Rocks

If you don't know who Jerry Lee Lewis is, then I can only assume you were born on Mars and just arrived here. In that case, just "Google" his name and be prepared to spend hours learning about a man who was one of the initial inductees into the R&R Hall Of Fame in 1986, and who is long, LONG overdue at becoming one of just a handful to also be a member of the Country Music Hall Of Fame.His credentials are certainly as good for that double-honour as the four who are now the only ones to be in both - Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers, and Brenda Lee - namely 65 charted Country single hits from 1957 to 1989, including six # 1's and 28 Top 10 hits. It seems the Country Music Hall Of Fame Foundation continues to punish him for his well-publicized youthful indiscretions - as if they had anything to do with his appeal as an entertainer.Here, Bear Family presents the best single CD covering his output at both Sun and Mercury/Smash. which ranged from 1956 (End Of The Road - the flip of Crazy Arms on Sun 259 in December 1956 and his first release at that legendary label), to the late 1970s (Don't Boogie Woogie (When You Say Your Prayers Tonight) which came out on Mercury 73763 and reached # 58 Country in early 1976).In between are some of his biggest hits at both labels, mixed with early previously-unreleased rarities such as Real Wild Child (Wild One) and Milkshake Mademoiselle, circa 1958 at Sun, and House Of Blue Lights at Mercury (finally released in 1991 on the album Mercury Sessions - Unreleased Masters.The liner notes fill you in on all the details, and the sound reproduction - a feature of all Bear Family products - is excellent in this entry from their latest series under the generic heading Rocks in which they deal with the originators of R&R (and its R&B and Rockabilly roots). In addition to this volume, they also feature releases covering Carl Perkins, Buddy Knox & Jimmy Bowen & The Rhythm Orchids, Ricky Nelson, Bill Haley & His Comets, Roy Orbison, Sleepy LaBeef, Connie Francis, Bobby Darin, Wanda Jackson, Rusty York, Conway Twitty, Sonny James, Glen Glenn, Roy Hall, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Fats Domino, Dale Hawkins, Ronnie Hawkins, and Jack Scott. Each a gem.However, if you are a devoted fan of The Killer, I would suggest the epitome of Jerry Lee Lewis material - the 8-CD Box Set also from Bear and available through Amazon.

As for Elvis and Bill Haley and Gene Vincent the titles Jerry Lee recorded before 1960 are the best. After that they are rarely interesting. Fats Domino is always good before and after 1960.