Live at the Star Club, Hamburg

This is a Classic, "landmark" live album in Rock & Roll history. This is a young Jerry Lee, performing at his very best, live, and in a "Rockin", "Boogie Woogie", piano playing & singing mood. Jerry Lee made a big "come-back", after the 1958 scandal, about him being married to his 13 year old cousin, Myra Brown. This live album, recorded at the Star Club, in Hamburg, Germany during 1964, was part of Jerry Lee's big "come-back". The audience is really into this album and so is Jerry Lee. At times, the crowd chants, Jerry, Jerry Jerry!!! Also, Jerry has great interaction with the crowd. He really nails down his unique style of "Boogie Woogie", piano playing on this one.

This was recorded in the mist of "Beatle Mania", and the Beatles had already recorded a live ablum in this exact club. However, Jerry Lee was not intimidated by the Beatles, and he delivered one of the best Rock & Roll live albums, ever recorded. Even in the Book, "Jerry Lee Lewis, Lost and Found" by Joe Bonomo, on page 119, it mentions that this live album has been recognized as being one of the top ten Live Rock & Roll Albums of all time.

If you like Jerry Lee, and/or classic live Rock & Roll Albums, then you'll really enjoy this one for sure. Even though it was recorded in 1964, it is still just as relevant today, as it was back then. Thanks!!!

Growing up in the '70s, I saw Jerry Lee Lewis as part of that trend of quaint '50s nostalgia that America seemed to need in order to forget the whole hippy decade. Yet his few hits were arguably more vital to rock and roll than Elvis' and he didn't play a character like Little Richard did to appeal to suburbia. I did buy the theory he would've taken Elvis' crown had he kept his child bride under wraps (Heck, Elvis met Priscilla when she was 14).

Now I'm a fan of Live at Leeds, the Regal, Folsom Prison and even the Hollywood Bowl. I've love Ya Ya's Out and I have my favorite live discs from The Boss, Petty and Dylan. A good live album is a document of that moment in time when a performer channels a special energy into his songs and makes a singular connection with the audience.

So when I heard the hype about the Killer's '64 show in Hamburg I was rooting for the crotchety Louisiana egomaniac. By that time Elvis was making bad movies, Little Richard had been born again and again, The Beatles had conquered America and the hardest rock we Yanks could put on the charts was Simon and Garfunkel.

Well, even the samples of the songs on Amazon were unbelievable! I had to hear more. In short, Jerry Lee wasn't phoning it in, and he rocks the house like it's 1957, when he was still on the top of the charts. Right from the first chord it's obvious The Killer plans to live up to his title and the poor piano is going to need some tuning in the morning. There's no warming up: "Mean Woman Blues" takes off fast and furious, with the audience singing along and the backing band working hard to keep up. Ever the showman, Jerry Lee "gets real low," slows it down to show off his stellar piano riffs and then turns it up to 11 again for a stompin', hollerin' ending. "High School Confidential" keeps the energy high (the rowdy audience recognizes it from the first few notes), then the well-chosen covers begin.

Cover songs are a strange phenomenon in rock and roll, and when so many acts run out of good songs they'll cover Jerry Lee. The Killer, though, lets the covers showcase his talent. He makes "Money" and "Matchbox" his own before his long, glorious interpretation of "What'd I Say" rivals the original. When the audience chants his name, Jerry Lee takes the hint and quickly launches into a joyful, high-speed "Great Balls of Fire."

The cover of "Good Golly Miss Molly" must be heard to be believed. The drummer of the backup band (The Nashville Teens, from Surrey, England) fills the stop parts with frantic rolls that might upstage a lesser talent (Little Richard himself supposedly fired Hendrix for just such an offense). But it only adds to the electricity that will make this show one for the record books.

After the fun, self-referential "Lewis Boogie" the band "slows it down" with Hank Williams' "Your Cheating Heart," but it's really just an opportunity for Jerry Lee to show off his piano work and his voice is so well suited to the song he possibly out-Hanks Hank. It's definitely not a lull in the festivities. Then it's back to stealing some songs away from Elvis and Little Richard before closing the show with "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On."

For the whole show Jerry Lee showed off his ability to mix (relatively) quiet parts into his rock and roll numbers, but they still crackled with energy. In "Shakin'" he can be forgiven for using the spoken interlude to take a much needed breath. But when he shouts, "Let's go!" he pulls out the stops one last time and hammers and hollers his way to a brilliant ending.

Unfortunately, I got the disc without the extra track "Down the Line." Judging from the sample on Amazon, I might have to shell out for that version, too. Make sure you get every track you can from this career-defining show from the Killer.

As many other reviewers have mentioned already, this is the greatest rock and roll live album ever recorded. Jerry blasts through his songs like his whole life bet on it, and his backing group the Nashville Teens get swept up in the rockin' wave as everyone constantly teeters on the edge of spontaneous combustion. While the MC5 did justice to rock performance using chainsaw-like guitars and radical idealism, Jerry was the first to show the world how to really Kick Out The Jams, using only a piano, a no-name teen backing band, and a tarnished reputation to boot. Add an ego bigger than Texas and you've got the rawest recording ever. He even breathes life into his old favorites, "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin". I especially enjoy it when right at the end of "Whole Lotta Shakin" when the whole band goes into ludicrous overdrive speed for the last minute or so. You won't be disappointed. Just be sure to have a towel to wipe off the sweat that will drip off the CD after you play it.

It's all true. This disc's reputation precedes itself, but there's no chance of it not living up to expectations. Jerry Lee might recycle his punk boogie template enough times that you wonder whether he can do anything else, but I'm not sure how many could do it once. (Piano lovers will wince and turn their heads away on hearing the attack unleashed on the unsuspecting instrument.) Incendiary is an adjective used undeservedly all too often. Not here. This is an astonishing document of a show that for decades since has had listeners sick with jealousy that they weren't there, and on their knees with gratitude that it was recorded and released for their belated appreciation.

Much has been made of the recording's wider context: how the sun was setting on Jerry Lee's career while shining on other's; how after great success he was reduced to playing a dive in Hamburg's red light district with a randomly grabbed group of players (the Nashville Teens); and that this was his defiant middle-fingered salute to the circumstances he found himself in. I'm suspicious of this explanation. It's too easy. The sun always sets, eventually. Lewis' shout of, "Play that thing right, boy!" to a member of the band sounds more intended to encourage than admonish. And despite their youth, the Nashville Teens weren't strangers to Hamburg or to backing established artists. We don't need excuses. We need great rock 'n roll - which is what this record delivers and celebrates.

Well, what can I say? I'm blown away by this album. I thought thrash metal was fast.

I thought Blink 182 were fast. I thought alot of bands were fast. I'll tell you now, Jerry Lee

Lewis on this albim is FAST. So fast in fact that on close listen I'm pretty sure his backing band,

the Nasville Teens, might be struggling a bit to keep up. They do a great job, but Jerry's passion,

Jerry's piano banging and general enthusiasm is all you mainly hear. And all this in 1964.

This album never ceases to amaze me when I put it on. If you don't own this album you are simply

missing out on one of the best, if not THE best, live album off all time.

Have a listen and make your own mind up. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.

I love the history of the role the Star Club played in early Rock N Roll, particularly the early British groups and of course ultimately the Beatles. It is interesting to find many old places from that time are still in existance, such as the Indra Club, the Kaiser Keller, Gretel and Alfons and the Monica Bar. Alas the Star Club burned down. It captured the energy and raw power of jerry Lee Lewis.

The reviews are absolutely true. This is one of the greatest rock n roll albums ever recorded. I couldn't believe it when I found out it was recorded in 64. Look, if your on the fence, GET IT. He defines rock and roll in this album and it's worth 20 bucks. I didn't grow up with him and I think he's possibly the greatest ever. The only downside I can see is the guitar is a bit hard to pick up sometimes but does it really matter? Check out the London sessions too...great sound and energy. By the way has anyone ever seen the pictures of his first piano? Hilarious!

Looks like someone beat it with a sledgehammer!

I should like to begin by noting that I am not a Jerry Lee aficionado, but a music lover in general and have always enjoyed the music of rock n roll's pioneers. I don't yet own much of Jerry Lee's music but I enjoy listening to performers interpret their songs in concert, so this title sounded attractive to me. One blurb I read about this album was that it is considered to be one of the greatest rock n roll records ever released. Now, the title of the all-time greatest rock record will forever be debated, and while I couldn't come up with a title off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure this ain't it.

I put it on the I-pod and have listened to it maybe half a dozen times so far in the car. I do like the album, but it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped. I will say that it is very energetic, and his reading of Money is very catchy, all my kids enjoy it. I guess the problem is that, on the cover tunes which include Mean Woman Blues, What'd I Say, Good Golly Miss Molly, You're Cheatin' Heart, Hound Dog, Long Tall Sally and Down The Line, Jerry Lee's versions just aren't as good as those by some of his contemporaries. At times it just sounds a bit sloppy. It is however, very energetic, and it is after all rock n roll, which is more about feel than fine musicianship. I don't know which is bigger, Jerry Lee's ego, or the chip on his shoulder, but he certainly does pound the ol' ivories.

There are fourteen songs all together. The booklet features a handful of b/w photos but no info, and the sound quality is pretty good. If you are looking to round out your collection with some classic tunes, I would search elsewhere. If you are a fan of rocks golden boys and enjoy live concerts as I do, it's probably worth picking up.

ok

Une succession de titres fameux, certains empruntés à d'autres auteurs.

Mais l'interprétation proposée ici par JLL fait alors souvent paraître bien pâle et mièvre la version originale !

Attention : il s'agit d'un enregistrement public TRES au dessus du niveau moyen des autres disques de JLL. Inutile de vous rabattre sur autre chose si celui-ci n'est pas disponible, vous risqueriez d'être déçus.

Ce disque est, ou a été, distribué sous plusieurs pochettes différentes, mais il s'agit, à ma connaissance, toujours du même enregistrement : Live at the Star Club, Hambourg, 5 avril 1964.