Reviews (page 8 of 10)
This record does a great job of capturing the electricity of a Jerry Lee Lewis performance. You can almost hear the stage lights and beads of sweat rolling off his forehead. That almost manic energy feels like a kind of proto-punk. Favourite tracks: "Money", "Long, Tall Sally"
Pretty good stuff. Didn't know much about Jerry Lee Lewis so did some reading, he had a crazy life
Was okay as an album. Would probably be a blast if I were sitting in the club with a beer, but it's less interesting as a studio album
Good listen, but wouldn't again.
Ight
I had a fun time with Jerry, his music made me smile. Also the pianist was out of control!
The 12-bar blues chord progressions get incredibly samey and predictable, but gives Jerry a chance to smash the shit out of his piano and put loads of energy in, which sounds great. My foot was tappin' and my ass was boppin' through the whole album, but probably won't listen again. Gotta give it credit coz I can tell how hot this fire was back in '64.
A raucous, rock and roll performance as you’d expect. Not my cup of tea in general but entertaining and would definitely have been great fun to be there
Demasiado corto
Jerry laittaa jengin sheikkaan ja meno on kovaa. Siitä plussat, mutta kahden kuuntelukerran jälkeen en keksinyt missä mielentilassa laittaisin tämän soimaan.
Great energy. Great fun
Leuk plaatje om eens te draaien, maar wederom geen blijvertje.
Ik vind z’n stem niet prettig. Maar: energieke, knappe muziek.
Shame this was less than half the set as it just feels like a snapshot. But what was in there was fun and it sounds like a good gig. Can’t give it more than 3 stars for the lack of tunes.
Pretty cool... but you hear a few of the songs and you’ve heard them all. Loved that it’s 20 minute. Perfect little boogie woogie sesh timings
interesting, rock'n'rolly
20 minutes long. Worth listening to twice
I remember seeing a video of JLL live and he played every song like it was the last song of the night. This performance has that same energy. The tunes are a bit tired so many decades later, having been etched into my brain from weddings and highschool dances.
Good old fasioned rock
Ground breaking in its day I'm sure, but all of the songs sound the same
A tight 22. Live performance exemplifies Lewis’s legendary stage presence.
Jerry likes his albums like Oompa Loompas: short, catchy tunes, German. Pretty fun little live injection with many songs I didn’t know were by the same bloke. When it comes to gems, this guy has all the jewelry. Relies heavily on classic musical scales.
I know nothing about Jerry Lee Lewis but it seems like he got famous playing other people's songs. He sure likes doing that cat growl thing, eh? Great Balls of Fire is fun though.
Good old rock n roll
Some of the vocal little bits where he's just laughing or doing odd noises kind of annoy me, but I think I enjoy live Jerry Lewis more than recorded. Can't deny the legacy of Jerry Lewis. The funny thing is lots of this was likely scandalous and a "bad influence" on the youth.
Fun! Swing music
Good live rock and roll, and expectedly short
Seemed like mostly covers. Short album. Some good old school jams though.
I've not been a huge fan of Jerry Lee Lewis but listening to this you can really feel that old rock & roll thing. These bands were game changers, must have been a great time to be a teen.
I enjoyed this album, I didn't realize how influential he was. I have always enjoyed the song, "Money" but had no idea is was a JLL original.
a dozen variations of the same
Very American, talent guy. But it's definitely tainted by knowing he married his young cousin.
Mye av det samme
Ok album. Very short but a perfect amount of time for what it was. High energy song
Typically, I don't care for live albums. The audience noise doesn't add much to the listening experience; however, a live performance does provide insight into the quality of the artist, stripping away the façade of studio production editing. That being said, the songs on this albums sound similar to Jerry Lee Lewis' greatest hits that were recorded in the studio versions, showcasing the skills of a great musician.
Long live Rock‘n‘Roll!
Excentrisk 60’er rock, live optræden, energi, tempo, showman, klaversoloer
There's a passion and an energy to this, which I can understand why it was such a craze. A lot of the songs do come across as formulaic, but it's fun, just gets old after a little. It'a definitely the proper length, at 22min. I also didn't realize Jerry Lee Lewis was responsible for more than "Great Balls of Fire". Favorite tracks: "High School Confidential", "Money"
Solid rock n roll. Might be because rock has evolved so much, but this album didn't stick out to me in current times.
An extremely short album with a lot of redundant old school rock and roll standards. I’m not convinced that Mr. Lewis is even saying words in some sections. Overall, it’s fine. 2.5/5.0
I guess live versions capture Jerry Lee's energy better? Rockabilly jams heavy on the piano.
Very energetic performance from Jerry. Not bad for a live album. 7/10 [KEEP]
This is a difficult one to rate as it is so far from my comfort zone and era. To start it was a bit bland, as his singing style did not seem to vary between songs, but as it progressed you could feel the energy in the room. This would have been so new and exciting to those watching, I can appreciate that feeling well. The songs are primarily cover versions, but that was more common for artists than now. I did enjoy it for what it was. Im glad I'm not rating him on lifestyle choices or he would have got a big fat zero.
It sounds like he was already on the nostalgia circuit
i'm sure this has some cultural significance but i don't care. also this freak married his 13 year old cousin so there's that
No me gustó tanto, tal vez por ser en vivo. 4/10
Hell he could perform but fuck him as human being
This really feels like something you had to be there for. You can hear flashes of Jerry Lee Lewis’s energy, especially in the piano playing, but the recording struggles to keep up with it. The sound is rough enough to get in the way after a while, which makes it hard to fully connect with what’s happening. I’d much rather see this performance than just hear it. The reputation as one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll live albums feels overstated — there’s clearly something powerful going on, but it never quite comes through in full. You can tell it must have been incredible in the room, but on record it feels more like a document than an experience.
This might just be the shortest "album" on the list and I couldn't be more glad for it
not really for me
He definitely got the juice and knows how to work a crowd good for him.
Kinda nice but not so much my vibe.
There are probably equal reasons to either like or dislike this one. For a few reasons to like, it's got a ton of energy, is fun, and the tunes are good in a foot-tapping, old-school dancing kind of way. On the other hand, this is almost all covers/written by others, taking heavily from black songwriters and putting a white face on it. Plus the issues with JLL himself outside of that, which I don't think I need to spell out here. And, of course, one of my biggest peeves is again present with it being a live album. While I can enjoy the performance on this listen, it makes me wish I was there to see it happen rather than just hear it. I'm missing a huge part of what made this special. Just taking the album at face value, this would probably be a little above a 3 for me. That comes from how good the energy is and how fun it is to listen to more than anything. But that score quickly goes down for all the reasons mentioned above. Overall: 2.1/5
rock corte viejisimo
Listenable for someone that stole his entire repitior from Black people Glad it’s 23 mins. The piano playing is great singing is patchy . The two songs he actually wrote are by far the weakest
A 22 minute performance with an arrogance that doesn't match the quality of the recording. The musicianship is strong and the album gets points for that, but the vocal delivery and swagger comes across as jarring. Maybe it's because I've read that this guy was a piece of shit? I don't know… Either way I didn't love this at all.
I liked the energy of the live album. I enjoyed the songs but found a lot of them quite similar. Was going to give it 3 stars as an album I enjoyed but probably won't listen to again. Docking it an extra star for the guy being so awful. Fav song: Great Balls of Fire Least fav: Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
His back up band is called the Nashville Teens- bit worrying after he'd married his 13 year old cousin, I'd probably vote to keep all teens away from him. Think I could have done without hearing the album and reading his Wikipedia page because now I think I'll feel a little icky every time I hear Great Balls Of Fire (also prefer the studio version of it to the live version). Favourite song: Great Balls Of Fire Least: Your Cheating Heart
Vinyl discount section
I was surprised the '80s song Money was a cover! Live albums suck. this wasn't his best showing
Wow! This is fun! I sure hope he didn't steal any of this music or do anything weird with a family member! Best Song: Great Balls of Fire Rating: 4/10 Stars: 2
Not a good sign when your stage patter involves referring to yourself in the third person.
yaaaawnnn gentrified rock n roll. decent but doesnt hold a flame to little richard
Jerry Lee Lewis er kun for barnehager og eldrehjem.
Va sikkert sensasjonelt for bestemodern.
Klassisk energirock som fort blir masete.
Feels outdated in such a stark way that I am asking myself if it was even still relevant at the time of its release. Formulaic songs with the same 3 blues chords and progressions. One bonus point for the raw and unpolished production and the fact that the songs (and the whole album) are actually quite short.
Ehhh it's alright I guess.
On a technical level, the mix is off with the guitar player being barely audible during his solo's. Culturally, I am kind of glad it didn't take too long for artists to deviate from the standard 12-bar blues in the years after this. Pretty sure a lot of these are even in the same key and a solo only comprised of the dominant chord being slammed over and over just doesn't wake me up. Whilst I was listening to this I often found myself wishing I was listening to the Little Richard or Creedence versions of these songs.
Elvis left for RCA and Old Sun records in memphis picked up JLL. Until he married his 13 yr old cousin, he switched genres to country later on but supposedly he lived in the wilderness for a few yrs and then recorded this album. Full of energy and his hits …1965 22 min album or live show, ha
There are plenty of complicated characters in music history. Jerry Lee Lewis doesn't seem that complicated though, just bad. All things considered this does kind of rock. I'll give it 2 stars, for a live recording from the era it sounds great. The rhythm section is solid. The piano is really catchy. I won't be listening again. It's dated, and not really enjoyable considering the context.
4-stars for the music and energy, but 2-star deduction for his shenanigans
12-bar blues, mash the piano keyboard, repeat x7. I'm sure it was electrifying to see live at the time, but doesn't make for a great listen.
Even a pervert can rock the house apparently.
I didn’t like it
aardig, maar zeker geen blijvertje
I was surprised that a bunch of the songs were most known from other artists like Elvis, Little Richard, but guess that’s the way it went back then. But fun album for sure. Oh, just read he was a pedo racist though, so knocked it down for that.
Great energy but he really overdoes the vocal embellishments and I don’t like the way he slurs his speech while singing. This doesn’t hold a candle to other early rock’n’roll figures like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, etc.
Not my thing but good
Geras bliuzas. Vedė savo 13os metų puseserę wow. Ir pasirodo dalis kūrinių pavogta.
A short album - hate to say it but it all sounds the same.
Twas ok
I first listened to this right after he died, when everyone said this was the best live album ever. It's not, but it's okay; the production is pretty good for a live album of the time. But the songs are mostly the same and his singing is loud, but not particularly emotive. I suspect a lot of the album's reputation is due to his own personal troubles, and to the recording/production quality. This isn’t the wildest concert out there, just one of the wildest caught on record by a white guy in the early 60s. This was maybe going to be a 3 but I listened to Little Richard afterwards and like... Little Richard is just so much better. Hell, Ike Turner and Chuck Berry are less malevolent than Jerry Lee Lewis, more interesting, and not on this list.
Probably a classic but not for me
Nah
Live recording, first tracks set up the energy for the rest of the album.
Undeniably electric presence, I would’ve taken more favorably to this if JLL wasn’t one of the most notorious scumbags in music history. Best Track: Great Balls of Fire
Jerry Lee Lewis was a grade-A asshole. Marrying his 13-year-old cousin would get him that label all by itself, but add in some bigamy, spousal abuse, the suspicious deaths of two of his wives, accidentally shooting his own bass player, and generally being a mean, abusive, racist, egotistical, drunken bastard. His style (and this performance) may have been groundbreaking at the time (at least for white audiences), but today it's pretty old-fashioned and all kind of sounds the same. Leave it in the dustbin of history.
Goodness gracious the man is playing like his taxi is running outside. His band even loses track of him in the first song. Should have left this one in the studio .
Gute Ansätze, leider sehr kurz. Musikalisch nicht ganz meine Baustelle, hätte es daher durchschnittlich eingestuft, allerdings Abzug für die schlechte Soundqualität.
Meh
25 minutes of barely intelligible Rock-'n'-roll. Aaight
😐
i don't understand how this was considered one of the best live albums ever
Not a lover of live albums with a few exceptions or if I was actually there and want to listen back.
I respect knowing your place enough to make your album 20 minutes long
Basing it off of the music rather than the artist because a lot of our faves suck (take that as an insult to our faves, not a waiver for this fuck): How is taking another person's music and performing it with less energy and excitement groundbreaking?
Rock básico e primitivo. Válido como documento histórico.
Proto Vanilla Ice.
Intense. But still made me feel icky.
One great song.
Really difficult to look past his uh history but damn that piano is so good. Dont think i would listen again though, everytime he sings about wanting to kiss someone it gives me the heebeejeebies
22 minutes of decent Little Richard covers from noted incestuous pedophile.
Sure he was an influence on early rock n roll, but his music is mostly nostalgia flashback material now and we really are only reminded he was a creepy pedo, so that kinda shades everything else, don't it.
Half of this was mid piano covers of songs that he wished he wrote.
So the jamming piano is big fun and I understand he was influential. But honestly most of his singing was impossible to understand.
….okay….
whatever
Tää ei oo kyl kestäny aikaa hirveen hyvin. Annetaan nyt tutusta nimestä yks xtra
Ei nyt tästä jammailusta saanut oikein kiinni, varmaan livenä toimisi paljon paremmin.
Short
He can piano. That is all.
Listened Before? N Really intense and powerful rock n roll performance record here... but this dude was such a piece of crap that I can't rate it highly. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Money
was waiting to see if his music was good enough to overlook his racism, pedophilia and incestuous behaviors it's not also this culture vulture is NOT the inventor of rock and roll. sure, i can recognize this guy's talent, but the black artists that created the blueprint for what we know now as rock n roll ran fuckin circles around this creep's music. i'll spare him a 1-star rating just because Great Balls of Fire lowkey slaps
Kind of bog standard live 60s rock. It's fine but there's better examples of the genre than this I think.
Another blue eyed soul album lol. This does not deserve to be in the white canon cosplay like Elvis, Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc.
Is Jerry Lee Lewis just a giant rip off of Little Richard? The songs all sound the same but it's missing pretty much all of the charm. I guess also he's a huge piece of shit. At least it was short.
Birth of rock, but can’t get past the personal stuff…
Fundamentally I don’t believe a compilation album (which includes a live album) should be a list such as this. Especially when it’s 22 minutes and mostly covers of other artists. And especially when the artist doin the covers is also a pedophile. She was 13. And you abused her.
I just want to watch the first Top Gun now. RIP Goose. There’s definitely a couple great tracks on this album, and I’m sure seeing him live and rocking the stage must have been incredible, but the biggest drawback of this album is how similar each song sounds to each other. I feel like this was something I noticed with Little Richard as well and I’m sure is more just an early rock and roll issue, but that doesn’t make it more enjoyable seventy years later. Also I’d be kind of pissed if I only saw a thirty-minute set at a concert.
great balls of fire
2.5/5 Just not my jam
fuck this guy yo
I’m fundamentally uninterested in this kind of early rock. And very little personal warmth or charm comes across in this live recording. There’s definitely energy, though. This is probably in the neighborhood of 2.5 stars for me.
Some songs sounded familiar, but overall an okay album. Maybe it’s not just to my taste.
For a live rock and roll album, it's pretty feeble.
A white nonce playing a bunch of deranged covers of songs by black artists. It's well recorded, and the playing is fine, but not sure you need to listen to this. 2 stars.
C’est du rock n roll… Pas trop mon son mais ça donne la pêche
It was fine
From a historical perspective, it's cool that there's a live recording. However, I still can't separate the person from the music. Ick.
é rock né mto bem capturado esse ao vivo bem caótico e nítido! audio bacana demais! no mais, o cara é um bosta quem diria
It’s not bad. Kind of frantic, but it’s very short. Some well known songs on here. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
Can see why this is important but wow it was not for me
Okay. I see the influence for sure, but 22 minutes of the exact same sounding and it’s so 40s lol so my music taste is definitely younger than that.
All sounds the same
There are a surprisingly large number of live albums on this list. Money is a standalone jam. And Great Balls of Fire is a classic that I was first introduced to through Top Gun. This was fine enough, but not really something I go in for. Some barroom plonking R&R from a time gone by. For me this is in high 2 to low 3 territory. Going the former because i can't rightfully see myself coming back.
It sounds like it would have been a great show to see live. Lots of energy and fun but listening to is just wasn't that same. I'm also bias where I am not a huge fan of listening to live sets
Piano heavy jam of mostly covers. Idk, not really my thing.
The songs have great energy and showmanship but nothing I can imagine listening to again. Minus 1 star for the artist being a terrible terrible person.
I’m not comfortable calling Jerry Lee a pioneer in the field since there were so many better Black blues rock pianists in that time who did not get their due. I’m also a little uncomfortable with his penchant for marrying underage girls.
Man, rockabilly gets old, fast; I couldn't listen to more than 2 songs before it all started sounding exactly the same. That German audience sure ate it up though!
This didn’t do anything for me. The songs are familiar but this performance is not anything I’d listen to again.
This one would have hit better had I not gotten it after getting a Little Richard album. Wish.com version of Little Richard's songs really.
Aikansa tuote. Ensimmäisen raidan jälkeen kaikki seuraavat olivat hyvin samanlaisia. Toistoa, toistoa...
Gwn niet boeiend
Wel leuk, maar veel te kort en niet zo spannend.
If you like the 12 bar blues you will love this. For me is just him slamming on a piano too much. Live albums also just don't do it... want to hear the original music but worse with people screaming every so often..... No. Also I never realized he was such a creep, marrying his 13yr old cousin and having a baby with her at 15.... bleh.
I think i get why this was important and it sounds great for a live album, however most of these songs are not his. This is not an original album, it's a collection of covers.
Well I would have enjoyed this a lot more if the pedophile's first song wasn't about a high school dance.
1.5/5
I found it to be low energy for a live show. I was expecting more and was disappointed in what I thought was going to be a raucous recording.
Jerry Lee Lewis being the epitome of a human garbage bag aside, judging this album on its own merits, I found it surprisingly boring. Because it goes full on bombast-mode from the start and never lets up it makes for a very dull and repetitive album with versions of songs I’ve heard better elsewhere. Jerry Lee Lewis’ showmanship can’t be denied, and this is a surprisingly great sounding album for its time, but this isn’t for me.
I like a bit of Jerry Lee, but this suffers from the indulgent live album bit.
The more I read about Jerry Lee Lewis, the more of a piece of shit I find it he was - what a knob! This gets an extra star for being a classic and influential and that, even though the majority of the songs were taken from black artists (I assume with little to no credit)
y'know, i was really promised that he was wild. insane. a madman who set fire to his piano. and for the time, i'm sure he was, but it just isn't... CRAZY enough for me. the sound is cool, yeah, but i was sold on this being a crime scene of a record. i wanted something like Love Me / Whisper Your Love, and i was naive enough to expect something like that. instead i got... rock standards played kinda loud to a bunch of horny Germans. i'm glad they're having fun. not to beat a dead horse, but you know that video Pad Chennington did of the "MOST BRUTAL ALBUM OF ALL TIME" and the thumbnail was WLFGRL? if YouTube was around in the 60's, the thumbnail to that video would include this album instead.
In 2025 it's really difficult to separate the artist from the art with this guy, he just seems to have been all kinds of wrong, and I will leave it there. Musically, he had that wild rock going, but seems to offer little else. That kind of works better in this live setting and at 20 odd minutes doesn't give much time to miss having variations. 2 Stars - not a big fan of live albums, it's very proto-punk is a plus. Difficult to remove unconscious bias regarding him as the bad smell has been around forever.
“His rock and roll career faltered in the wake of his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old first cousin once removed.” FFS… This guy can stay buried in the depths of honky tonk
Forgettable
1. Money 2. Good golly miss molly 3. Long tall sally
i don't really like an live album so meh for me
I can see why a Jerry Lee Lewis live performance in Hamburg, Germany would be thrilling. I'm not much of a Lewis fan, however, and in 2024 it's just "meh."
live album (bad) of ok music
A performance that was fine to listen to, but I won't be jamming to a live performance of 60's diner/dance hall music on my own any time soon
good for what blues can be i guess, minus point for being a nonce who married his cousin xx
It’s big and loud but not for me
a surprisingly enjoyable live album experience, as far as live albums go.
"When Jerry Lee Lewis performed the concert that became this album in the spring of 1964, his career was at its lowest point. Following his scandalous marriage to his teenage cousin, he was virtually blacklisted in the U.S., " ???? GOOD!!!!! Sorry to be a 2020s-prude-ass take here, but it's weird to read this as the opening track titled "High School Confidential" plays that relationship should have been confidential!!!! The blurb on my player continued to call this the purest rock and roll ever put to vinyl and, while I really love the band's energy, I'm mostly left wondering today whether it really was just that simple in the 50s and 60s to capture America's hearts and minds. Listening to this or any of the Elvis records just makes me upset that I live in the timeline where the Black artists of the era couldn't play most of the clubs and didn't get preserved on records in the same way. How many of these albums have Little Richard covers on them trying to do the exact same styling. This album's greatest blessing is that he's ripping through all the tracks so fast it's a very short affair. I take that back, the sound quality on the piano and drums is pretty good for a live recording, the cymbals ringing is nice on Good Golly Miss Molly while Lewis trips himself up trying to plow through it while also carrying a tune. 1.5
Not my favorite. Worse than day 1. Didn’t like his voice and singing style. Songs were also a little too short for me. 4/10. Wasn’t… horrible to listen to, but not listening to again.
I dunno man. Wasn't into this, and not for nothing, the guy is a real scumbag
Undeniable energy but I don't have to like it
This sounds like a recording of a concert that would have been fun to attend in person (both Lewis and the crowd have good energy throughout), but I don't really like the music personally. It's all a bit samey, the singing is quite shouty, and he's hammering that piano so hard that every note has the same volume. Not actively bad though
Maybe I would have liked this if I was born 60 years earlier. But now, blech
Captured all the energy from the time and v influential over what was happening then and now. Not a personal favourite but rightly included.
I don’t like most live albums. This didn’t change my mind.
I can appreciate the influence JLL had but I don’t like his music. I like the energy he brings, but I don’t really get anything from the music itself. Honestly, did he just rip off Little Richard? At least it was only 22 minutes long.
Sounds like they grabbed a random guy off the street and asked him to sing.
Gave it a chance, figured I could separate the art from the artist. Honestly, it's nothing special. I guess the incestuous racist has a pretty strong energy throughout, but it's not my cup of tea
Not my style, other stuff in the same vein I prefer
I get that he's a performer. Very fun energy. And I can get behind the fact that everything is a remix to some degree. But damn, is Otis Blackwell on the 1001 list? Hurts to see Otis has an album called "These are my songs!" chock full of songs that made Elvis and JLL famous. But I guess that's just show biz. A reminder that so much of recorded music is just business. Another prompt to try to catch more live music. 2 stars cuz I bummed myself out 😅
Meh. Great Balls of Fire is cool
Se nota que el loco este debe haber sido una bestia, sobre todo en vivo. Pero eso no se transmite bien en el disco e incluso la calidad es mala.
Yeah look, I’ve never been one to separate the art from the artist really, and I can make exceptions but there’s just too much that’s iffy about Jerry Lee Lewis for me to be able to enjoy this. Aesthetically, it’s right up my alley, the eclectic old school bluesy rock with insanely wild vocal and instrumental performances. That’s all to say, I really should like this album, but I just can’t. For one, JLL’s crumbling marriage with his literal first cousin who was 13 when they got married inspired a lot of the material on this album, and when you have that context it just makes these songs hard to listen to. Furthermore, any white guy from the 60s going this hard into blues rock just rubs me the wrong way as well. Look, Jerry Lee was insanely talented, and his performances were electric, and for this reason I don’t really blame people who do enjoy his music, but I personally can’t.
First two...three...four...etc. tracks sound like identical 4-bar blues. By track 4 I'm tired of listening to the same thing over and over that was never very good to start with. I'm sure this "rock 'n roll" was quite something in the mid-60s but the entertainment value is lacking now. Recognizable songs are Great Balls of Fire, Good Golly, Miss Molly, Hound Dog, and Long, Tall Sally.
4/10. Encuentro que todas las canciones aunque buenas, parecidas y el cantante le gustan los niños
рок-н-ролл окей, чел пытался стать элвисом пресли 2, если думать о нем как об одном из основоположниках жанра, да, круто, тогда это было очень свежо, сейчас мне не очень было интересно это слушать, потому что это очень классический рок-н-ролл как будто а на счет самого джери ли льюиса — чел женился на своей 13 летней куюзине, расист, а еще чуть не убил своего басиста, когда в шутку навел на него пистолет, который оказался заряжен да, энергично, да драйвово, но нет
It was ok - fun but pretty samey. Sound quality wasn't good.
As a live album this is a good one, it really feels "live" (small mistakes and tempos running away included). For historic reasons, I believe this fits in the "must hear" list. Musically, however, I find it quite basic and made simply to entertain - worthy in its own right but it won't get a high rating from me. I'm sure this must have been a fun gig but I have no desire to listen to this at home 60 years later, it all feels a bit cliché now. I've listened to it twice now and am utterly bored to be honest.
? This is a live album, but it’s not even twenty five minutes. Surely he didn’t sell tickets to a concert shorter than that? Maybe he did. He did kill his wife so he could marry his underage cousin, so I hear. That aside, his vocals are average to below average. The playing feels like it has some more energy to it, which is my only plus. Production isn’t terrific as it is a live album. Who is this for. Why is it on the list? 2/5
Good stuff if you're into this brand of formative rock and roll. I had a much easier time getting past the person behind the music yesterday when it was Kanye.
ugh, another live album.
General impression: energetic as hell. Side-eyeing this dude tho Detailed review: Jerry Lee Lewis seems like he was a piece of shit. The reports of him being racist and refusing to shake black people’s hands is crazy and rich given that his whole jam seems to have been lifted from Black music. Only 8 out of the 13 or 14 supposed tracks on the list are on streaming services, so maybe I don’t have the full experience, but admittedly this set has a crazy ripping energy that a lot of rock bands in the following decades could only dream of. Still…this style of old-school rock ‘n roll has never been my favorite, and the unsavory aspects of him as a musician turn me off further. My appreciation of the energy makes me give it a 2. Deeper thoughts (context): fuck this guy Score: 1.7 Number of albums left to review: 949 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 30 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 22 (including this one)
He hurried through this album like he remembered his wife was going to get out of high school soon, sounding like a white little richard
Not a very exciting live album.
Ikke dårlig, men ville ikke hørt på det på fritida
Maybe not
Very showy and energic live performance. Unfortunately, every song is pretty much the same standard 12-bar blues thing. As good as Lewis is at hammering that piano, he will always seem like a C-tier 50's rock & roller to me. Key tracks: Great Balls of Fire
The music is good, the energy is great, I know all of the songs, but its Jerry Lee Lewis. Knowing he was such a shitty human definitely detracts from the overall enjoyment of his music.
the guy who married his underage cousin opens his live album with a song named "high school confidential" can't make this shit up for the love of god ENOUGH with the live albums
It was a pretty fun album, but it kind of blended together to me into just generic rock and roll. The iconic version of many of these songs were performed by a different artist, and I don't really get the feeling that he is adding much to, say, Hound Dog or What'd I Say.
Traditional rock-and-roll might be the genre that I like the most but has become too bland and cliche' for its own good
Ok, I have a question. Why are the streaming versions of this album missing songs? Most of the reviews talk about the album being 22 minutes. No, there’s missing songs. Like, is it for legal reasons or some other bullshit? So I had to use YouTube for this album, which already rubs me the wrong way. Honestly, it’s was probably too much effort for, of all things, a live album. Where most of the songs aren’t even Jerry’s. Hell, half of the album, is just Jerry doing whatever noises he can muster to pad the set list. But the dude’s got energy (probably the nicest thing I said about a racist pedo), so he gets two stars instead of one. Yippee. Favorite track: Money (That’s What I Want), I guess Other hits: I honestly didn’t give a fuck about the rest of this
Fun to learn this guy was a incestual pedo who wrecked his car into Elvis’s front gate.
Because I’m removed from the time and the immediate impact. At first it sounds like generic 60’s rock n roll. Even though I know there were groundbreaking things about his approach. Very piano centric. I wish there was more high energy modern popular music where piano was more central. Good golly miss Molly. Sounds just fine to me because of the little Richard version I’m used to hearing. This recording is recognized as a wild energetic performance but doesn’t sound wilder than little Richard’s original version?? Your cheating heart. Piano is dope. Maybe my favorite so far Long tall sally also sounds lacking compared to little Richard version. Even his growl and his whoo are eh. The sequencing of the album and the transitions from song to song are great. Keeps the energy right
Didn’t do much for me - also fail to see the added value of the live version.
Boogie woogie and a-rockin and a-stompin
So so, but still some good songs
Alright, not my kind of music. 4/10
this is 22 minutes long?
To do black music so selfishly, and use it to get myself wealthy
I did not enjoy this. But I will give it an additional star simply because you can hear it's influence, but the actual music was kinda trash
Seems fun, but all covers and he sounds like a revolting human being!
It's fine. A chaotic rowdy live rock'n'roll album of almost entirely other people's songs. Nothing massively exciting and actually pretty exhausting to listen to if we're being brutally honest.
High School Confidential - 3/10 I feel like a greaser. Sounds like I'm at an auction rally Money - 4/10 The beginning instrumental is promising. I also want Money, Jerry! The crowd seems more dead now. Great Balls of Fire - 6/10 Ngl, if I lived in the 60's, I too would be jumping up and down for this. Good Golly, Miss Molly - 4/10 This sounds exactly like the last one... Lewis' Boogie - 5/10 This one too...oh nvm the piano has a solo! So does the guitar! Your Cheating Heart - 4.5/10 no comment Long, Tall Sally - 4/10 Another one... Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On - 5.5/10 For some reason, I see lil dogs shakin their booties to this Overall: 4.5/10
A good showcase of his work, so an interesting listen but I shan't be returning to this
1964 was wel een bijzonder jaar voor Rock & Roll, waarin pioniers als Jerry Lee Lewis het stokje officieel over droegen aan de vele garage en rock bands in vooral de UK. Hij is hier al echt een vedette. Dat gezegd hebbende vind ik dit een beetje een album van gewoon zo hard mogelijk rock & roll klassiekers spelen, en heel vaak je eigen naam roepen. Maar het is dan ook een live album, en ik denk dat het voor begin jaren 60 echt een bijzonder ruige en enerverende ervaring was. Het vloog voorbij in de vijfde versnelling, maar ik kan het niet meer dan 2 sterren geven omdat Jerry Lee ook gewoon een viespeuk was. 6/10 Highlights: Money Great Balls Of Fire
Ik kane voorstellen dat Jerry Lee Lewis de dames op de stoelen kreeg met zijn snelle rock 'n roll. Zelf koos hij voor zijn 13 jarige nichtje als levenspartner. Dat doet je toch anders luisteren naar nummers als Great Balls of Fire. 5/10 Highlights Great Balls of Fire
Energetic but live albums are cheating
Money goes insane Great Balls of Fire I remember from Top Gun Whole Lotta Shaking unfortunately rips This guy is a fucking pedophile who married his thirteen year old cousin. Zero respect for Jerry Lewis; although he sounded a great performer from this album can’t look past him refusing to shake Hendrix’s hand. Piece of shit
Plinky plonky plinky plonky plinky plinky plinky plonk.
2 stars only because of his energy and great performance. That's all I can give a racist pedophile, and probably murderer, who stole most of his material from Little Richard.
Not my jam. 2
Two things strike me: 1) the engineering is incredible; and 2) Jerry's fingers must have been SO strong. He was clearly a great performer, but this album demonstrates how amazing a musician Ray Charles was. Listening back, 50's Rock and Roll sounds quaint and the 12-bar jump blues progression gets tedious quickly. So I'm glad I listened, but I won't be coming back.
Didn’t really dig
Only 22 minutes?? I like Jerry Lee ok, it this is pretty lame.
Not for me..too much Grease vibes
Similarly to Ray Charles, I don't know how to judge an album full of covered, especially a live one
It was okay
very odd man... just okay music
groovy reminds me of a song... or a movie??? i cant figure it out its really 60s omg my favorite song: /
Lots of reviews about him being a racist nonce on here. Says a lot when I’m actually more offended by him incoherently smashing a piano while spouting what sounds like a load of gibberish than his other escapades. 1.5
For what it's worth, he could definitely perform.
I'll give him an extra star for the high energy and rollicking piano playing. But stealing music and pedophile behaviour brings down my opinion of this creep. Should't be represented in this book.
"Great Balls of Fire" is probably the most easily recognizable song on the album. Honorary mention to Goose from "Top Gun". Jerry Lee Lewis reminds me a bit of Johnny Cash. (With Google, I just learned about the "Million Dollar Quartet": Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash). "Good Golly, Miss Molly" also sounds seemingly familiar. As I listen to "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" I can't "shake" Jerry Lee Lewis's character. It leaves a bad mark on the album for me. I'll sooner go listen to "At Folsom Prison" again by Johnny Cash for some good 60s Rock n Roll before listening to this again.
2.9
A live album of mostly covers just isn't something I expect from this site. I understand that it was the done thing back then, and it showcases his wild man persona. It falls short for me.
Let's attempt to analyse this outside of the context of Lewis' many reprehensible actions. It's quite bad. You don't get that sense of raw electricity that Elvis or Little Richard gives. Maybe it's partly the recording, maybe it's the fact that the Beatles did his best songs way better than he could.
I bet being in this room was indescribable, but as an album it didn't do much for me
Great songs. Not a big fan of live albums
With the exception of Great Balls of Fire (for which the single is better), he already sounds past his peak (at 30!) here and all the other songs are stolen from others. Also, he was a nonce wasn't he? It's mercifully short I guess?
Sounds like fun at the time, less fun now
Incredible performance, piece of shit human.
That's not my taste in Musik.
I remember liking this album, but it disappoints now. As a live record the production quality is pretty low, as is the quality of his vocals at times. The tracks do what you expect them to, but there's not much depth. That said, it's hard to listen without tapping along and in the right mood I may return to indivudual tracks.
Upon listening to the album more than once and the complete version of it, I can confidently say that I do not care for this record. There were two songs I'd say I liked, but for the rest, I just didn't care for. I can understand the cultural significance of it, but it just doesn't push all the right buttons for me. I'm sure if I was teleported to 1964 in Hamburg, present at the show, I'd lose my marbles and do all kinds of crazy shit. It's dated and doesn't really have all that much substance to me. Also, this guy was pedo racist pos it's a damn shame he managed to live so long. Rest in Piss Jerry Lee Lewis Best - Money and Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On Everything else is MID 2/5
I enjoyed the album. But I couldn't help but think of all the original black artists who played this music. When I look at when this was made this recording was new for it's time.
At least the album wasn’t mostly a screaming audience.
Helt ok, lite tråkigt men rolig musik Bästa låt: Vet inte men kanske Great balls of fire
It’s alright, but would probably be better if a) it was not a live album and b) if it wasn’t made by a scumbag.
The music is fine. The guy is very much not, and it's hard for me to overlook that.
Hate live albums. This is nice and all but mostly does nothing for me.
Not really my thing.
Regardless of whatever kind of a human JLL was (not a good one) this album was just mediocre. The sound quality was not that good, his vocals weren’t great and the overall performance was underwhelming considering what I’ve seen JLL do in other live shows. The man could put on a show, I just don’t think this always particularly a very good one.
no escuché
Mids
Someone else said it better than I ever could: I had a strange thought I had a strange thought that I had a strange thought that he was the early predecessor I had a strange thought that he was the early predecessor to heavy metal. I had a strange thought that he was the early predecessor to heavy metal. If you took. I had a strange thought that he was the early predecessor to heavy metal. If you took those piano cords. I had a strange thought that he was the early predecessor to heavy metal. If you took those piano cords and turned them into. I had a strange thought that he was the early predecessor to heavy metal. If you took those piano cords and turned them into a highly distorted guitar and just made his voice. I had a strange thought that he was the early predecessor to heavy metal. If you took those piano cords and turned them into a highly distorted guitar and just made his voice more gravity and unintelligible, I think you would have some metal. - John Wack
Apparently Lewis was a nightmare of a person, and I'm consistently not a fan of this era of rock & roll acts just being endless covers of genre staples. Makes it easy for me to dismiss this one, so I will.
Of the 1001 albums list the 'older' alternative stuff of 60s and 70s like Velvet Underground, Suicide survived as if they were made yesterday, Same energy, emotions as I guess it caused then. But the Jerry Lee Lewis album is more like: Okay, must have been exciting then.. Afraid 2 stars its what it is.
Boomer mosh music. Energetic and electric performance. I find it difficult to really feel the difference between a lot of the songs though. Thinking a 2 for this one.
Energetic live show but problematic artist.
This dude sucks, but he puts on a really great show, probably the drugs
It seems as if we are continuing with the pattern of live albums. And the name Jerry Lee Lewis seemed vaguely familiar to me. Although I could tell without having to listen to the music what this would sound like. Which means I sort of knew how I would feel about it. I often tend to lean towards the negative side when it comes to this sort of rock and roll. There are just very few people who pull it off in a way I really enjoy. And this album is a great example of why context is important. I try to separate the words and actions of artists from their music as much as I can, because it doesn’t always translate directly into the art they create. But sometimes it’s hard to make that separation. Listening to someone like Kanye West or Morrissey nowadays feels weird because of all the poor choices they have made when speaking on certain groups of people. For Jerry Lee Lewis, before I really learned anything about his music, I was hit with all of these crazy things he’s done. This guy married his 13-year old cousin and basically considered himself the single greatest thing to happen to rock and roll music. Also apparently none of the songs on this record are actually his, because he wrote very little original material. He just stole other people’s songs and gave them no credit. He might have also been racist. All of that sort of left a sour taste in my mouth. It didn’t really make me want to listen to his music. But I’ve gave it the best chance I could. As a predicted, I don’t like it very much. Where Jerry succeeds is in his singing and his piano playing. His voice is actually not half bad, and he sure could get the place moving with the piano. The rest of the band isn’t terrible either. It’s just that none of the songs are interesting. I always get bored really quickly with this kind of music. And I never have much to say. They all sound the same anyways. Rating: 4/10
#187. Didn't do anything for me. He struggled to hit the notes on his own songs several times too. If you're going to put out a live album, maybe try picking a show where you sound better 2/5: meh
Not a huge fan of live albums. Good genre and regular album would be better
at least its short
Too fast - made me anxious. I wonder if the whole concert was only 22 minutes long? Married his 13 year old first cousin? Dirty dog……
Man this guy was a feral little gremlin creature, so much so it's hard not to mention it when discussing his music. This live album is definitely not shit by any means, it's got an awesome energy and some fun songs, but nothing that I think really lingers in my 2024 brain however.
Ja goed hoor, aleen heb ik gewoon helemaal niks met deze oude rock en roll
Swingen zeg Heel chaotisch, kort album ook maar dat is ook niet erg een keer Iets te veel chaos voor mij
I get why this is on the list, but it doesn't really do much for me. Obviously a very explosive and energetic performance, and is quite significant historically. Don't think I'll ever listen to it again though.
Not that great. I bet he got some panties wet back then, but I was dry and annoyed.
Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13 year old cousin.
Great energy, great asshole of a guy..
Really hit into Rock and roll of the late 50's and had some hits. But overall, dude was a creep
1. high zchool - 1 2. money - 1.5 3. great ballz - 1 4. good golly - 1 5. boogie - 1 6. cheating heart - 1 7. tall zally - 1 8. zhaking - 1
It gets a 2 because of Top Gun but other than that, I've never been able to get past blues songs all having the same chord progression and bass line. I find it makes it really hard for a particular song, album, or artist to stand out and makes the majority of it forgettable.
Not for me
Refused to shake Jimi Hendrix’s hand Not my type of music
Sounds like a fun show.
Kinda mid
Fun songs, great showmanship. On their own each song is a treat. As an album it becomes a child banging on the piano.
I can appreciate the energy and clear talent, it's not enough for me too look past all the shit that's been said about him, combined with the fact most of this material isn't his, combined with it being a fucking live show which I just don't think should be on this list.
Awesome energy but the real real old school rock and roll is probably just a generational thing that I can appreciate but not really wanna put on again and again. I know a lot of guys from this generation get called out on stealing music from their black contemporaries but this has to be your primary case. Also feel like I know too much about him being a weirdo. Like real weird. Two and a half. Fave track: Good Golly, Miss Molly
Before my time...I just can't appreciate the talent.
You’ve gotta give credit to this type of music. It pioneered a lot and had it not been copied and emulated so much I probably would enjoy it more. I didn’t add any songs to my playlist but can still appreciate its quality.
Crackhead Elvis-wannabe. 3/10
Incoherent, repetitive, piano man. I shouldn’t have looked this guy up. Why is every famous musician fucked up. I mean I wasn’t really enjoying it before looking him up anyway. 3/10
It's a good album, but can't get past JLL's history.
Jerry Lee Lewis was massively overrated, riding on the coattails of the black innovators of the form. A shout out to his backup band – the real heroes this set.
Miksi nykyihmiset ovat niin valmiita antikvarisoimaan rock'n'rollia alentamalla sen livemusiikiksi? Olisi outoa valittaa setin kappaleista, mutta toisaalta minulle tulee kummallinen tunne, että vain niistä valittava saattaisi kuunnella juuri tätä levyä säännöllisesti.
Rock and Roll
really early rock'n'roll is not my thing, so this wasn't the most enjoyable, i normally seperate the person from their music by my distaste in this album seems to match his awful character. only a few parts were a little catchy and the piano was still played well so not absolutely bad, although the live performance leads to a good few voice cracks which kinda took me out of it.
This sounds like a fun concert, and I probably would enjoy the album more had I been there.
Taken out of context, some songs are pretty good. But as an ALBUM, what the hell... This has to be satire. Literally every song, every single one, even the one he “slowed down”, was a 1-4-5 blues/boogie woogie progression with almost no variation. Good energy, but I can’t rate this album higher than a 2 due to the lack of creativity.
Live makes this genre make wayyyy more sense.
the flavor profile of this album is Tyson's Crispy Chicken Strips. It's one big note, useful if hungry, but not of the finer stuff. maybe you had to be there? I dunno if personally live albums always translate well, the mixing is a little biased towards loudness over nuance.
# 139 : It is fast paced screamer that smashes for a live album. But i prefer studio records to live dubbings myself. Enjoyable, but I wouldn't go back to it, and that’s NOT just because of the music...
Ok but not for me
Boogie woogie
His voice isn’t that great compared to others of the time. It was 20 mins of ‘piano riff woo’ music and there’s not much else to say other than he was a child abuser.
Oh you're a musician? name 5 children you have groomed if you separate the art from the artist... this is still mid. Why does he sound so much like Randy Marsh? I suppose it makes sense given his character 2 Stars for Racist Elvis