The 500 - #245 - All Killer, No Filler, The Anthology - Jerry Lee Lewis

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #245
Album Title: All Killer, No Filler, The Anthology
Artist: Jerry Lee Lewis
Genre: Rock, Country, Rockabilly
Recorded: Multiple studios from 1958 - 1990
Released: May, 1993
My age at release: 27
How familiar was I with it before this week: A little

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #325, dropping 80 spots since 2012
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Great Balls Of Fire

I have an idea for a podcast whose title would share the name of this record – All Killer, No Filler. Each week, I would invite a guest to discuss their favourite record on which every track is, in their opinion, top calibre without any inferior songs.

My plan was to take a three-day course this past summer tentatively offered by the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) in London, Ontario. The presenters, Chey Cheney and Pawan Wander (who go by Chey and Pav), are middle school teachers from Toronto who have been the hosts of an education podcast for several years. Initially called The Staffroom Podcast, it was recently rebranded as The Chey and Pav Show. Their latest episode, #129, is here.

Teachers & Podcasters Chey Cheney (l) and Pawan (Pav) Wander.

Their early-July session promised participants the opportunity to learn about podcasting, the equipment required and how to integrate it into a middle school classroom. In anticipation of the workshop, I approached my principal about acquiring the necessary digital tools and equipment. Alas, my good intentions were scuttled when, despite my best efforts to promote it to London-based educators, lack of interest resulted in the event being cancelled. (I could understand why - the session was the first week of July, scant days after the previous school year ended and teachers needed some time to recharge).

Promotional photo for last summer's ETFO 3-Day workshops.

Regardless, I am steadfast in my plan to obtain some podcasting equipment and initiate a new opportunity to students at our school. Eventually, perhaps in retirement, I will launch my All Killer, No Filler podcast and start recruiting friends as guests to discuss their favourite perfect records.

Speaking of All Killer, this week's record was actually released in non-digital format as a boxset anthology spanning rockabilly pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis' (nicknamed The Killer) expansive career. It features 42 tracks, with 27 of them hit songs that include his manic Great Balls Of Fire, plus Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and Breathless.

Prior to my research this week, everything I knew about Jerry Lee I learned watching the 1989 biopic, Great Balls Of Fire, starring Dennis Quaid.

The film documents Lee's meteoric rise to superstardom and his equally rapid decline when the media learned that, at 22, he had married his 13-year-old cousin -- the daughter of his bass player, no less. It was his third marriage of an eventual seven...and his child bride, Myra Gale Lewis (nee Brown) later penned a book on which the film was based.

It is impractical, in a format like this, to do justice to the importance of Lewis as an architect of Rock and Roll and his wild, fascinating life. Last year, director Ethan Coen (Fargo, Miller's Crossing) released a documentary called Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble In Mind, which I have yet to see, but I am sure will more vividly highlight the singer/pianist's tumultuous existence.

Seemingly indestructible, (unlike his torched pianos -- although that may be a bit of fiction), Lewis survived alcoholism, multiple bouts of cancer and a stroke before passing away in October, 2022. He was the last surviving member of the inaugural class entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which included Elvis Presley, James Brown, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, the Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly. Despite his many flaws, his impact on the genre is undeniable.

My favourite bit of trivia, however, is that professional wrestler Ric Flair developed his famous catchphrase, “Woooo”! in 1974 after he heard Lewis roar, “Goodness gracious, great balls of fire… Woo!”