Maps of Music
Mean Old Man (2010)
Where the lyrics of Mean Old Man take you, and where it was really made.
Seventeen of the nineteen tracks on Jerry Lee Lewis's fortieth studio album list a guest musician, so the record is built almost entirely from collaborations.
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Tell us the placeAlbum story
Overview
- Mean Old Man is the fortieth studio album by American rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis
- Released 7 September 2010 on Verve Records, according to French Wikipedia
- Nineteen tracks in total, with 17 credited to a guest collaborator
- Like the predecessor, the album is built around duets and other collaborations with well-known musicians
Background
- The previous album, Last Man Standing, also featured duets with famous musicians
- Guests include Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
- Shelby Lynne sings on two tracks: 'Hold You In My Heart' and 'Here Comes That Rainbow'
- Gillian Welch sings on two tracks: 'Please Release Me' and 'I Really Don't Want to Know'
- James Burton plays on 'You Can Have Her' and 'Swinging Doors'
- Jon Brion is credited on several tracks, including 'Middle Age Crazy', 'You Are My Sunshine' and 'Roll Over Beethoven'
- 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' adds Mavis Staples, Robbie Robertson and Nils Lofgren
- 'Sunday Morning Coming Down' and 'Miss the Mississippi and You' are the two tracks with no guest listed
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org
Artist
Career
- American country and rock and roll pianist, singer, and songwriter, nicknamed "The Killer".
- Made first recordings in 1952 at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studio in New Orleans; early Sun Records recordings in 1956 in Memphis.
- 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" brought worldwide fame; followed by "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless", and "High School Confidential".
- 1964 live album Live at the Star Club, Hamburg is widely regarded as one of the greatest live rock albums.
- Switched to country in 1968 with "Another Place, Another Time", which revived his career; 30 songs reached the Billboard country top 10 across his career.
- Last Man Standing (2006) was his best-selling release; Mean Old Man (2010) was another major seller.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986) and the Country Music Hall of Fame (2022).
Members
- Solo artist; the Million Dollar Quartet session on Sun Records included Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Released 7 September 2010 on Verve Records, according to French Wikipedia
- Fortieth studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis
- Follows Last Man Standing, which also used duets with famous musicians
- Duet partners include Ronnie Wood, Kid Rock, Slash and Mick Jagger
- Tim McGraw, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow and Merle Haggard also appear on the record
- Keith Richards, Solomon Burke, John Fogerty, Willie Nelson and Gillian Welch join as well
Reappraisal
- AllMusic critic Stephen Erlewine gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5
- Erlewine wrote that the vibe on this album is a little more subdued than its predecessor
- The comparison with Last Man Standing is the main point of the AllMusic review
Records
- In 2023, Mojo Magazine ranked the album as Lewis' 10th best album
- That ranking covered all of his releases, including live albums and compilation albums
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- Like its predecessor Last Man Standing, the album is built on duets and other collaborations with famous musicians
- 'Roll Over Beethoven' credits Ringo Starr, John Mayer, James 'Hutch' Hutchinson, Jim Keltner and Jon Brion
- 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' credits Mavis Staples, Robbie Robertson and Nils Lofgren
- 'Sunday Morning Coming Down' and 'Miss the Mississippi and You' list no guest artist
Sources: en.wikipedia.org