Jerry Lee Lewis”The Complete Palomino Club Recordings”...

Jerry Lee Lewis

“The Complete Palomino Club Recordings” (1979-85)

Tomato/Rhino

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In the days when the 42 songs on this two-CD set were recorded, the Ferriday Fireball was still fully capable on a good night of playing rock ‘n’ roll and country music as good as either gets.

Appearing two or three times a year at the Palomino in North Hollywood, he had a lot of good nights. This live document beautifully captures the musical fireworks--the only thing missing are the visuals: the sight of Lewis glaring out at the crowd over the top of his sunglasses, assailing a verbose drunk at the bar or raising his foot for a heel kick at the keyboard at any given moment.

The utter unpredictability of his performances was intoxicating--I attended every Lewis show in the Southland I could, and was at most of these. Even on successive nights his shows were rarely similar, the set list changing on his whim. You can hear that here, when he’ll launch a song without first giving his band so much as a song title or a key signature. A few bars later, they catch on and join in.

Fortunately, his band was as extraordinarily flexible as it was gifted. Seminal rock guitarist James Burton was a regular guest, along with fiddler-guitarist Kenny Lovelace, drummer Buddy Harmon and bassists Bob Moore and Joel Shoemaker.

The songs range from his ‘50s Sun Records hits--among them, “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire”--to his late-’60s and ‘70s country material, including “Another Place, Another Time” and “Middle Aged Crazy.”

But he never just sings any of these songs--he moves in and sets up his furniture. His performances paralleled his temperament at any given moment, running the gamut from unfettered braggadocio to heartbreaking regret to sincere repentance. His honesty could be as embarrassing as it was inspiring.

Anyone who thinks Brooks & Dunn are as wild and crazy as country music gets should listen to this and get a dose of the real thing.