Jerry Lee Lewis
Album: Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano (Think About It Darlin')/Sometimes A Memory Ain't Enough
Label: BGO
Tracks: 22
Website: http://www.bgo-records.com/

Known as much at one time for his antics off-stage as on, by 1972 the artist known as The Killer had appeared to have somewhat mellowed. His 'country comeback' in the late-60s was an artistic renaissance that resulted in two genuine crossover hits in the US - "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Chantilly Lace" - and he was beginning to be embraced by the Nashville establishment, if somewhat reluctantly in some quarters.

Lewis, it has to be said, had remained a difficult character to pin down both personally and professionally and this is perhaps characterised by his output during '72 and '73, when these two albums were originally released. Recorded around 18 months apart they represent but one element of Lewis' somewhat erratic output. Sandwiched between these releases were his appearance at the historic Rock 'n' Roll revival show at Wembley Stadium and the classic "Session" double album recorded with the likes of Chas Hodges, Albert Lee, Klaus Voormann, Kenny Jones and Peter Frampton, amongst others. So whilst Lewis can be heard embracing a version of the Nashville sound on these albums, they nevertheless betray a sense of the 'wild man' image that Lewis had so desperately articulated over the previous decade and a half.

Of the two albums, the oddly-titled "Who's Gonna Play This Old Piano (Think About It Darlin')" from 1972 is perhaps the more accomplished. Here producer Jerry Kennedy and arranger Cam Mullins achieve a rich sound on a number of tracks with a romantic aesthetic built around lush strings and fully seven backing singers. "She's Reachin' For My Mind", "Too Many Rivers" and "Think About It Darlin'" probably demonstrate this most clearly, with the latter featuring a heartfelt vocal that includes a strangely appealing melismatic flourish. Elsewhere on "Who's Gonna Play..." the sound is more stripped-back with just the odd horn section flown in to add colour in places.

By the time of 1973's "Sometimes A Memory Ain't Enough" Lewis had played the Wembley revival show, recorded the "Sessions" album and taken on a new producer. Stan Kesler was a veteran of Sun Studios who had engineered the Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs hit "Wooly Bully" and he evidently persuaded Lewis to include two of his own compositions here. The album adopts a similar template to "Who's Gonna Play..." and it's a close-run contest as to which recording is most accomplished, although the song choices on this later release are perhaps a little less well thought out ("My Cricket And Me" is little short of bizarre)!

As one might expect, piano features heavily in a good proportion of the tracks and Lewis' vocals throughout the entire collection feel honest and careworn, which merely adds to the sense of authenticity. Whilst both albums reached the Top 10 of the US Country charts, neither was released in the UK at the time so they remain somewhat unknown on this side of the Atlantic. This release comes courtesy of British re-issue specialists BGO Records and has been nicely remastered for CD. The package is slipcased with somewhat disappointing artwork but this is made up for by the extensive sleeve notes by Andrew McRae which are refreshingly honest about the success (or otherwise) of the recordings.

This may not appeal to those schooled in late-80s 'New Country' or latter-day Americana and neither album will feature heavily in lists of Lewis' greatest achievements. Despite this, if taken for what they are - as attempts to adapt to the classic Nashville sound of the time whilst retaining some of Lewis' old-school integrity - they can be considered as modestly successful. Either way, their long-overdue release to the UK market should be welcomed.

Kev Boyd