Jerry Lee Lewis – Live at the Star Club, Hamburg (1965)
[Album 223/1001]
There are pianists that play with great subtlety, fingers barely grazing the ivories, softly sustained notes & tempos rarely approaching the classification of lento.
At the other end of the spectrum, “The Killer,” Jerry Lee Lewis.
It sounds like each of the 88 piano keys take a beating, lightning fast glissandos at every turn, with right hand octaves pounded insistently throughout.
My great fear of attending live concerts is going to a show where for the musicians, it’s just another stop on the tour. Where the audience interaction is stilted, “Good evening…(read teleprompter)…Kingston,” and the performance is phoned in at best.
The Star Club audience members were treated to a proper show: the energy is indescribable. Would it sync up to a metronome? It would be a shame to impose such constraints on the band. Not being familiar with any Jerry Lee Lewis studio records, it’s hard to picture such (Billy Mumphrey-esque) unbridled enthusiasm being captured as effectively outside of a live performance.
The movie Top Gun featured the line, “I feel the need…the need for speed”
Top Gun also featured this nod to Jerry Lee:
Great Balls of Fire is among the 13 tracks included in the frantic Hamburg recording. If you find yourself with a similar need for speed, you needn’t look any further.
1001albumsin10years 
I have read a review that suggested this was one of the all time greatest live albums. I think I’m going to have to add it to the wishlist.
DAMN. And I just placed an Amazon order yesterday.
It’s absolutely relentless, he’s not an artist I ever really listened to, but I can’t help but admire a performance with that much gusto!
This site is where I listened to the Jerry Lee Lewis show, it’s at the bottom of the page if you’d like a preview of the performance! http://www.radio3net.ro/dbalbums/albume1001/page:2
It just so happens that I like some relentless in my music! I’m in.
I’m with Mike. I really want this album! It sounds killer! (Groan)
Nothing stings like a killer pun!
Bwahahaha!
Heh heh sorry. Couldn’t resist.
He’ll be here all night, folks!
No worries HMO, this is a safe place for such wordplay – I’ve been listening to Elvis recently, been playing around with such a pun for a future post, something about him sounding very regal!
I’ll take this moment to seque into some self-promotion, since tomorrow I have a special Elvis-related WTF posting coming up 🙂
http://mikeladano.com/category/wtf/
I’m mikeladano and I endorsed this message
And self-promotion is never frowned on here as well, particularly when accompanied by an official message of approval from the mikeledano source!