Jerry Lee Lewis: Live From Austin Texas

I am beginning a nice collection from the NEW WEST RECORDS/ Austin City Limits series...From Steve Earle to Dwight Yoakam ,Lynyrd Skynyrd and now Jerry Lee Lewis. The shows are all remastered for optimum sound, the visuals are 1st class broadcast quality. Most of all..the folks who appeared on Austin City Limits...all seemed to know it was an important tradition and really laid it out performance wise. Jerry Lee absolutely burns through an hour of incendiary Rock, breakneck boogie woogie, heartbreaking Honky Tonk and in general OWNS the darn stage and is absolutely riveting. what else can you ask for?

I am not sure what the previous reviewer meant when he said Lewis just did this for the money. Isn't that what all performers do? This is not "dreck". Jerry Lee Lewis is an incredible musician who can pretty much do anything with his voice and his piano.And if he is trying to pay the IRS, then that is a good thing, right? He had a lot of energy in this performance, and he did what he does best, sing and play. For those of us who were too young, or not allowed to even hardly know he existed, it has been a revelation to hear all the music he has done in the past 50 years. He is one of the few musicians I want to see and not just listen to. I am very grateful that the old videos are being released, and hope for more in the future. If you like Jerry Lee Lewis I believe you will appreciate this video.

This 15-song set originally recorded in October of 1983 for PBS' "Austin City Limits" features the Killer at his best- mature, confident, and relaxed- mixing country, rock'n'roll, and gospel with an equal blend of grace and fire. Very little editing has taken place from the original broadcast with all the songs present and in their original sequence. The material, the band, the production, and Jerry Lee himself are all top-notch. Yes, "Last Man Standing" is great- but go back 20-plus years and watch the power of "Chantilly Lace" and "Boogie Woogie Country Man", the vivid "39 and Holding", and the wild "What'd I Say" and you'll get an excellent glimpse into what Jerry Lee, and his legacy, are all about.