48. Jerry Lee Lewis - Live at the Star Club, Hamburg

Artist: Jerry Lee Lewis
Album: Live at the Star Club, Hamburg
Year: 1965

Finally, here's Jerry Lee Lewis. I was surprised that one of the original stars of rock-and-roll didn't appear in this compendium until now.

Lewis' story is well known. One minute, he's one of the pioneers of rock-and-roll, with hits all over the place ("Great Balls of Fire," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Money," "What'd I Say," "High School Confidential," and his first smash "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," to name a few). The next minute, Lewis marries his 13-year old cousin and suffers a terrible public backlash. His career would eventually make a comeback after a number of years passed, but it's interesting to think what would have happened if not for the scandal. As it stands, "The Killer," as Lewis is known, is one of the most influential figures in early rock, standing right up there with Elvis in terms of his ability to make this rebellious music safe for white audiences.

This set comes from a 1965 show at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, and it's absolutely fascinating. It has the bulk of Lewis' big hit singles, delivered with tremendous enthusiasm--howls, growls, catcalls, the whole gamut of Lewis' schtick is well represented here. He's an absolute madman. In spirit, this really isn't all that far off from punk music, really. The piano riff on "Money (That's What I Want)" really isn't all that far removed from The Clash's "Rock the Casbah" for that matter.

Anyhow, I thought this was better than either of the Elvis albums included in this book to date; I will say that Elvis is the better and more varied vocalist, however. All the aforementioned hits are present in smashing renditions. It's a tight set that moves from one great moment to the next with tremendous ease.

Listening to this album makes the strongest case for why rock-and-roll became as popular as it did. Lewis' voice is a little nauseating to me from time to time which knocks it down a peg in my opinion, but I agree with the author's of the 1001 book: everyone should hear this album at least once.

Rating: Worth repeated listens