Collection Suggestions?

[peterchecksfield]

Not sure how easy they are to find, but also well worth getting are the two CDs from the 1982-1984 MCA, 'Honky Tonk Rock & Roll Piano Man' & 'Pretty Much Country'.

Peter,
Do you these contain all of the MCA early 80's sessions or just essential highlights?

They contain all the songs from the original two MCA albums, but a few of them are alternate mixes / versions (un)fortunately. They also include a few songs not originally released, such as the excellent 'Daughters of Dixie'.

Also, rather than start another thread, didn't Jerry Lee have a minor hit in the 80's with a music video? I vaguely remember MTV showing a JLL video in the mid 80's of a contemporary song. I wonder if it was Sixteen Candles? Anyone have any insight?

Probably Jerry's best-known music video is 'Great Balls of Fire' with Dennis Quaid, though there was also a very good one for 'Goosebumps' (from 'Youngblood'). There was no promotional video for 'Sixteen Candles'.

[peter molecz]

If you want to have the official releases more complete, you still need ( in addition to all the other proposals):
Million Dollar Quartet
Survivors Live In Stuttgart
At Hank Cochran`s
That Breathless Cat on Stompertime

Peter M.

You are still missing then the Live At The International Las Vegas alt. recordings and the Church recordings from the 2nd Bear Family Mercury LP boxset

[Andrew McRae]

some other ESSENTIAL releases that I should pick up to have a respectable collection

Just another thought re this thread...


In these days of CD box-sets (and, God forbid, mp3 downloads) being the principal ways of being introduced to Jerry Lee Lewis’s music, does anyone here (particularly younger fans) still listen to original albums, as first conceived and issued? I’m not necessarily banging on about the need to have vinyl here, but just to remind people that they might be missing something if they rely absolutely on just box-sets, on the principle that “everything’s there” to be listened to. Well, maybe so, but for my money, having the LPs in the format first devised adds a great deal to the experience. I was reminded of this in having dug out the 2004 CD issue of ‘debut’ album from 1958 to listen to in the car this morning.

The original album is a ‘stand alone’ classic – Sam Phillips didn’t just sling any old collection of 12 songs together in the fashion of a latter day compilation; the album is a coherent, balanced set of songs about partying, love, adultery, divorce, alcoholism and religion (and stalking!). In fact, if it had been packaged with a title like “Sin and Redemption in the old South”, or suchlike, it would today probably be cited by sociologists and academics as some masterpiece of folk commentary, rather than just being thought of as Jerry Lee Lewis’s first album.

So, here is another recommendation to help complete the ‘essential’ collection…

http://www.amazon.com/Jerry-Lee-Lewis/d ... 496&sr=8-3

Be sure to get this issue from Varese Sarabande, and avoid the crappy, sub-standard UK release from Charly issued a year or so ago, which coupled the first album with "Greatest!" but which was littered with alternate / wrong takes that sound out-of-place. The Varese Sarabande set also includes as a bonus the contents (and artwork) of the EP "The Great Ball of Fire"; itself an 'essential' thing to have!

Andrew

[martin bates]

Also, rather than start another thread, didn't Jerry Lee have a minor hit in the 80's with a music video? I vaguely remember MTV showing a JLL video in the mid 80's of a contemporary song. I wonder if it was Sixteen Candles? Anyone have any insight?

Probably Jerry's best-known music video is 'Great Balls of Fire' with Dennis Quaid, though there was also a very good one for 'Goosebumps' (from 'Youngblood'). There was no promotional video for 'Sixteen Candles'.

He was featured singing Sixteen candles in the Dick Clark 'Class of 55' TV. programme......so you could have seen that.On the other hand I think the video done for the Carl Perkins track 'Birth of Rock N Roll',from 'Class of 55' featured Jerry & Ron Wood -though they didn't perform on the song.That would have been shown around the same time.
Martin.

[Dougie]

Perhaps not in the essential category but..The Killer's Private Stash does have a couple of gems, that i dont think can be found on any other release, and worth it alone for the 1954 Demo,s..though not in super quality as well as a couple of songs from the stage show of Othello which are worth hearing....., like i say not essential but it does fill in some gaps in Jerry,s recording career.
Dougie.

[peterchecksfield]

Perhaps not in the essential category but..The Killer's Private Stash does have a couple of gems, that i dont think can be found on any other release, and worth it alone for the 1954 Demo,s..though not in super quality as well as a couple of songs from the stage show of Othello which are worth hearing....., like i say not essential but it does fill in some gaps in Jerry,s recording career.
Dougie.

I agree it's well worth having, though it's also a bootlegs: if we listed all essential bootlegs we could go on almost for ever!

Incidentally, Jerry cut several other Othello ('Catch My Soul') songs, & I know for a fact that they almost certainly still exist!

[Dougie]

I agree it's well worth having, though it's also a bootlegs: if we listed all essential bootlegs we could go on almost for ever!

Incidentally, Jerry cut several other Othello ('Catch My Soul') songs, & I know for a fact that they almost certainly still exist! [/quote]

Peter
Do you know were these recordings made during rehearsals for the stage show..and for any particular reason?
Dougie.

[jonny williams]

sorry if this has been posted elsewhere :available from BIM BAM
JERRY LEE LEWIS - ROCK 'N' ROLL RESURRECTION

(19 rare recordings. Incss...USA promo for Last Man Standing CD, 9 tracks that never made it on to The Last Man Standing CD + 8 live tracks from Radio KGRW circa 06-09-2006. Songs include: Bright Lights Big City, The Last Cheaters Waltz, No Headstone On My Grave, Mexicali Rose, Roll Over Beethoven, Trouble In Mind, Sweet Little 16, Lucille, Why You Been Gone So Long - full coloured booklet)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JERRY LEE LEWIS LAST MAN ROCKING

(19 rare tracks. 1- 9 come from Live On KCRW radio show 20-09-2006 and include: Roll Over Beethoven, Trouble In Mind, Sweet Little 16, No Headstone On My Grave, Lucille, Why You Been Gone So Long. Tracks 10 - 19 come from a live gig at Senigallia, Ancona, 24-08-2007 and tracks include: Slippin' & Slidin', I Love To Ride, The Fireman, Wooly Bully, You Belong To Me, Hadacol Boogie, You Win Again, Great Balls Of Fire - digi-pac style)

PIN UP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JERRY LEE LEWIS THE KILLER'S PRIVATE STASH (re-press)

(re-press of this rare cd, 10 un-issued recordings including Jerry's 1st radio station recordings from 1954, incs..I Don't Hurt Anymore, If I Ever Needed You, Lust Of The Blood, My God Is Real, Crazy Arms, Whole Lotta Shakin-x-rated version, I'm Using My Bible For A Road Map)

ELECTROVERT

and last but not least...which looks like the killers private stash +++

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

JERRY LEE LEWIS - THE REAL THING - RARE & UNRELEASED

(26 rare recording from various sources such as KWKH Studios - Shreveport La, Radio interview, Granada TV Show, Star Club - Hamburg, Rehearsal from Catch My Soul musical, Monument Studio - Nashville, BBC TV -Glasgow, Kensington Palace Hotel - London, Wiltern Theatre Los Angeles, Stuttgart Germany plus more !!! . Songs include: I Don't Hurt Anymore, I Need You Now, You Win Again, Good Golly Miss Molly, Great Balls Of Fire, I'm On Fire, Down The Line, Your Cheatin' Heart, What'd I Say, It's The Real Thing-Coca Cola, Lawdy Miss Clawdy/C.C Rider, Think About It Darlin', The Cannikin Clink)

DYNAMITE RECORDS

http://www.bim-bam.com/vocal.html

available from bim bam....link above..take them to the gigs, im sure Jerry would sign them !!!!

[peterchecksfield]

These are ALL bootlegs Jonny! Unfortunately Brasstacks won't go after the big guys like this as it's too much hassle for them (instead they do things like stopping real fans selling a few charity calendars of JLL!).

[peterchecksfield]

IPeter
Do you know were these recordings made during rehearsals for the stage show..and for any particular reason?
Dougie.

I've often wondered this myself. I doubt if they were recorded for a possible soundtrack album as they sound too basic (just piano / bass / drums as far as I can recall). I suspect they were made as some some sort of guide for the stage show, or perhaps they were rehearsals? Incidentally, these titles were mention by Gary Skala in 'Shaking Keyboard' magazine about 18 months before the stage show started. So they could date back to late '66.

[jonny williams]

lol...yes i know they are.. lol...now where do i get me a calendar from ??

[peterchecksfield]

lol...yes i know they are.. lol...now where do i get me a calendar from ??

This is something Marla tried to do a while back...

I think the big mistake these ladies make is trying to do everything legal & official, though it's probably more difficult to get away with putting out unapproved product in the USA.

[Dougie]

[
I've often wondered this myself. I doubt if they were recorded for a possible soundtrack album as they sound too basic (just piano / bass / drums as far as I can recall). I suspect they were made as some some sort of guide for the stage show, or perhaps they were rehearsals? Incidentally, these titles were mention by Gary Skala in 'Shaking Keyboard' magazine about 18 months before the stage show started. So they could date back to late '66.[/quote]

If thats true thats a long time to be rehearsing a show.[quote][/quote]

[peterchecksfield]

[
I've often wondered this myself. I doubt if they were recorded for a possible soundtrack album as they sound too basic (just piano / bass / drums as far as I can recall). I suspect they were made as some some sort of guide for the stage show, or perhaps they were rehearsals? Incidentally, these titles were mention by Gary Skala in 'Shaking Keyboard' magazine about 18 months before the stage show started. So they could date back to late '66.

If thats true thats a long time to be rehearsing a show.

[/quote]

I didn't mean they were rehearsing that long... I meant that it took a long time between first learning the songs to getting the show on stage, but this could be for a number of reasons (financial backing, casting, Jerry's touring schedule, etc).