Search - Jerry Lee Lewis :: Jerry Lee Lewis: The Ultimate (The Sun Years)

The definitive Jerry Lee Lewis Sun collection...

J.D. | 04/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is it. The definitive Jerry Lee Lewis sun records collection. Coming from an ardent cheerleader of the great things Bear Family Records has done (I own dozens of their boxed sets and it is my favorite reiussue label by far), this means a lot. Further, I previously owned Bear Family's excellent 8 disc set, "Classic", covering this very era and have found myself much preferring this set. Considering the extremely high standards of Bear Family releases, how could this be better than "Classic"? Well, there are a few things that immediately come to my mind:



1. Most importantly, this set provides a much more in-depth immersion in Jerry Lee's sun era. "The Ultimate: The Sun Years" contains 12 CDs and 348 tracks (the 183 tracks referenced on amazon's page is incorrect). Compare this to "Classic's" 247 tracks on 8 discs and you'll quickly see that this set betters "Classic" by 101 tracks. (when the first, 11 CD, version of this set came out it did not have all the outtakes that "Classic" had, nor all the outtakes found on the rarities found on Charly CD 70...this was rectified with a different set which contained a 12th, bonus, CD comprised soley of the outtakes/rarities that "Classic" had that this set did not originally have, along with further rarities....this review concerns itself with the 12 CD version of this set). For the true Jerry Lee Lewis fanatic or connoissuer, this alone warrants a search for this set as it gives you many more versions of songs and unreleased songs than any other Sun set ever has.



2. "Classic" suffers from the early (late 1980s to mid 1990s) Bear Family predilection for sequencing their sets in strict chronological order, with outtake after outtake piled on succession, making for an often tedious listen. That's not the case with this set. This one smartly focuses on thematic discs that play well as stand-alone's and are a treat to listen to. The 12 discs are grouped as follows:



Disc 1 Original Singles

Disc 2 Original Singles Part 2.

Disc 3 Country Roots

Disc 4 Hillbilly Music

Disc 5 Sixty Minute Man, R & B Roots

Disc 6 Hits Re-Defined (I Did 'Em My Way)

Disc 7 Rarities, Not On CD

Disc 8 More Rarities

Disc 9 Unissued Takes, Vol. 1

Disc 10 Pumpin' Piano Rock

Disc 11 Unissued Takes, Vol. 2

Disc 12 Bonus CD (tracks previously available only on "Classic" and Charly CD 70 plus additional rarities).



In addition, this set has an engrossing 92 page booklet, with rare photos, a discography, sessionography, and a surpisingly engrossing exploration of

Jerry Lee Lewis the person along with insight into the songs and background

on the sessions themselves. All in all about as good as a booklet as one is

likely to come upon.



I agree with the previous reviewer in regards to the sound. For the life of me

I can make no distinction in sound quality in this set compared to "Classic."

The sound here sounds alive, vibrant, and present, which is amazing

considering the age of these recordings.



I could not recommend this set more strongly. If much of this review has come across as an argument for this set over Classic, then it is merely as a testament to my regard for Bear Family & its very high standards and in no way a knock on Richard Weize and his dedicated crew. If you own that set & enjoy that set, do yourself a favor and hunt this one down. If you own neither, I highly recommend you spring for this one and enjoy these timeless tunes for many years to come."

The most complete Jerry Lee Lewis Sun set yet

Dougie | Lakeville, MN | 03/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a huge fan of Bear Family records, but this set is actually superior

in an important way: it contains more recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis at

Sun than even the "Classic" set from Bear Family. To my ears there is

no difference in sound quality, either. Highly recommended if you can

find it!"

Everything!

SEAN MCATEER | Cranston, R.I. United States | 03/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The entire Sun recording history of Jerry Lee Lewis; forget all those lame compilations, this is ALL that is needed--in one place. Great sound quality too!"