Southern Roots

Overview

Masterminded by fellow Louisiana wildman Huey P. Meaux, Southern Roots wasn't a hit but it turned into a legend, roundly acknowledged as the Killer's last great stand, which is why it's been reissued many times over the years. Bear Family, which included the album as part of its massive 2000 box Mercury Smashesâ?¦And Rockin' Sessions, assembled the deepest excavation of the Southern Roots sessions in 2013 with their double-disc set Southern Roots: The Original Sessions, which contains the original ten-track LP and nine further completed outtakes from the sessions, plus an additional CD of studio chatter and alternate takes. Almost all of this second disc consists of Jerry Lee alone at the piano, running through songs then either bitching about them or finding some other manner of distraction. Some of the asides are funny and it's enjoyable to hear him so stripped down, but it's also a bit of a slog; then again, it's quite clearly not meant for general consumption -- you're eavesdropping on a session, which is appealing enough for diehards to hear once. For the rest of us, the real treasure on Southern Roots: The Original Sessions are those nine extra cuts on disc one, all but one a song not present on the finished album (there's also a fast version of "Hold On I'm Coming," taken at a slower speed on the finished product). A couple of these have trickled out elsewhere but most have not, and they're all of considerably high quality, capable of slipping onto the finished album without anybody being the wiser. Perhaps it's not a revolutionary revelation, but it is more of the Killer surfing a latter-day prime, and that is enough to warrant either a listen or a purchase from the devoted. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	08/06/2013
Label:	Bear Family Records
UPC:	5397102173127
Rank:	74202

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Meat Man
2. When a Man Loves a Woman
3. Hold On I'm Coming
4. Just a Little Bit
5. Born to Be a Loser
6. Haunted House
7. Blueberry Hill
8. The Revolutionary Man
9. Big Blue Diamonds
10. That Old Bourbon Street Church
11. Silver Threads Among the Gold
12. Hold On I'm Coming [Fast Version]
13. Take Your Time
14. All Over Hell and Half of Georgia
15. I Sure Miss Those Good Old Times
16. Raining in My Heart
17. Honey Hush
18. Cry
19. Margie

Disc 2

20. Cry [Alternative 1]
21. Studio Chatter, Pt. 1
22. Cry [Alternative 2]
23. Studio Chatter, Pt. 2
24. Margie [Alternative 1]
25. Margie [Alternative 2]
26. Studio Chatter, Pt. 3
27. Silver Threads Among the Gold [Alternative 1]
28. Silver Threads Among the Gold [Alternative 2]
29. Born to Be a Loser
30. Studio Chatter, Pt. 4
31. When a Man Loves a Woman [Alternative 1]
32. Studio Chatter, Pt. 5
33. When a Man Loves a Woman [Alternative 2]
34. Meat Man [Vocal/Piano Mix]
35. Raining in My Heart [Vocal/Piano Mix]
36. Studio Chatter, Pt. 6: Creedence & Cajuns
37. I Sure Do Miss Those Good Old Times [Alternative 1]
38. I Sure Do Miss Those Good Old Times [Alternative 2]
39. Studio Chatter, Pt. 8: Polk Salad Annie