"...Honky Tonk..."
Having
renewed a better contract with Mercury Records - 1972 and 1973 saw the Killer
riding high with chart success and sold-out tours. But his album-releases for
the period uncomfortably straddled two worlds - American Country Music that was
commercially lucrative but laced in strings and cheesy productions - against
albums that snuck out inbetween the cracks that still showed his wild man Rock
'n' Roll piano-pumping chops. These two albums are firmly in the Country sphere
and while there are moments on them for sure - they haven't weathered the years
well. Those looking for touches of his old Rock 'n' Roll magic and mojo should
look elsewhere.
UK
released January 2015 - "Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano... (Think About It Darlin')/Sometimes A Memory Ain't Enough" by JERRY LEE LEWIS on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1174 (Barcode 5017261211743)
features 2LPs on 1CD and breaks down as follows (66:44 minutes):
1.
Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano
2.
She's Reachin' For My Mind
3.
Too Many Rivers
4.
We Both Know Which One Of Us Was Wrong
5.
Wall Around Heaven
6.
No More Hanging On
7.
Think About It Darlin' [Side 2]
8.
Bottom Dollar
9.
No Traffic Out Of Abilene
10.
Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
11.
The Mercy Of A Letter
Tracks
1 to 11 are the album "Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano... (Think About It
Darlin')" - released December 1972 in the USA on Mercury SR 61366 (No UK
release)
12.
Sometimes A Memory Ain't Enough
13.
Ride Me Down Easy
14.
Mama's Hands
15.
What My Woman Can't Do
16.
My Cricket And Me
17.
I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
18.
Honky Tonk Wine [Side 2]
19.
Falling To The Bottom
20.
I Think I Need To Pray
21.
The Morning After Baby Let Me Down
22.
Keep Me From Blowing Away
Tracks
12 to 22 are the album "Sometimes A Memory Ain't Enough" - released
October 1973 in the USA on Mercury SRM-1-677 (no UK release)
The
card-wrap and 16-page booklet lend the release a classy feel while ANDREW McRAE
provides the affectionate and informative liner notes to compliment the album
credits (there's also Country Music magazine covers, artwork and photos
reproduced). ANDREW THOMPSON has done the remasters in 2015 at Sound Mastering
and they're typically excellent - full of details and audio punch without being
over-trebled for the sake of it.
The
witty opener "Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano" sets the Country Music
tone - Jerry giving the lyrics his sly acidic slant "who's gonna touch
these keys with feeling...really get to you...the Killer ain't through!"
There's a touch of Fats Domino piano boogie with "We Both Know Which One
Of Us Was Wrong" where Jerry tells us where the blame squarely lies (oddly
enough its not with him). Jimmy Webb provides a half-decent song in "No
Traffic Out Of Abilene" where Lewis does his best Glen Campbell
impression. On the second album "Honky Tonk Wine" provides a welcome
boogie to the syrupy Country but again its drowned in girl singers and strings.
It ends on the talking "Keep Me from Blowing Away" again drowned in
kill-me-now strings.
You
wouldn't call either of these records JLL's finest moments - but fans will
enjoy the quality presentation and audio...
