Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 08/26/2008
Jerry Lee Lewis'
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" had a powerful effect when it first hit the national airwaves in 1957.
Elvis was one thing, but this was a dangerously deranged, lustful single from an absolute wild man who seemed to understand instinctively what
rock & roll was really about -- sex and attitude -- and had the balls and fervor to give his performance plenty of both. Other songs
Lewis released in this same period like
"Breathless," "Great Balls of Fire," and
"High School Confidential" were cut from the same combustible cloth, all delivered with
gospel intensity and each one cut at
Sam Phillips' now legendary
Sun Studios in Memphis. All of these songs are here in this double-disc set, along with material from
Lee's slightly more sedate post-
Sun and more
country-tinged period with
Smash Records like
"She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye" through later releases for the
Mercury and
Elektra imprints. The end result is a nice introduction to
Lewis' fascinating mix of early
rock & roll, piano
boogies,
blues pieces, sexed-up
gospel, and straight-out
country that runs from his here-I-am-folks
"Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" Sun single from 1957 through a fine
Smash LP cover version of
Merle Haggard's
"Workin' Man's Blues" from 1970 to his late
Electra single
"I'll Do It Again," which hit in the lower ends of the
country charts in 1982. The most exciting stuff, obviously, hails from his incendiary start with
Sun Records, which will always remain the heart of
Lewis' legacy, but for including the rest of the story, as the saying goes, this set is well worth checking out at a decent price.
~Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
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