God didn’t drive down Sodom for boogie-woogie. However, Jerry Lee Lewis was kicked out of the Southwestern Institute of Bible Studies precisely because the dean recognized the sinful boogie-reading of the hymn “My God Is Real”, thereby pushing the poor student into the arms of Satan. Jerry Lee returned to Louisiana, where he began actively playing music in the surrounding pubs, where there is a lot of free swill and mademoiselles who have forgotten the precepts.
In 1952, Crafty sent Lewis’s footsteps to the New Orleans studio of J&M Records, where the seventeen-year-old pianist recorded “Don’t Stay Away (When Love Grows Cold)” Lefty Frizzela and his own instrumental.
(‘Til Love Grows Cold)
There are more musicians in New Orleans than there are residents. The record was simply lost among the hits of the mastodons, one of which, for example, was Fats. Fats Domino. A new springboard was needed. In conditions where the violinist climbs on the shoulders of the double bass player, since the next accompanying composition is propped up from behind, it is almost impossible to enter the Louisiana Hayride as a musician. And to hear Elvis, Scotty and Bill there is a separate piece of luck.
Jerry Lee Lewis, having learned about Sun Records, arrived there for a head-to-head debriefing: Elvis had switched to RCA, Carl Perkins was recovering from the effects of the accident, Johnny Cash was the only one feeling great to the point of filth. And then there was Billy Lee Riley, whom Jerry Lee played along to in the most powerful “Flying Saucers Rock’n’roll”. Without the outta-space keys, the song would have been much less perky. Sam Phillips also used Lewis as a studio accompanist before giving him the opportunity to release his own single.
“Crazy Arms” was a country song, but it wasn’t. It was essentially the piano side of rockabilly, with a distinct heavy beat and a syncopated lowercase keyboard line. Ray Price’s fans’ jaw dropped a little and their fingers twitched involuntarily on their heads. The hairs on their feet stood on. Mr. Phillips smelled the dollars on the radio. The following year, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” was blown up, “Great Balls Of Fire” et cetera. The scandal surrounding Lewis’s marriage to his own niece was artificially inflated in England, since no one in the Southern States would have given it any importance, the marriage was based on every letter of the Bible, and only in the “progressive” part of Europe was it possible to make a fuss. In the first place, it was beneficial for Colonel Parker to eliminate Jerry Lee Lewis. Elvis was just about to join the army. There is no doubt that the subsequent attack on Jerry Lee in the media was ordered, paid for and orchestrated. It is significant that he was received more than indifferently in his homeland. There were no more sold-out concerts or TV invitations. The first stage of Lewis’ career swept across the sky of show business like a meteor, falling somewhere near Chelyabinsk. By the way, even before all this mess in the movie “High School Confidential” Jerry Lee managed to play himself and the song of the same name, and David Lynch subsequently invited Russ Tamblyn to Twin Peaks, where he portrayed a cheerful psychologist Lawrence Jacoby.
Jerry Lee Lewis stayed with Sam Phillips until 1963, during which time he released a dozen and a half excellent singles, only one of which, “What’d I Say”, managed to squeeze into the charts at 30th place. After completing his contractual obligations, Lewis moves to Smash Records, whose employees immediately begin planning his triumphant return to the spotlight with the song “I’m On Fire”, but the bet did not play out: the Beatles came from overseas, Rolling Stones and other Animals poured into the gap. The fornication, called “Summer of Love”, curly-haired hippies and lysergine parodies of guitarists of the past are just around the corner. Where do the humble guys from the South go? Right! To Europe! While impudent Englishmen and Englishwomen are driving unstable female elements into a frenzy, Mr. Lewis will arrive to Britain in order to nurture the remnants of the doubters and make money from them.
On the first tour, he will be accompanied by the English instrumental band The Outlaws with a certain Richie Blackmore in the line-up. However, another band was chosen for the tour of Germany, albeit also English, but a little less inclined to solo. Live concert at Hamburg’s legendary Star Club will be named one of the best live albums in the history of live albums. Ziggy Lock, who was then a sound engineer, approached the removal of sound completely illiterate, simply cave-like. Jerry Lee also took a cavernous approach to sound production. That’s why the sound was so ferocious. No one was bothered by the commandments, and in the port cities, sinning means living, where nieces are married more often than other women.
Jerry Lee Lewis – Live In Hamburg (1964)
02 High School Confidential
03 Money (That’s What I Want)
04 Matchbox
05 What’d I Say I & What’d I Say II
07 Great Balls of Fire
08 Good Golly Miss Molly
09 Lewis Boogie
10 Your Cheatin’ Heart
11 Hound Dog
12 Long Tall Sally
13 Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
Download or listen online Jerry Lee Lewis – Live In Hamburg 1964 (mp3, 71 Mb)
“Mean Woman Blues” declares that Jerry Lee Lewis is at the peak of his form. The Star Club is a bit shaky, but it won’t be any more!
“High School Confidential” sparks without compromise, giving out a syncopated solo that runs counter to the ground beat. A challenge for youngsters from The Mississippi Teens who have never been to Mississippi.
“Money” in this interpretation surpasses, perhaps, most of the previous achievements. The virtuoso keyboard part turns into a haughty laugh depicting the humorous Daniil Kharms, whom Jerry Lee has never read. The audience freezes on the spot, without leaving the box office. The snake-like gaze of the performer hypnotizes the unfortunate.
“Matchbox” cuts Perkins’ original in two, delivering heavy blues. Lewis deliberately played this thing in a black manner, contrasting it with Carl’s rockabilly version. He considered the song his own as much as Carl Perkins.
“What’d I Say” begins with an ungodly virtuoso solo, continuing with an absolutely wild instrumental, as if there had never been a previous slaughter. The poor guys on the dance floor have already erased all the soles, and here it is…
“What’d I Say, part 2” made the sailors lose their last shoes. The obscene verses added charm.
“Great Balls Of Fire” is a brutal falsetto, multiplied by animal uncompromising. The kids are dancing enthusiastically.
“Good Golly Miss Molly” finally turns the brains of the unfortunate Krauts and their ilk. Absolutely absolute rock and roll.
“Lewis Boogie” puts a bold end to the dispute about who is the King of Rock and Roll here. Elvis will come back to the question in a few years and answer Lewis with the whole royal household. Lewis will return to the issue of the revolver and the alcoholic nonsense. Fortunately, no one will get hurt.
Jerry Lee performs “Your Cheating Heart” as if struggling with his failures, thrown up from the outside. A preacher cousin would only be caught in bed with a prostitute in 1991. Until then, he will continue to brainwash Jerry Lee Lewis.
“Hound Dog” and “Long Tall Sally” are uncompromising rock smash hits that bring the listener to the main point:
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”. Jerry Lee Lewis performs it as if for the first time, and the people are triumphant, as if dancing to it for the first time. The keys are glowing, smoking all over the spot.
“Down The Line”, written by Roy Orbison, has always had the most powerful potential, and here it puts a bold dot. The audience cheers. Rockabilly as it is conceived.
Jerry Lee Lewis was an absolute genius. His hands spoke more than many food gaps. This live album is the best among the existing live albums, according to the majority and the author of the article. Let’s honor the memory of the great Musician, moondawgs!
