AMG Review of Killer Country [Mercury]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

For obvious reasons, Killer Country has been a popular title for collections of Jerry Lee Lewis' Smash and Mercury recordings, and the 1995 Mercury collection that bears this name is pretty much a typical collection with this title. Spanning 20 tracks over the course of one disc, this hits many of Jerry Lee's big country hits for the two labels, from the career-reviving 1968 hit "Another Place Another Time" to the defining 1977 hit "Middle Age Crazy." Between those two, there are many other great sides -- "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)," "What's Made Milwaukee Famous," "She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye," "Once More With Feeling" -- but it misses just as many great songs. "To Make Love Sweeter for You," "Chantilly Lace," "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)," "Invitation to Your Party," "Don't Let Me Cross Over," "Would You Take a Chance on Me," and "Sometimes a Memory Ain't Enough," are nowhere to be found, and while there's nothing bad here, these songs are all missed and prevent this from being the definitive single-disc overview it could have been. Still, it's a good sampler, and a good introduction to the classic Smash/Mercury recordings, even if it could have been better.