams Released: 1971-04 Tracks: 10 Duration: 22:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hey Good Lookin (01:42) 2 I Could Never Be Ashamed of You (02:12) 3 I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You) (01:46) 4 I Heard That Lonesome Whistle (02:24) 5 Cold, Cold Heart (02:18) 6 Lovesick Blues (02:10) 7 You Win Again (02:56) 8 Your Cheatin Heart (02:20) 9 Jambalaya (On the Bayou) (01:58) 10 Settin the Woods on Fire (02:30) |
 | Album: 22 of 46 Title: "Monsters" Released: 1971-04 Tracks: 11 Duration: 23:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dont Be Cruel (01:57) 2 Your Cheatin Heart (02:10) 3 Save the Last Dance for Me (01:50) 4 Pink Pedal Pushers (02:09) 5 Good Golly Miss Molly (02:17) 6 Matchbox (01:41) 7 Be‐Bop‐A‐Lula (02:26) 8 Jailhouse Rock (01:56) 9 Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee (02:33) 10 Honey Hush (02:02) 11 Singing the Blues (02:04) |
 | Album: 23 of 46 Title: The "Killer" Rocks On Released: 1972 Tracks: 12 Duration: 30:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dont Be Cruel (01:57) 2 You Can Have Her (02:22) 3 Games People Play (02:32) 4 Lonely Weekends (01:44) 5 You Dont Miss Your Water (02:31) 6 Turn on Your Love Light (02:26) 7 Chantilly Lace (02:50) 8 C.C. Rider (02:53) 9 Walk a Mile in My Shoes (03:03) 10 Me and Bobby McGee (03:10) 11 Shutgun Man (02:39) 12 Im Walkin (02:11) |
 | Album: 24 of 46 Title: Whos Gonna Play This Old Piano Released: 1972 Tracks: 11 Duration: 33:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Whos Gonna Play This Old Piano (03:16) 2 Shes Reaching for My Mind (02:36) 3 Too Many Rivers (02:55) 4 We Both Know Which One of Us Was Wrong (03:32) 5 Wall Around Heaven (03:04) 6 No More Hanging On (03:10) 7 Think About It Darlin’ (02:32) 8 Bottom Dollar (02:58) 9 No Traffic Out of Abilene (02:43) 10 Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow (instrumental) (02:57) 11 The Mercy of a Letter (03:29) |
 | Album: 25 of 46 Title: Southern Roots Released: 1973 Tracks: 10 Duration: 33:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Meat Man (02:47) 2 When a Man Loves a Woman (04:21) 3 Hold on Im Coming (04:22) 4 Just a Little Bit (03:09) 5 Born to Be a Loser (02:57) 6 Haunted House (02:50) 7 Blueberry Hill (02:51) 8 The Revolutionary Man (02:54) 9 Big Blue Diamonds (master) (04:21) 10 That Old Bourbon Street Church (03:26) |
| Southern Roots : Allmusic album Review : Southern Roots is commonly acknowledged as Jerry Lee Lewis comeback, or at least his last great gasp. And, to a certain extent, that prevailing opinion is correct, since after this 1974 release, the quality of the Killers releases fluctuate, but this attitude also implies that the Mercury records that preceded it were weak, which they were not (inconsistent, perhaps, but all worthy). Southern Roots got the attention not just because it was deliberately touted as a comeback, but because it had the form, presentation, and attitude of a rock record, not least because theres a fair share of oldies here. Apart from the gospel closer, country has been consciously removed from the menu, a move that feels like the producers choice, since Lewis performances arent all that much different or more impassioned than what came before. Sure, "Meat Man" is gleefully lascivious and sports a carnal growl not heard in years on his records, but its the exception that proves the rule, since the rest of the record is as on-point as the country records of the early 70s. Jerry Lee doesnt sound relieved to be in this setting; he simply sounds like himself, barrelling through a set of songs as he twists them to suit his needs. Hes supported by a crack band who may be a little bit too polished to give this the kick that it allegedly has, but its nevertheless highly enjoyable, particularly when the Killer throws in something unexpected, like slowing down "Hold on Im Coming" to a sexy crawl or finding more spirit in "Haunted House" than "Blueberry Hill." And the latter points out a bit of a problem with the record -- just enough of the song selections are too pat, as if the producers were saying, "Wouldnt it be great if Jerry Lee did When a Man Loves a Woman?" instead of finding something hed be great at singing. That doesnt make for a bad record, and it is indeed a good listen, but it does mean Southern Roots does show its seams, which is one of the reasons why it feels more like a manufactured comeback than an actual comeback. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 46 Title: The Session Recorded in London With Great Guest Artists Released: 1973 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:16:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Drinking Wine Spo‐Dee O’Dee (03:38) 2 Music to the Man (04:37) 3 Baby What You Want Me to Do (03:59) 4 Bad Moon Rising (02:39) 5 Sea Cruise (03:53) 6 Juke Box (04:40) 7 No Headstone on My Grave (05:22) 8 Big Boss Man (03:43) 9 Pledging My Love (02:24) 10 Memphis (04:03) 1 Trouble in Mind (05:49) 2 Johnny B. Goode (03:31) 3 High School Confidential (instrumental) (03:28) 4 Early Morning Rain (04:22) 5 Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On (04:00) 6 Sixty Minute Man (03:38) 7 Down the Line (03:29) 8 What’d I Say (04:59) 9 Rock & Roll Medley: Good Golly Miss Molly / Long Tall Sally / Jenny, Jenny / Tutti Frutti / Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On (03:51) |
 | Album: 27 of 46 Title: Sometimes a Memory Aint Enough Released: 1973 Tracks: 11 Duration: 32:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sometimes a Memory Aint Enough (02:56) 2 Ride Me Down Easy (02:47) 3 Mamas Hands (03:45) 4 What My Woman Cant Do (02:28) 5 My Cricket and Me (02:11) 6 Im Left, Youre Right, Shes Gone (02:19) 7 Honky Tonk Wine (04:35) 8 Falling to the Bottom (02:37) 9 I Think I Need to Pray (02:45) 10 The Morning After Baby Let Me Down (03:19) 11 Keep Me From Blowing Away (02:36) |
 | Album: 28 of 46 Title: I-40 Country Released: 1974 Tracks: 11 Duration: 31:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 He Cant Fill My Shoes (02:34) 2 Tell Tale Signs (02:27) 3 A Picture From Lifes Other Side (03:43) 4 I Hate Goodbyes (02:32) 5 Ive Forgot More About You (Than Hell Ever Know) (03:03) 6 Tomorrows Taking Baby Away (03:19) 7 Cold, Cold Morning Light (03:09) 8 The Alcohol of Fame (02:30) 9 Where Would I Be (03:03) 10 Bluer Words (02:20) 11 Room Full of Roses (02:34) |
| I-40 Country : Allmusic album Review : Jerry Lee Lewis didnt get much of a boost out of his 1973 return to rock & roll -- a revival arriving on two separate LPs, one recorded in England (The Session) and one back home (Southern Roots) -- so he slid back to country, scoring a hit with "Sometimes a Memory Aint Enough" from the album of the same name. I-40 Country arrived a year later, easing into stores in 1974 under the guise of a truck-driving country LP. While these 11 songs do sound good on the open road, none of them are about big rigs or highways, nor do they roll along to a Bakersfield beat. No, theyre straight-ahead barroom weepers punctuated by the very occasional novelty -- so occasional, it doesnt extend beyond "Alcohol of Fame." The opening pair of "Tell Tale Signs" and "He Cant Fill My Shoes" were hits -- reaching 18 and eight, respectively -- but the attention is often drawn to "Room Full of Roses," a version that coincided with a version his cousin Mickey Gilley turned into a career-making hit. Gilley sounds invested in his version but Jerry Lee sounds as if hes singing through a hangover, a (possible?) affectation that is also the key to the appeal of I-40 Country. Not one of his stronger records, either in terms of content or performance, it nevertheless has a bleary-eyed charm -- a record for mornings that arrived too quickly or road trips that are lasting hours too long. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 46 Title: Boogie Woogie Country Man Released: 1975 Tracks: 11 Duration: 28:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Im Still Jealous of You (03:07) 2 A Little Peace and Harmony (02:22) 3 Jesus Is on the Main Line (02:07) 4 Forever Forgiving (02:12) 5 (Remember Me) Im the One Who Loves You (02:55) 6 Red Hot Memories (Ice Cold Beer) (02:14) 7 I Can Still Hear the Music in the Restroom (02:28) 8 Love Inflation (02:42) 9 I Was Sorta Wonderin (02:36) 10 Thanks for Nothing (02:14) 11 Boogie Woogie Country Man (03:40) |
| Boogie Woogie Country Man : Allmusic album Review : This album presents Jerry Lee Lewis in a surprisingly laid-back mode, doing ballads and gospel in what, for him, is almost a reflective manner. Some of the songs are downright cautionary, and he is amazingly effective on songs such as "Jesus Is on the Mainline." He saves what fireworks there are for the title track that closes the album, but along the way are enough surprises -- and enough good playing, with a band that includes Tommy Allsup and Pete Drake -- to keep everything rolling along and real interesting, if not always exciting. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 46 Title: Odd Man In Released: 1975-01-01 Tracks: 11 Duration: 30:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dont Boogie Woogie (When You Say Your Prayers Tonight) (02:36) 2 Shake, Rattle & Roll (02:56) 3 You Ought to See My Mind (02:24) 4 I Dont Want to Be Lonely Tonight (03:16) 5 That Kind of Fool (02:27) 6 Goodnight Irene (03:43) 7 A Damn Good Country Song (02:06) 8 Jerrys Place (02:30) 9 When I Take My Vacation in Heaven (03:05) 10 Crawdad Song (03:06) 11 Your Cheatin Heart (02:45) |
| Odd Man In : Allmusic album Review : Oddly enough, 1975s Odd Man In didnt generate a single hit. Both "A Damn Good Country Song" and "Dont Boogie Woogie" couldnt manage to make it into the Country Top 40, a stumble that maybe could be chalked up to the Mickey Gilley mania that started to sweep the country in 1975 -- Andrew McRae argues as much in the liner notes to BGOs two-fer reissue of I-40 Country and Odd Man In -- but its still kind of a shock to realize that a record as lively as this didnt gain much traction upon its release. Its heavy on boogie-woogie but finds plenty of place for ballads, and Lewis seems invested in his performances, too. Maybe this is because hes singing a lot of old standards, twisting them into songs that suit his bleary, defiant mood -- "Shake, Rattle & Roll" rolls hard, "Goodnight Irene" and "Crawdad Song" swing, as does "Your Cheatin Heart" -- and he leans into the midtempo barroom country that dominates the record, turning it into something ornery but comforting: cantankerous country from one of the genres kings. | ||
 | Album: 31 of 46 Title: Country Class Released: 1976 Tracks: 11 Duration: 35:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Lets Put It Back Together Again (03:18) 2 No One Will Ever Know (03:05) 3 You Belong to Me (02:51) 4 I Sure Miss Those Good Old Times (03:44) 5 The Old Country Church (02:51) 6 After the Fool Youve Made of Me (02:14) 7 Jerry Lees RocknRoll Revival Show (02:52) 8 Wedding Bells (02:39) 9 Only Love Can Get You in My Door (04:27) 10 The One Rose Thats Left in My Heart (04:41) 11 The Closest Thing to You (03:15) |
 | Album: 32 of 46 Title: Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis Released: 1977 Tracks: 10 Duration: 24:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Whole Lotta Shaking Going On (02:41) 2 Fools Like Me (02:41) 3 Great Balls of Fire (01:48) 4 Ill Make It All Up to You (02:46) 5 End of the Road (01:54) 6 Breathless (02:41) 7 Crazy Arms (02:30) 8 You Win Again (03:01) 9 High School Confidential (02:22) 10 Your Cheatin Heart (02:30) |
 | Album: 33 of 46 Title: Country Memories Released: 1977 Tracks: 11 Duration: 30:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Middle Age Crazy (03:34) 2 Lets Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello (02:50) 3 Whos Sorry Now (03:25) 4 Jealous Heart (02:05) 5 Georgia on My Mind (03:16) 6 Come on In (02:22) 7 As Long as We Live (02:05) 8 Id Be Over You (02:32) 9 Country Memories (02:48) 10 Whats So Good About Goodbye (03:01) 11 Tennessee Saturday Night (02:16) |
 | Album: 34 of 46 Title: Duets: Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends Released: 1978 Tracks: 12 Duration: 30:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Save the Last Dance for Me (01:51) 2 Sweet Little Sixteen (02:56) 3 I Love You Because (01:55) 4 Whatd I Say (03:22) 5 Good Rockin Tonight (02:46) 6 C.C. Rider (02:42) 7 Be Bop a Lula (02:29) 8 Good Golly Miss Molly (02:19) 9 It Wont Happen With Me (02:56) 10 Cold Cold Heart (03:05) 11 Hello Josephine (01:39) 12 Money (02:08) |
 | Album: 35 of 46 Title: When Two Worlds Collide Released: 1980-02 Tracks: 10 Duration: 32:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rockin Jerry Lee (02:35) 2 Who Will Buy the Wine (02:57) 3 Love Game (03:30) 4 Alabama Jubilee (04:48) 5 Good Time Charlies Got the Blues (02:25) 6 When Two Worlds Collide (02:30) 7 Good News Travels Fast (02:49) 8 I Only Want a Buddy, Not a Sweetheart (03:40) 9 Honky Tonk Stuff (03:00) 10 Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye (03:56) |
 | Album: 36 of 46 Title: Killer Country Released: 1980-08 Tracks: 10 Duration: 29:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Folsom Prison Blues (03:44) 2 Id Do It All Again (02:53) 3 Jukebox Junky (02:29) 4 Too Weak To Fight (02:27) 5 Late Night Lovin Man (02:59) 6 Change Places With Me (02:42) 7 Let Me On (02:57) 8 Thirty Nine and Holding (02:57) 9 Mama, This Ones for You (02:55) 10 Over the Rainbow (03:45) |
 | Album: 37 of 46 Title: My Fingers Do the Talkin Released: 1982 Tracks: 10 Duration: 31:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Fingers Do the Talkin (02:51) 2 She Sure Makes Leaving Look Easy (03:41) 3 Why You Been Gone So Long (02:57) 4 She Sings Amazing Grace (03:08) 5 Better Not Look Down (04:03) 6 Honky Tonk Rock and Roll Piano Man (02:32) 7 Come as You Were (02:26) 8 Circumstantial Evidence (02:39) 9 Forever Forgiving (02:45) 10 Honky Tonk Heaven (04:27) |
 | Album: 38 of 46 Title: Four Legends Released: 1985 Tracks: 27 Duration: 1:18:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 No Love Have I (02:26) 2 Medley: Back Street Affair / There Stands the Glass / I Aint Never / I Dont Care (02:57) 3 Honky Tonk Song (02:04) 4 Walkin’ the Dog (02:36) 5 Tupelo County Jail (02:04) 6 Its Been So Long (01:56) 7 Tonkin’ (02:30) 8 When I’m Gone You’ll Soon Forget Me (02:54) 9 Memory Number One (02:38) 10 I Got a New Heartache (02:33) 11 Its My Way (03:06) 12 Merry-Go-Round World (02:33) 13 Softly and Tenderly (02:42) 14 The Good Lord Giveth and Uncle Sam Taketh Away (02:39) 15 My Memory Remembers (02:34) 16 Lewis Boogie (02:17) 17 Brown-Eyed Handsome Man (02:03) 18 Over the Rainbow (03:50) 19 She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye (03:32) 20 Great Balls of Fire (slow) (02:00) 21 High Heel Sneakers (04:57) 22 Chantilly Lace (03:29) 23 Think About It, Darlin (02:46) 24 Sweet Georgia Brown (03:42) 25 Memphis, Tennessee (03:10) 26 Great Balls of Fire (fast) (02:19) 27 Whole Lotta Shakin Going On (06:15) |
 | Album: 39 of 46 Title: Class of 55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming Released: 1986 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Birth of Rock and Roll (04:26) 2 Sixteen Candles (03:50) 3 Class of 55 (03:01) 4 Waymores Blues (02:28) 5 We Remember the King (03:05) 6 Coming Home (04:03) 7 Rock and Roll (Fais-Do-Do) (03:21) 8 Keep My Motor Running (02:55) 9 I Will Rock and Roll With You (02:05) 10 Big Train (From Memphis) (07:58) |
| Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming : Allmusic album Review : Class of 55: Memphis Rock n Roll Homecoming brings Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins -- all members of the Sun Records stable during its heyday -- together for an all-star recording session, which finds the quartet tackling a mixture of oldies and new material. Highlights include renditions of Perkins "Birth of Rock and Roll," "Sixteen Candles," Waylon Jennings "Waymores Blues," Cashs "I Will Rock and Roll With You," and John Fogertys "Big Train (From Memphis)." | ||
 | Album: 40 of 46 Title: Rocket Released: 1988 Tracks: 12 Duration: 32:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Meat Man (02:25) 2 Jailhouse Rock (02:32) 3 House of Blue Lights (02:18) 4 Rock n Roll Funeral (02:19) 5 Dont Touch Me (02:27) 6 Changing Mountains (04:16) 7 Beautiful Dreamer (02:14) 8 Im Alone Because I Love You (03:01) 9 Lucille (03:19) 10 Seventeen (01:41) 11 Mathilda (03:14) 12 Wake Up Little Susie (02:36) |
 | Album: 41 of 46 Title: That Breathless Cat Released: 1992 Tracks: 19 Duration: 46:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ragtime Doodle (01:03) 2 Meat Man (01:50) 3 Lovin Up a Storm (00:53) 4 Ubangi Stomp (01:23) 5 Rock n Roll Ruby (02:31) 6 Piano Doodle (00:53) 7 House of Blue Lights (03:52) 8 My Life Would Make a Damn Good Country Song (03:44) 9 Beautiful Dreamer (03:04) 10 Autumn Leaves (04:35) 11 Pilot Baby (02:10) 12 Room Full of Roses (03:44) 13 Keep a Knockin (02:17) 14 Silver Threads Among the Gold (02:26) 15 Alabama Jubilee (02:07) 16 Lazy River (01:19) 17 Mama, This Songs for You (00:45) 18 Breathless (03:35) 19 Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On (04:30) |
 | Album: 42 of 46 Title: Young Blood Released: 1995-05-23 Tracks: 14 Duration: 38:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Ill Never Get Out of This World Alive (02:12) 2 Goosebumps (02:34) 3 Things (02:44) 4 Miss the Mississippi and You (03:38) 5 Young Blood (02:19) 6 Crown Victoria Custom 51 (03:04) 7 High Blood Pressure (02:53) 8 Restless Heart (02:46) 9 Gotta Travel On (02:06) 10 Down the Road Apiece (02:29) 11 It Was the Whiskey Talkin (Not Me) (03:40) 12 Poison Love (03:44) 13 One of Them Old Things (02:50) 14 House of Blue Lights (01:50) |
| Young Blood : Allmusic album Review : Jerry Lee Lewis made a comeback effort in 1995 with Young Blood. Although the Killers performance is impressive -- his voice continues to weather well with age and he hasnt lost much of his instrumental prowess -- the selection of material is fairly uninspired and predictable. This wouldnt have been a problem if Jerry Lee was allowed to work with a top-notch backing band, elevating the pedestrian material to a new level. Instead, Young Blood was made like most albums in the mid-90s -- each song was constructed track-by-track, with the musicians laying down their parts at different times. Consequently, the record is stripped of most of its potential power, leaving behind a well-produced but thoroughly unengaging album. | ||
 | Album: 43 of 46 Title: Last Man Standing Released: 2006-09-26 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:06:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Rock and Roll (02:15) 2 Before the Night Is Over (03:39) 3 Pink Cadillac (03:55) 4 Evening Gown (03:57) 5 You Don’t Have to Go (04:00) 6 Twilight (02:49) 7 Travelin’ Band (02:01) 8 That Kind of Fool (04:15) 9 Sweet Little Sixteen (03:05) 10 Just a Bummin’ Around (02:44) 11 Honky Tonk Woman (02:22) 12 What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (02:40) 13 Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Age (02:00) 14 Couple More Years (05:14) 15 Ol’ Glory (02:05) 16 Trouble in Mind (03:49) 17 I Saw Her Standing There (02:22) 18 Lost Highway (03:00) 19 Hadacol Boogie (03:19) 20 What Makes the Irish Heart Beat (04:13) 21 The Pilgrim (03:01) |
| Last Man Standing : Allmusic album Review : It often seems like there are only two ways for rock, country, and blues veterans to launch comebacks when theyre senior citizens: confront mortality head on or surround yourself with superstar guests to help carry you through a half-hearted stroll through your back catalog, scattering a few new tunes along the way. At first glance, Jerry Lee Lewis Last Man Standing seems to fall into both categories: the title suggests that Jerry Lee is in the mood to take a long look back, and certainly the very concept of the album -- pairing Lewis with 21 other stars for a succession of duets, often on material that his guests either wrote or made famous -- seems like a typical superstar duet record. But the Killer has never been predictable, and nowhere is that truer than it is here, where Jerry Lee treats Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, and 16 other stars as he treated the Nashville Teens at the Star Club in 1964 -- as game amateurs who have to sprint to keep up with the master. This is the only guest-studded superstar album where all the guests bend to the will of the main act, who dominates the proceedings in every conceivable way. Jerry Lee doesnt just run the guests ragged; he turns their songs inside out, too -- and nowhere is that clearer than on the opening "Rock and Roll," the Led Zeppelin classic that is now stripped of its signature riff and sounds as if it were a lost gem dug out of the Sun vaults. Far from struggling with this, Jimmy Page embraces it, following the Killer as he runs off on his own course -- he turns into support, and the rest of other 20 guests follow suit (with the possible exception of Kid Rock, who sounds like the party guest who wont go home on an otherwise strong version of "Honky Tonk Woman"). The label might sell Last Man Standing on the backs of the duet partners -- after all, its awful hard to drum up interest in a record by a 71-year-old man no matter how great he is, so you need a hook like superstars -- but the album by no stretch of the imagination belongs to them. This is completely Jerry Lees show from the second that he calls out, "Its been a long time since I rock & rolled," at the beginning of the record -- and those are true words, since he hasnt rocked on record in a long, long time. Ten years ago he cut the Andy Paley-produced Young Blood, but that was a typically tasteful self-conscious comeback record; it was driven as much by the producers conception of the artist as it was the artist himself. The opposite is true here, where the production is simple and transparent, never interfering with the performances; it has the welcome effect of making it sound like there is simply no way to tame Jerry Lee, even though hes now in his seventies. And that doesnt mean that this is merely a hard-rocking record, although "Rock and Roll," "Pink Cadillac," and "Travelin Band" do indeed rock harder than anything hes done since the 70s -- so hard that they stand proudly next to his classic Sun records, even if they dont have the unbridled fire of those peerless sides. No, this album touches on everything that Jerry Lee has done musically through his career, as the furious rock & roll is balanced by pure hardcore country, piledriving boogie-woogie, rambling blues, old-timey folk songs, and, especially, reinterpretations of familiar songs that are so thoroughly reimagined they seem like they were written specifically for Jerry Lee. And he does this the same way hes always done it: by singing and playing the hell out of the songs. His phrasing remains original and unpredictable, twisting phrases in unexpected ways -- and, yes, throwing his name into the mix frequently, too -- and his piano is equally vigorous and vital. This is a record that stays true to his music, and in doing so, its not so much a comeback as it is a summation: a final testament from a true American original, one that explains exactly why hes important. But that makes Last Man Standing sound too serious, as if it were one of those self-consciously morbid Johnny Cash records -- no, this is a record that celebrates life, both in its joys and sorrows, and its hard not to see it as nothing short of inspiring. | ||
 | Album: 44 of 46 Title: Mean Old Man Released: 2010-09-07 Tracks: 18 Duration: 59:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Mean Old Man (02:48) 2 Rockin My Life Away (02:17) 3 Dead Flowers (03:52) 4 Middle Age Crazy (03:45) 5 You Can Have Her (02:40) 6 You Are My Sunshine (03:36) 7 Hold You in My Heart (02:42) 8 Swinging Doors (02:41) 9 Roll Over Beethoven (02:47) 10 Sweet Virginia (03:51) 11 Railroad to Heaven (03:56) 12 Bad Moon Rising (02:19) 13 Please Release Me (03:40) 14 Whiskey River (03:21) 15 I Really Dont Want to Know (03:04) 16 Sunday Morning Coming Down (05:09) 17 Will the Circle Be Unbroken (03:49) 18 Miss the Mississippi and You (03:25) |
| Mean Old Man : Allmusic album Review : Jerry Lee Lewis made his first Steve Bing-produced comeback in 2006 with Last Man Standing, an all-star duets album that packed a surprising punch. With Jim Keltner replacing Jimmy Ripp as co-producer, Bing leads the Killer through the same basic formula for 2010’s Mean Old Man, even retaining many of the same all-stars from before -- Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Ron Wood, Merle Haggard, Robbie Robertson, Ringo Starr, John Fogerty, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Kid Rock all return because who wouldn’t want them all to return for seconds? -- but the vibe on this record is a little more subdued, with Keltner favoring a welcome muddy Sun murk over the crisp snap of Last Man Standing. So, there’s nothing that rampages like his take on Led Zeppelin’s “Rock N Roll” -- although “Roll Over Beethoven,” with Ringo and John Mayer in tow, comes close -- but the slower tempos suit the 74-year old Killer, letting him dig into the contours of the songs and he gets into the nitty-gritty of the Stones’ “Dead Flowers” and “Sweet Virginia” (the latter cleaned up so Jerry Lee is cleaning the shine off his shoes), sounds invigorated to be singing gospel with Solomon Burke and finds an ideal harmony partner in Gillian Welch, whose presence elevates “Please Release Me” and “I Really Don’t Want To Know.” On these last two, Jerry Lee Lewis doesn’t quite sound like the Mean Old Man of the title -- old, yes, but sorrowful not spiteful -- but the record does find the Killer reviving his old snarl thanks to the title track, the Kid Rock and Slash-graced “Rockin’ My Life Away” and, best of all, a terrific reading of “You Can Have Her” featuring Eric Clapton and James Burton. With each track designed as a showcase for the featured guest, Mean Old Man winds up playing a little like a collection of moments but it’s hard to complain when the moments prove that you can still be vigorous and vital at the age of 74. | ||
 | Album: 45 of 46 Title: Knox Phillips Sessions Released: 2014-09-23 Tracks: 10 Duration: 43:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (07:03) 2 Ragged But Right (03:56) 3 Room Full of Roses (03:49) 4 Johnny B Goode/Carol (06:17) 5 That Kind of Fool (02:48) 6 Harbour Lights (02:57) 7 Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour (03:45) 8 Music! Music! Music!/Canadian Sunset (04:28) 9 Lovin Cajun Style (03:22) 10 Beautiful Dreamer (04:46) |
 | Album: 46 of 46 Title: Rock & Roll Time Released: 2014-10-27 Tracks: 11 Duration: 31:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock & Roll Time (03:02) 2 Little Queenie (02:47) 3 Stepchild (03:24) 4 Sick and Tired (01:54) 5 Bright Lights, Big City (02:47) 6 Folsom Prison Blues (03:53) 7 Keep Me In Mind (03:03) 8 Mississippi Kid (03:16) 9 Blues Like Midnight (02:48) 10 Here Comes That Rainbow Again (02:06) 11 Promised Land (02:55) |
| Rock & Roll Time : Allmusic album Review : Theres a different feel to 2014s Rock & Roll Time, the third album Jerry Lee Lewis has made with benefactor and producer Steve Bing. Once again, superstar drummer Jim Keltner co-produces (as he did on 2010s Mean Old Man), and the pair bring the Killer back where he belongs -- right at Sun Studios. In case anybody missed the point, Jerry Lee is placed directly in front of the old Sun building itself on the cover of Rock & Roll Time, underscoring a point the music makes perfectly plain: Jerry Lee is once again singing some of that old-time rock & roll. Its a back-to-basics move, and to that end, Bing and Keltner made the canny decision to dial back the superstar cameos that threatened to overwhelm Lewis on Last Man Standing and Mean Old Man. Some familiar names join Jerry Lee in the studio -- Keith Richards and Ron Wood, Neil Young, Robbie Robertson, Nils Lofgren, Doyle Bramhall II, Derek Trucks, and Jon Brion all are here -- but only Shelby Lynne shares the microphone with him, which means the album belongs to nobody but the Killer. He sounds his age, as he should at 79, but he still sounds vibrant, whether hes once again singing Chuck Berry songs hes played countless times before, or laying into Kris Kristoffersons "Rock & Roll Time," Bob Dylans obscure "Stepchild," or Mack Vickerys "Keep Me in Mind." The emphasis is on greasy groove, an appropriate move considering the Killers advanced age, but by placing feel first and foremost, its possible to pay attention to how Lewis vocal phrasing remains sly and supple. Nobody else can sing like Jerry Lee and it remains a pleasure to hear him sink his teeth into nearly any song, especially when hes supported by a team as sympathetic as he is here. | ||