The Essential Jerry Lee Lewis

Yes, there were many compilations of Jerry Lee Lewis' Sun recordings, of various sizes, before this two-CD set. And, yes, there are better single-disc compilations for those who just want the very best and most famous stuff, and better multi-disc sets for those who want to go into his Sun catalog in depth. However, if you want more than what a standard greatest-hits collection offers but don't need a huge box set, this 40-track anthology is a good deal, even if considerably more music could have been fit onto each CD (the total running time falling a little shy of 100 minutes). All of the hits are here, as well as some of his better-known more obscure Sun sides ("Big Blon' Baby," "Break Up," "Fools Like Me," "Down the Line," "It'll Be Me," "Lovin' Up a Storm"). While much of the rest of the set is given over to covers of famous rock, R&B, and country hits, on these Lewis proves his skills as an excellent interpretive artist, with material varying from "What'd I Say," "Good Golly Miss Molly," and "Little Queenie" to "Mean Woman Blues," "You Win Again," and "Good Rockin' Tonight." ~ Richie Unterberger|