Artist: JERRY LEE LEWIS
Title: THE ROAD BEGGINS
Style: 50's Rock And Roll - Rockabilly
Available
Customer reviews:
What a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, smashing, super, great CD! Most readers of this mag should be familiar with the content, and all diehard JLL supporters will have most of these tracks many times over, but it's still a superb collection of his earliest recordings, described on the sleeve as being "the first swaggering steps in a cocksure career".
As well as both sides of his initial key Sun releases, we get EP tracks, things not issued until much later ('Dixie', 'Born To Lose', 'Deep Elem Blues' etc.) and a couple of items plucked from the Million Dollar Quartet session. On top of that are items that Lewis played on as a session pianist for Carl Perkins ('Your True Love' sounding weird at its original speed), Billy Riley and Hayden Thompson.
Also included in this bunch are Johnny Cash's 'Straight A's In Love' and I Love You Because, but it's more likely to be Jimmy Wilson playing on these. It's certainly not JLL. The style and wrist action are totally different. The Killer doesn't trill like that.
Tagged on after that lot is his explosive version of 'Whole Lotta Shakin" Goin' On' from his debut Steve Allen TV show appearance, on which he was backed by J.W. Brown and Russ Smith (not Roland Janes and Jimmy Van Eaton as Dave Penny's notes claim), followed by his very first recordings.
These were private acetates cut in New Orleans (1952) and Shreveport (1954) that first appeared long after the fact on 'A Half Century Of Hits' (Time Life) and The Killer's Private Stash' (Electrovert). Both sets of tracks indicate that he was a star in waiting long before he walked into 706 Union Avenue, especially 'Jerry Lee's Boogie' (which was titled 'New Orleans Boogie' on its first issue).
Yes, it's all very familiar, but it's so bloody good! 'Mean Woman Blues', 'Matchbox', 'Great Balls Of Fire', 'Flyin' Saucer Rock & Roll', 'Deep Elem Blues', 'Put Your Cat Clothes On' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin" Goin' On', to name but a few...it just don't get any better than that, baby! And that's a guaranteed fact!
Trevor Cajiao
Now Dig this
THE KILLER - or Jerry Lee Lewis. The white madman with the Rocket 88. I think I don't have to say much about this man and his music (similar to the previous named acts/records). For sure there is nearly nothing of Jerry Lee which isn't released already. Most of the stuff you find on massive, huge, box sets ( LP and CD).
Well, El Toro packed all his early SUN RECORDS recordings (including his recordings with Cari Perklns / Johnny Cash/ Billy Riley / Haydon Thompson ) on this CD + the 4 demo tracks from 1952/1954, so you get 31 tunes of THE KILLER, no more, no less !!! A note fordie hard Lewis collectors - El Toro corrected the speed on Your True Love".
Madhouse
"The Road Begins" is a perfect introduction to the vast world of Jerry lee Lewis.
Thirty one songs that cover the beginning of his career. You'll find his first single for Sun (End Of The Road/Crazy Arms - Sun 259), his classic rockers (Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, Great Balls Of Fire) and a couple of other sides that show what a great country singer Jerry Lee is (You Win Again, Born To Loose).
Some of the sides he made as a session pianist for Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Hayden Thompson, Billy Lee Riley are also included here as well as two takes from The Million Dollar Quartet (though they were probably recorded once Perkins and Presley left) and a live take of Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On recorded at the Steve Allen Show.
Most of rock'n'roll fans probably already owns most of this recording but the last four tracks are more obscure. These are demo recorded in 1952 and 1954 before his Sun days.
A good overview of Jerry Lee's debut.
Fred "Virgil" Turgis - Jumpin from 6 to 6
