A Whole Lotta...Jerry Lee Lewis: The Definitive Retrospective


A Whole Lotta...Jerry Lee Lewis: The Definitive Retrospective is a 4-disc box set by American rock and roll pioneer and country music singer 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 and contains a 70-page booklet written by rock historian Roger W. Dopson. All tracks were remastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio.
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 ", 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".

Reception

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. He ultimately concluded it was better and more comprehensive than the 1993 Lewis set All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology.
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”."
AllMusic, Uncut, and Record Collector all gave the set 5-out-of-5 stars.

Track listing

Disc one (1956–1967)

  1. "Crazy Arms" – 2:45
  2. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" – 2:54
  3. "Great Balls of Fire" – 1:53
  4. "You Win Again" – 2:57
  5. "Breathless" – 2:44
  6. "High School Confidential" – 2:31
  7. "Lewis Boogie" – 2:01
  8. "Break-Up – 2:39
  9. "I'll Sail My Ship Alone" – 2:10
  10. "Lovin' Up a Storm – 1:52
  11. "What'd I Say" – 2:28
  12. "Cold, Cold Heart" – 3:08
  13. "Hit the Road Jack" – 1:56
  14. "Pen and Paper" – 2:29
  15. "I'm on Fire" – 2:24
  16. "She Was My Baby (He Was My Friend)" – 2:18
  17. "High Heel Sneakers" – 3:42
  18. "Just in Time" – 2:55
  19. "Baby, Hold Me Close" – 3:06
  20. "I Believe in You" – 2:34
  21. "Green, Green Grass of Home" – 2:41
  22. "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" – 2:37
  23. "Detroit City" – 2:46
  24. "Rockin' Jerry Lee" – 2:41
  25. "Memphis Beat" – 2:50
  26. "Big Boss Man" – 2:52
  27. "It's a Hang-Up, Baby" – 2:15
  28. "Turn On Your Love Light" – 2:31
  29. "Shotgun Man" – 2:43

Disc two (1968–1971)

  1. "Another Place, Another Time" – 2:26
  2. "Walking the Floor Over You" – 2:08
  3. "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" – 3:00
  4. "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me) – 2:36
  5. "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)" – 2:29
  6. "To Make Love Sweeter for You" – 2:50
  7. "There Stands the Glass" – 2:36
  8. "Don't Let Me Cross Over" – 2:57
  9. "Jackson" – 2:22
  10. "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" – 2:39
  11. "Invitation to Your Party" – 1:57
  12. "Earth Up Above" – 2:00
  13. "She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye" – 2:40
  14. "One Minute Past Eternity" – 2:05
  15. "Roll Over Beethoven" – 2:00
  16. "Working Man's Blues" – 2:55
  17. "Wine Me Up" – 2:23
  18. "Once More with Feeling" – 2:25
  19. "I Can't Seem to Say Goodbye" – 2:35
  20. "There Must Be More to Love Than This" – 2:43
  21. "Waiting for a Train" – 1:42
  22. "In Loving Memories" – 3:15
  23. "Sweet Georgia Brown" – 2:30
  24. "Touching Home" – 2:38
  25. "When He Walks on You (Like You Have Walked on Me)" – 2:31
  26. "Would You Take Another Chance on Me" – 2:52
  27. "Me and Bobby McGee" – 3:12
  28. "Thirteen at the Table" – 3:36

Disc three (1972–1975)

  1. "Chantilly Lace" – 2:50
  2. "Think About It Darlin' – 2:34
  3. "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" – 3:03
  4. "Lonely Weekends" – 1:44
  5. "Me and Jesus" – 2:39
  6. "Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano" – 3:18
  7. "No Honky-Tonks in Heaven" – 2:29
  8. "No Traffic Out of Abilene" – 2:45
  9. "No More Hanging On" – 3:13
  10. "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" – 3:39
  11. "Bad Moon Rising" – 2:39
  12. "Juke Box" – 4:41
  13. " No Headstone on My Grave" – 5:23
  14. "Sometimes a Memory Ain't Enough" – 2:56
  15. "Ride Me Down Easy" – 2:48
  16. "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" – 2:20
  17. "Just a Little Bit" – 3:09
  18. "Big Blue Diamonds" – 4:21
  19. "Tell Tale Signs" – 2:27
  20. "He Can't Fill My Shoes" – 2:33
  21. "Honey Hush" – 2:16
  22. "I Can Still Hear the Music in the Restroom" – 2:31
  23. "House of Blue Lights" – 2:19
  24. "Boogie-Woogie Country Man" – 3:42
  25. "A Damn Good Country Song" – 2:06

Disc four (1975–1989)

  1. "Don't Boogie-Woogie " – 2:36
  2. "I Can't Keep My Hands Off You" – 3:14
  3. "I Don't Want to Be Lonely Tonight" – 3:14
  4. "Let's Put It Back Together Again" – 3:19
  5. "Jerry Lee's Rock 'n' Roll Revival Show" – 2:51
  6. "The Closest Thing to You" – 3:15
  7. "Middle Age Crazy" – 3:52
  8. "Tennessee Saturday Night" – 2:30
  9. "Come On In" – 2:32
  10. "I'll Find It Where I Can" – 2:46
  11. "I Hate You" – 2:12
  12. "Rockin' My Life Away" – 3:26
  13. "I Wish I Was Eighteen Again" – 3:42
  14. "Who Will the Next Fool Be" – 5:49
  15. "When Two Worlds Collide" – 2:30
  16. "Over the Rainbow" – 3:46
  17. "Thirty-Nine and Holding" – 2:57
  18. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" – 2:42
  19. "My Fingers Do the Talking" – 2:50
  20. "Come As You Were" – 2:26
  21. "Honky-Tonk Rock 'n' Roll Piano Man" – 2:30
  22. "Why You Been Gone So Long" – 2:55
  23. "Sixteen Candles" – 3:47
  24. "Wild One" – 2:21