A Whole Lotta...Jerry Lee Lewis: The Definitive Retrospective | ||||
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Released | April 2, 2012 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1956–1989 | |||
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Length | 4:55:56 | |||
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Jerry Lee Lewis chronology | ||||
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A Whole Lotta...Jerry Lee Lewis: The Definitive Retrospective is a 4-disc box set by American rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis. It was released in 2012 by Salvo Records and Universal Music Group. It consists of 106 songs recorded between 1956 and 1989 for the Sun, Smash, Mercury, Elektra, and MCA record labels [3] and contains a 70-page booklet written by rock historian Roger W. Dopson. [4] All tracks were remastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio. [4]
The set showcases Lewis' versatility as a performer and recording artist, with rock and roll numbers such as "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire", country-western songs such as "Another Place, Another Time" and "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)", blues/R&B cuts such as "Big Boss Man" and "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee", and gospel tracks such as "Thirteen at the Table" and "Me and Jesus" (the latter a duet with sister Linda Gail Lewis).
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Record Collector | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic criticized the relative lack of Sun cuts—only 13 total out of 106 tracks—but felt the collection made up for it by delving deep into Lewis' country music catalogue in the 1960s and 1970s for Smash and Mercury Records. While feeling the collection was hampered slightly by the lack of Sun recordings, he ultimately concluded it was better and more comprehensive than the 1993 Lewis set All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology . [1]
Cila Warncke of Penny Black Music Magazine wrote: "As a purely musical artefact this four CD compilation, with its hundred-plus tracks, 70-page biographical booklet by rock historian Roger Dopson, and sturdy triple fold box, can rightly claim to be “The Definitive Retrospective”." [2]
AllMusic, Uncut , and Record Collector all gave the set 5-out-of-5 stars. [1] [5] [6]
Jerry Lee Lewis was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1952 at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studio in New Orleans, Louisiana, and early recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. "Crazy Arms" sold 300,000 copies in the Southern United States, but it was his 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" that shot Lewis to worldwide fame. He followed this with the major hits "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless", and "High School Confidential".
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" is a song written by Dave "Curlee" Williams and sometimes also credited to James Faye "Roy" Hall. The song was first recorded by Big Maybelle, though the best-known version is the 1957 rock and roll/rockabilly version by Jerry Lee Lewis.
Linda Gail Lewis is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She has recorded with her brother Jerry Lee Lewis, as well as Van Morrison, Robbie Fulks, Wanda Jackson, Melanie, Dale Watson, Mitch Ryder and Robert Gordon. She also has recorded with her two daughters, Mary Jean Ferguson and Annie Marie Lewis, in a group called the Lewis 3.
The London Rock and Roll Show was a concert held at Wembley Stadium in Wembley Park, London, England, on 5 August 1972. It is often said to have been the first ever concert held at the stadium, but a pop concert featuring the bands Status Quo and Yes had been held as part of the Oxfam Walk 1969 charity event at the stadium on 13 July 1969.
The Sun Records Collection is a 1994 compilation album released by Rhino Records, compiling some of the finest recordings of the label Sun Records.
You Win Again is the twenty-eighth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It is a duet album with Linda Gail Lewis that was released in 2000 by Virgin Records. The album was recorded at The Wool Hall, Bath, England.
Last Man Standing is the 39th studio album released by American recording artist, pianist, and rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis in September 2006. The album consists of duets between Lewis and some of the biggest names in both rock and country music, past and present. The title derives from the generation of 1950s Sun Studios recording artists such as Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley; all of whom had died, leaving Lewis the "last man standing". Lewis died in October 2022, 16 years and a month following this album's release. Following the success of the album, a DVD Last Man Standing Live was released featuring similar duets with famous artists.
All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology is a 1993 box set collecting 42 songs by rock and roll and rockabilly pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, including 27 charting hits. The album has been critically well received. In 2003, Rolling Stone listed the album at #245 in its list of "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", maintaining its rating in a 2012 revised list, and dropping to #325 in the 2020 update. Country Music: The Rough Guide indicated that "[t]his is the kind of full-bodied, decades-spanning treatment that Lewis's long, diverse career more than well deserves."
Another Place, Another Time is the eighth album by the musician Jerry Lee Lewis, released in 1968 by Smash Records. It was Lewis's "comeback album" and features a stripped down, "hardcore" country sound that yielded two top five country hits, his first major chart success in a decade.
She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me) is the ninth album by Jerry Lee Lewis. It was released on Smash Records in 1969.
Together is a duet album by Jerry Lee Lewis and his sister Linda Gail Lewis. The album was released in 1969 on the Smash record label.
Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. 1 is the 10th album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on Smash Records in 1969.
Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. 2 is the 11th album by Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Smash Records in 1969.
The Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis is the third studio album by musician Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Smash Records in 1964. It was Lewis's first album with the label after leaving Sun Records.
In Loving Memories: The Jerry Lee Lewis Gospel Album is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1971.
The Session...Recorded in London with Great Artists is a double album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on Mercury Records in 1973. It was recorded in London and features Lewis teaming up with British musicians, including Peter Frampton and Albert Lee.
Sometimes a Memory Ain't Enough is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on Mercury Records in 1973.
Country Class is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Mercury Records in 1976. Cam Mullins was credited for the string and horn arrangements on "Let's Put It Back Together", "Jerry Lee's Rock & Roll Revival Show" and "The Closest Thing to You".
"Baby, Hold Me Close" is a song written by Jerry Lee Lewis and Bob Tubert and released as a single by Lewis in the U.S. in February 1965 on Smash Records. The song was also released in the UK in 1965 as a 45 single on Philips Records.
"Meat Man" is a Rock 'n' roll song written by Mack Vickery and originally recorded by him in 1970 under the name Atlanta James. The most well known recording was by Jerry Lee Lewis, and was the first and only single off Lewis's 1973 album Southern Roots: Back Home to Memphis.