http://www.examiner.com/article/jerry-l ... l-sessionsJerry Lee Lewis fans get another peek into his music vaults Aug. 20 when the German reissue label Bear Family releases “Southern Roots : The Original Sessions.”
The original 10-track 1974 album was a curious experiment as it featured Lewis with some successes, such as “Meat Man,” which he has played often in shows, and also testing others, like “When a Man Loves a Woman,” and “Hold On I'm Coming.”
The new double CD expands on that by featuring all the original session tapes including the music that was scheduled to appear on a second “lost album” that was never released. Among the tracks on the new album are alternative versions of “Margie,” “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “Silver Threads Among the Gold,” plus studio chatter.
The past couple of years have seen a couple of phenomenal releases from Lewis that have given great looks into his archives. “Killer Live: 1964 to 1970”, an amazing three-CD set, featured outtakes from his live albums including his “Live at the Star Club,” regarded as one of the best live recordings ever, and "The Greatest Live Show On Earth."
In addition, there was also Razor and Tie's “The Complete Session,” a double CD that added several tracks to his great London recording sessions album that included such friends as Alvin Lee, Kenney Jones, Gary Wright, Kenny Lovelace, Brian Parrish, Klaus Voormann, Peter Frampton and Rory Gallagher. Neither of those, though, will eclipse Bear Family's "Classic: The Definitive Edition of His Sun Recordings 1956-1963" from several years back that collected almost all of his work for that label in one place.
But “Southern Roots : The Original Sessions” is yet another great addition for students of Jerry Lee's music and his historic catalog.