What if I told you I never cared for Jerry Lee Lewis?
When I need my rock and roll, I've always preferred Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Billy Lee Riley and Fats Domino.
What if I told you that Jerry Lee Lewis "Live At The Star Club" was one of my favorite records of all time? To quote Chuck Prophet, "This isn't a live record. It's a crime scene."
Backed by the Nashville Teens, recorded in 1964, but never released in the United States until 1992, The Killer's performance at the Star Club is in a word, deranged. It reaches levels of heat and rock & roll insanity only implied on his early Sun hits.
If you needed proof of Jerry Lee's legendary reputation, for better or worse, it's not found on the studio versions of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls Of Fire." The drunk stories, the marriages, the suspected murder, the Coke bottles filled with gasoline, all seep out of the grooves of "Live At The Star Club.'' This album truly is the devil's music.
14 comments:
Jerry Lee Lewis was never my go to either. I tried to get into "Last Man Standing," but "Rock and Roll" ruined the record for me. Thanks for the Star Club songs, Sal. This is on my to-buy list.
And for a great read check out Nick Toches' "Hellfire"
Deranged is the perfect description....an absolute monster of an album.
Agreed! It's almost out of control as soon as he hits the keys and only eases up for "Your Cheatin' Heart". Nothing else comes close!
That was like having 10 cups of coffee with a plate of cocaine.
Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee truly lived the R&R lifestyle that the "hairbands" wanted to, but could never achieve
That was one scary man! Ask his wives!
Captain Al
This is PRECISELY my take on Jerry Lee as well. I love Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash and even early Elvis with all my heart. Jerry Lee has left me cold. "Whole Lotta Shaking'" is great. Don't care about "Great Balls of Fire" at all. And the live album is fantastic and I never listen to it. I can't explain that.
I listen to Chuck, Little Richard and Buddy Holly on a monthly basis. I listen to Johnny Cash on a weekly basis. I haven't listened to Johnny Cash in years
Jerry Lee was always a bad ass cool rock n roller and his rock and country catalog remain strong in my playlists.
Never much of a JLL fan, either.
I respected his place in rock history, but didn't enjoy his stuff all that much.
I'll have to look this one up.
To me, Jarry Lee was the greatest rock and roller of them all (except, just maybe, for Little Richard). I reached that conclusion the first time I heard "Live at the Star-Club." All of my earlier views were suddenly proven daft. Nothing's changed my mind.
To hear those first few notes as Jerry Lee begins to sing, "Why don't you break down honey and just give me a little bit of that money....." before launching into the greatest cover of Barrett Strong's song ever. Gives me chills every time.
Out of print but worth finding: Rhino's "All Killer No Filler" and the version therein of "Don't Put No Headstone on My Grave." As Jerry Lee said, "I want a monument."
Keep up the good work, folks. --Visions
I recently listened to his country breakthrough album Another Time, Another Place for the first time just before he died. It's great and worth a listen beyond the live album and (for me) any good compilation/playlist of his classic singles.
Sal:
You're right about so many things so often that it really strikes a dischordant note to catch you so far off the mark this time. Perhaps the most rock 'n' roll thing about Jerry Lee is that there was literally no music, if he chose to render it, that he couldn't make entirely and defiantly his own. And he did it all with an earth-shaking, gut-punching, no-prisoner-taking directness that shoots to kill. His is perhaps the most well-earned nickname in the history of music. RIP, Killer. You were the greatest of 'em all.
Anonymous,
How can stating a preference make me wrong? There are three other commenters here who feel as I do. I prefer others to Jerry Lee. But I LOVE "Live At The Star Club." That is all.
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