Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends - Duets (Reissue, Remastered) (1977/1996)

Digitally remastered by M.C. Rather & Hollis Flatt (Custom Mastering, Nashville, Tennessee). A very weird, and weirdly entertaining, curiosity of an album. The liner notes simply say that the sessions that produced these tracks are "clouded in mystery," with the result that Lewis's lone duet partner on these tracks is never actually identified. Whoever he is, let's just say that he could make a very good living as an Elvis impersonator, and probably does. Let's also say that it's more than possible that his vocals were added years (if not decades) after the original sessions, which sound as if they derive from the early '60s, just before Lewis left Sun Records. Let us also finally say that the album itself is not without a certain charm, though in the end, of course, it all comes down to caveat emptor. Personnel: Jerry Lee Lewis (vocals, piano). Audio Remixer: Bob Smith. Producers: Sam C. Phillips, Jack Clement.