Best performance/song on Jerry Lee Lewis's "Live at the Star Club in Hamburg" live album?

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The whole thing's great, but for me it's no contest: it has to be "Mean Women Blues", the greatest live performance ever put onto tape. One of my favorite moments in music comes when Jerry breaks in to congratulate himself, and then proceeds right back into that wonderful piano line at full speed.

Also, doesn't this album show that as one of rock's early pioneers, he's kinda overrated? I mean half of the songs are covers, whereas Johnny Cash or Elvis could probably fill up an entire live CD with their songs.

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Mean Women Blues - 4:01	1
Long Tall Sally - 1:51	0
Hound Dog - 2:20	0
Your Cheating Heat - 2:59	0
Lewi's Boogie - 2:04	0
Good Golly, Miss Molly - 2:20	0
Great Balls of Fire - 1:54	0
What'd I Say, Pt.2 - 3:05 ("play that thing right, boy!")	0
What'd I Say - 2:19	0
Matchbox - 2:47	0
Money (That's What I Want) - 4:38	0
High School Confidential - 2:25	0
Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On - 4:29	0

― Belldog, Wednesday, 26 December 2007 00:21 (eighteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― ILX System, Monday, 31 December 2007 00:01 (eighteen years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― ILX System, Tuesday, 1 January 2008 00:01 (eighteen years ago)

"mean woman blues" is the best one, yeah.

and, um, all of elvis's songs were "covers," except i suppose the songs written by others that he was first to record.

― J.D., Tuesday, 1 January 2008 01:59 (eighteen years ago)

Haha, I just remembered this topic. 1 Fucking vote for the greatest live album of all time?!! ARGGH I'M GOING TO SMASH YOU PEOPLE UP

― Belldog, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 03:48 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

this thing smokes! it should be twice as long. any other live stuff from him near as good as this?

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 29 May 2009 23:09 (seventeen years ago)

oh man does it smoke. i've hoped that there would be an expanded reissue of it or something, but maybe that's all there is ...

― tylerw, Saturday, 30 May 2009 00:14 (seventeen years ago)

four years pass...

What'd I Say pt 1!

― brio, Friday, 25 April 2014 16:20 (twelve years ago)

I've been playing the shit out of this album over the last few months. Best track: High School Confidential. It's really mental. I love his vocal intro "the wonderful...I mean...Really. Swinging. Star Club." then it starts fast and never stops speeding up (The Nashville Teens should probably get more credit for this album than they seem to get). And the crowd is going nuts. Then the gibberish he's singing in the middle eight leading up to "Jerry Lee is going to rock away all your blooooes". So classic. Wish I was there.

This album/performance just had it's 50th birthday this month btw.

― everything, Friday, 25 April 2014 19:16 (twelve years ago)

that whole jerry lee live 3CD set that came out a couple years ago is worth it (tho the star club is far and away the best thing on it).

― tylerw, Friday, 25 April 2014 19:21 (twelve years ago)

So much to love on this.
But I just can't get over Mean Woman as the first track - you can hear the Nashville Teens realizing what they're in for. But yeah, I agree they don't get enough credit for hanging in and rocking it, despite Jerry's "Play it right, boy!" and general mission to pound them into the ground. Also agree the drunk rowdy German crowd eating it up just lifts the whole thing up. Maybe my favourite live record ever - definitely up there with The Ramones "It's Alive" - which feels almost polite and uptight in comparison.
what else is on that live comp, Tyler? I've heard a Paris 66 concert that's great too - but not in the same league.

― brio, Friday, 25 April 2014 19:32 (twelve years ago)

there's the star club
+
this one
http://www.franklycollectible.com/images/jerry%20lee%20lewis%20-%20greatest%20live%20show.jpg
and its sequel
http://eil.com/images/main/Jerry+Lee+Lewis+-+By+Request+-+More+Of+The+Greatest+Live+Show+On+Earth+-+LP+RECORD-373291.jpg
+
http://eil.com/images/main/Jerry+Lee+Lewis+-+Live+At+The+International,+Las+Vegas+-+LP+RECORD-374679.jpg

some bonus tracks thrown in there as well, though nothing extra from the star club.

― tylerw, Friday, 25 April 2014 19:39 (twelve years ago)

greatest live show stuff is more varied than the star club, but it has plenty of awesome moments and lots of good audience interplay. it did seem like jerry lee was trying to kill his european audiences, whereas he's a little more laid back in the USA.

― tylerw, Friday, 25 April 2014 19:40 (twelve years ago)

oh man that stuff looks great! And it's got one of my all-time bitter Jerry lee favourites, "How's My Ex Treating You?"

― brio, Friday, 25 April 2014 19:44 (twelve years ago)

I found the "Greatest Live Shows On Earth" just didn't hold a candle to the Star Club gig, which is just shy of unhinged whereas the other gigs seem almost polite in comparison and don't really add much to the songs (with a few exceptions).

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Monday, 28 April 2014 15:59 (twelve years ago)

Ah, I recorded this off the l.p.!

Two tracks! Side one and side two.

Will Play it!

― Mark G, Monday, 28 April 2014 19:59 (twelve years ago)

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