To my generation, those born in the 70's, too young to have experienced the first wave of punk and too old to fall for all the shite on the pop charts, we have to settle for retro. Myself, I like old school punk, old school country and old school rock & roll.
The problem with retro when it comes to soulful music like all those three genrés, is that you can't really appreciate how groundbreaking it was when it first shook society.
Sure, punk was rebellious, but them kids were wearing designer clothes that ordinary folks couldn't afford and the anarchist message was very much a middle class pose.
No, I don't think any musical genré has shook society to the extent that early rock & roll did. Here you have a nice, well-mannered nation who listens to Jim Reeves (that being said, I bleeding love Jim Reeves) and all of the sudden two southern kids appear on the charts. One shakes his hips in obscene ways and another kids sings about what the first one symbolize with his fits. To top it off, he sets fire to his piano. What ever punk did, it had nothing on Jerry Lee Lewis, not even the first wave of real punk. I'd much rather fight Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69 in a fist fight than that mean old geezer Jerry Lee Lewis. Gary Hodges of the 4-skins is a different kettle of fish entirely, though. I think the only genré that has ever come close to the impact of early rock & roll is oi!.
Well, enough the manners of that old rebel that will surely go to his grave a rebel and let's talk music, cos, at the end of the day, that's what matters!
Not surprisingly, what you get on this record is the best of Jerry Lee. According to the bloke that put the record together, at least. There's a load of covers on this album and I would've wanted to see the Big Bopper's Chantilly Lace being covered too. If anyone doubts that this is one of Jerry Lee's best covers, just get on youtube.
The record is a bit predictable, with other words. You get great tunes like Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On and Great Balls Of Fire. Great tunes and well established ones of his career.
Maybe precisely cos it's full of lack of surprises it makes this a good record. Not a perfect record, but a good record. Perfect to give to those of your relatives that were young in the 50's or to anyone interested in the ear and to be honest, that's what Best of's are for.
As I said, there's a load of covers, some better than others. I was surprised that, his voice being so different from the original singer, Jerry Lee could make such a brilliant version of Malcolm Yelvington's rockabilly classic Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-o-Dee. It's better than the original and the best cover on the album, the worst being a piss-poor version of Hank Williams Sr's You Win Again.
Jerry Lee has never had the voice of other greats of the era, but with the voice he had, he managed to put across the spirit of youth rebellion like no other and irregardless of what you think of his personal qualities, at least he's one of the best piano players in the industry and that piano and voice is backed up by a driving drum sound.
I really liked this record and it get's a whoopin' 91,3% in rate of satisfaction!
