The Definitive Collection

by Jerry Lee Lewis

Overview

Like any major artist with roughly five decades of recording under his belt, Jerry Lee Lewis has been subjected to plenty of compilations over the years, but Hip-O's 2006 set The Definitive Collection is the first comprehensive single-disc compilation to span his career from his Sun sides in the '50s through his Smash/Mercury singles of the '60s and '70s (1999's 20th Century Masters was culled from both labels, but at 12 tracks it was half the length of this set). While this makes the disc a good one-stop introduction and overview of one of the giants of 20th century American music, The Definitive Collection doesn't necessarily live up to the promise of its title, mainly because his timeless Sun sessions are summed up with a mere six songs. Six great songs, to be sure, but big Sun singles like "Crazy Arms" and "It'll Be Me" are missing, which makes this something less than definitive. That said, this 24-track comp still is quite excellent. The biggest Sun singles -- "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On," "Great Balls of Fire," "Breathless," "High School Confidential" -- are here, along with the best and biggest hard country he cut for Smash/Mercury, highlighted by "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)," "Another Place Another Time," "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)," "She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye," and "Middle Age Crazy." Rhino's now out of print double-disc 1993 comp All Killer, No Filler provides a similar but more exhaustive overview of this same period, so it's worth seeking out for true fans, and any serious listener will need to supplement this with a good Sun collection (of which there are many), but as a single-disc intro to the Killer's prime years, The Definitive Collection is very good indeed. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/18/2006
Label:	Universal Distribution / Hip-O
UPC:	0602498802366

Tracks

1. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
2. Great Balls of Fire
3. You Win Again
4. Breathless
5. High School Confidential
6. What'd I Say
7. What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser out of Me)
8. Another Place Another Time
9. She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)
10. To Make Love Sweeter for You
11. Don't Let Me Cross Over
12. One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)
13. She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye
14. Once More with Feeling
15. There Must Be More to Love Than This
16. Me and Bobby McGee
17. Would You Take Another Chance on Me
18. Chantilly Lace
19. Sometimes a Memory Ain't Enough
20. Drinking Wine Spo-Dee O'Dee
21. He Can't Fill My Shoes
22. Middle Age Crazy
23. Over the Rainbow
24. Thirty-Nine and Holding

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jerry Lee Lewis   Primary Artist
Linda Gail Lewis   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Penny Jay   Composer
Jerry Foster   Composer
Jerry Chesnut   Composer
Jerry Lee Lewis   Composer
Jerry Kennedy   Composer,Producer
Mickey Newbury   Composer
Dave Williams   Composer
David "Curly" Williams   Composer
Hank Williams   Composer
Hal Blair   Composer
Glenn Sutton   Composer
Kris Kristofferson   Composer
Colin Escott   Photography
Thomas LaVerne   Composer
E.Y. "Yip" Harburg   Composer
Dearest Dean   Composer
Ryan Null   Photo Research
Laverne Thomas   Composer
Wilburn S. Rice   Composer
William Eugene Taylor   Composer
Bill E. Taylor   Composer
Penny Jay Moyer   Composer
Thomas Verne   Composer
Granville McGhee   Composer
Ron Hargrave   Composer
Otis Blackwell   Composer
Adam Starr   Product Manager
Sticks McGhee   Composer
Bill Millar   Photography
Sam Phillips   Producer
Michael Diehl   Design
Beth Stempel   Production Coordination
Philip Day   Photography
John Reggero   Photography
Les Leverett   Cover Photo
Granville "Sticks" McGhee   Composer
Tony Colton   Producer
Stan Kesler   Composer,Producer
Patrick Williams   Composer
Shel Silverstein   Composer
Steve Rowland   Producer
Andy McKaie   Producer
Sunny David   Composer
Sonny Throckmorton   Composer
Ray Charles   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer
Bill Rice   Composer
Bill Taylor   Composer
Billy Altman   Liner Notes
Jack Hammer   Composer
J. Mayo Williams   Composer
Larry Kingston   Composer
Jiles Perry Richardson   Composer
D. David   Composer
Jack Clement   Producer
Pat Lawrence   Executive Producer
Eddie Kilroy   Producer
Fred Foster   Composer
Frank Dycus   Composer
Doug Gilmore   Composer
Eddie Dean   Composer
Doug Schwartz   Digital Mastering
Jape Richardson   Composer