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"…Dancin'
And Hummin' A Rock 'n' Roll Melody…"
With the US
reissue label Hip-O Select having filled the marketplace with 3 x 4CD retrospectives
in 2005, 2007 and 2009 covering 'all' of Chuck Berry’s Chess recordings – and
with endless cheapo Universal double CD sets that will offer the same material
and more - this 2011 Bear Family single CD might seem superfluous to
requirements. But I'm glad to announce that it isn't. The big draw here for
collectors will be Bear's top quality remastered sound and a thoroughly
researched booklet. Here are the details…
Released
November 2011 - "Chuck Berry Rocks" by CHUCK BERRY (aka "Rocks") on Bear Family BCD
17139 AR (Barcode 4000127171399) is a 32-Track Mono and Stereo CD-only compilation that stretches to a chunky 80:01 minutes.
All tracks bar one are American (US) Chess 7" 45-singles (most are A-sides except where noted below) - from his legendary first release "Maybellene" on Chess 1604 in July 1955 to "Dear Dad" on Chess 1926 in March 1965. The only exception here is
"Betty Jean" which featured on the 1960 LP "Rockin' At The
Hops". Most of the Fifties recordings are MONO while the Sixties stuff is
in STEREO (neither the booklet nor the outer card wrap indicates which is
which). A few of Chuck Berry's Chess 45s were so good ("Sweet Little Sixteen", "Johnny B. Goode", "Back In The U.S.A.", Tennessee" and "Little Queenie"), Bear Family has included their flipsides too. In fact in 1958, Chuck Berry was doing a James Brown (over on King) - practically issuing a hit a month and most rarely went up to three-minutes playing time. Get in, do the business and leave (hear them bells indeed). Here are the details...
1. Maybellene - July 1955, Chess 1604, A-side (2:20 minutes)
2. Thirty Days (To Come Back Home) - October 1955, Chess 1610, A-side (2:23 minutes)
3. You Can't Catch Me - November 1956, Chess 1645, A-side (2:43 minutes)
4. No Money Down - January 1956, Chess 1615, A-side (2:57 minutes)
5. Brown Eyed Handsome Man - September 1956, Chess 1635, B-side of "Too Much Money Business" - see Track 7 for A-side (2:16 minutes)
6. Roll Over Beethoven - May 1956, Chess 1626, A-side (2:24 minutes)
7. Too Much Money Business - see Track 5 for B-side
8. School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell) - March 1957, Chess 1653, A-side (2:42 minutes)
9. Rock And Roll Music - October 1957, Chess 1671, A-side (2:32 minutes)
10. Oh Baby Doll - June 1957, Chess 1664, A-side (2:36 minutes)
11. Sweet Little Sixteen - January 1958, Chess 1683, A-side (3:03 minutes)
12. Reelin' And Rocking - January 1958, Chess 1683, B-side (3:16 minutes)
13. Johnny B. Goode - April 1958, Chess 1691, A-side (2:39 minutes)
14. Around & Around - April 1958, Chess 1691, B-side (2:39 minutes)
15. Beautiful Delilah - July 1958, Chess 1697, A-side (2:08 minutes)
16. Carol - August 1958, Chess 1700, A-side (2:47 minutes)
17. Memphis, Tennessee - May 1959, Chess 1729, B-side of "Back In The U.S.A." (2:14 mins)
18. Sweet Little Rock And Roller - October 1958, Chess 1709, A-side (2:21 minutes)
19. Run Rudolph Run - November 1958, Chess 1714, B-side of "Merry Christmas Baby" (2:43)
20. Little Queenie - March 1959, Chess 1722, A-side (2:41 minutes)
21. Almost Grown - March 1959, Chess 1722, B-side (2:21 minutes)
22. Back In The U.S.A. - May 1959, Chess 1729, A-side - for B-side see Track 17 (2:28 mins)
23. Betty Jean (from the 1960 US LP "Rockin' At The Hops" on Chess LP 1448 in Mono)
24. Let It Rock - January 1960, Chess 1747, A-side (1:45 minutes)
25. Bye Bye Johnny - May 1960, Chess 1754, A-side (2:04 minutes)
26. Jaguar And Thunderbird - October 1767, Chess 1767, A-side (1:50 minutes)
27. Go-Go-Go - September 1961, Chess 1799, B-side of "Come On" (2:33 minutes)
28. Nadine (Is That You?) - February 1964, Chess 1883, A-side (2:33 minutes)
29. You Never Can Tell - July 1964, Chess 1906, A-side (2:42 minutes)
30. Promised Land - November 1964, Chess 1916, A-side (2:23 minutes)
31. No Particular Place To Go - May 1964, Chess 1898, A-side (2:43 minutes)
32. Dear Dad - March 1965, Chess 1926, A-side (2:36 minutes)
"Chuck
Berry Rocks" comes in Bear's now standard packaging for this series – a
3-way fold-out card digipak containing a detachable oversized booklet inside (52
pages for this issue). The CD itself repros the "Around &
Around" 45 on Chess 1691 with its famous Blue label. Pages 5 to 40
feature an in-depth essay on the American Rock 'n' Roller by noted writer and
musicologist BILL DAHL whose affection and awe of Berry’s influence seem to
know no bounds (in a typically scholarly way he cites both book and internet
'sources' for his liner notes). Pages 31 to 49 have a full Discography on all
32 recordings by label boss RICHARD WEIZE with contributions from BILL DAHL and
FRED ROTHWELL. The text is peppered with black and white photos of the great
man doing his trademark 'duck walk' on Television and Live settings, some
Tel-Mar Studio shots of recording sessions and one particularly tasty moment
where he shares a 'Love You' card from two female British fans at the Lewisham
Odeon in London in the Sixties.
While it's the usual classy act from Bear, I'd
have to express extreme disappointment in not seeing any COLOUR photos of
either those stunning album sleeves or Berry in action. Apart from one colour
photo that begins the Discography – I'd confess that the endless black and
white shots give the booklet a rather monotonous look that somehow undermines
Dahl's great written work. And Bear's CDs aren't cheap. But that's quickly forgotten once you start playing
this baby…
I've raved about
JURGEN CRASSER and his mastering work before (see my TAG for him and reviews
for the astonishing "Blowing The Fuse" series (16 compilations, individual years from 1945 to 1960) and
the "Sweet Soul Music" series (15 discs, individual years from 1960 to 1975). The best way to describe
the sound here is 'clean' – Berry’s Chess recordings are for the most part
notoriously 'lo-fi' – but here there is very little hiss on any of the tracks.
The recordings are still suitably ramshackle and even crude, but there’s a
power in them now that 'just' pips the otherwise superlative remasters Erick
Labson did for those 3 Hip-O Select tomes (and Universal's "Gold"
double CD set).
Another nice
aspect to the sound achieved here is that Chuck’s in-house musicians gave his
records a certain glorious Rock ’n’ Roll feel – and principal among them is the
mighty JOHNNIE JOHNSON. His rattling and fabulous piano playing is now a little
more to the fore – and what an audio treat that is (he passed away in 2005 –
inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 as one the great sidemen).
Highlights – I
loved rehearing the lesser-heard "Dear Dad", "Let It Rock"
and "Sweet Little Rock And Roll" (lyrics above) which Rod Stewart
covered so well on his underrated "Smiler" album in 1973. The B-sides too like "Go-Go-Go" and "Memphis, Tennessee" (covered by the Faces on their third album from November 1971 "A Nod's As Good As A Blind Horse..."
And the
STEREO takes are particularly alive too – the Leroy Davis and James Robinson
brass with Johnnie Johnson piano on "You Never Can Tell" - the wonderful
"No Particular Place To Go" which still sounds so totally kicking
("…stole a kiss at the turn of a mile…") His second renaissance in 1964 is represented here in these fabulous Stereo sides and is it any wonder that people still rave about them in their Pop perfection. And on that point – the
lyrics – witty, smart, full of cool Americanisms – Chuck Berry really did chronicle the
teenage experience (and thankfully no dire "Ding A Ling" from 1972 (a horrible No.1) to pollute
the proceedings).
The incomparable
Bear Family folks – class and quality - they may cost you – but the best always
does.
PS: The
"Rocks" Series CD-Only Compilations (released 2002 to 2026) by Bear Family Records of Germany features the following artists (alphabetical order):
1. Hank Ballard (Bear Family BCD 17580)
2. Chuck Berry (BCD 17139 AR) [see
REVIEW]
3. Eddie Bond (BCD 17726)
4. Pat Boone (BCD 16933 AR)
5. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown (BCD 17537)
6. James Brown (BCD 17775)
7. Roy Brown (BCD 17749)
8. Sonny Burgess (BCD 17629)
9. Johnny
Burnette (BCD 16992 AR) [see REVIEW]
10. The Cadillacs (BCD 16281 AR)
11. Jimmy Cavallo (BCD 17648)
12. Sanford Clark (BCD 17664)
13. The Coasters (BCD 17526)
14. Eddie Cochran (BCD 17136 AR)
15. Jackie Lee Cochran (BCD 17785)
16. James Cotton (BCD 17651)
17. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (BCD 17555 AR)
18. Bobby Darin (BCD 16310 AR)
19. Bo Diddley (BCD 17751)
20. Fats Domino (BCD 16825 AR)
21. The Drifters (BCD 17278 AR)
22. Champion Jack Dupree (BCD 17536)
23. Duane Eddy (BCD 17249 AR)
24. The Everly Brothers (BCD 17321 AR)
25. Charlie Feathers (BCD 17688)
26. Narvel Felts (BCD 17594)
27. The "5" Royales (BCD 17522)
28. Connie
Francis (BCD 16318 AR)
29. Don Gibson (BCD 16991 AR)
30. Glen Glenn (BCD 16671 AR)
31. Big John Greer (BCD 17743)
32. Bill Haley (BCD 16807 AR)
33. Roy Hall (BCD 16747 AR)
34. Wynonie Harris (BCD 17746)
35. Dale Hawkins (BCD 16826 AR)
36. Ronnie Hawkins (BCD 16873 AR)
37. Screamin'
Jay Hawkins (BCD 16687 AR)
38. Wanda
Jackson (BCD 16631 AR) [see REVIEW]
39. Etta James (BCD 17750)
40. Sonny James (BCD 16679 AR)
41. Benny Joy (BCD 17645)
42. Buddy Knox
& Jimmy Bowen with the Rhythm Orchids (BCD 16872 AR)
43. Sleepy
LaBeef (BCD 15981 AR)
44. Brenda Lee (BCD 16886 AR)
45. Jerry Lee
Lewis (BCD 16396 AR)
46. Smiley Lewis (BCD 16676 AR) [see REVIEW]
47. Little
Richard (BCD 17138 AR)
48. Bob Luman (BCD 16985 AR)
49. Frankie
Lymon and The Teenagers (BCD 16545 AR)
50. Mac Curtis (BCD 17719)
51. Carl Mann (BCD 16684 AR)
52. Jimmy McCracklin (BCD 17552)
53. Scotty McKay (BCD 17519)
54. Clyde McPhatter (BCD 17614)
55. Memphis Slim (BCD 17687)
56. Amos Milburn (BCD 16926 AR) [see REVIEW]
57. Roy Milton (BCD 17712)
58. Ella Mae
Morse (BCD 16672 AR) [see REVIEW]
59. Ricky Nelson (BCD 16856 AR)
60. Roy Orbison (BCD 15916 AR)
61. Little Junior Parker (BCD 17535)
62. Carl Perkins (BCD 16752 AR)
63. The Platters (BCD 17558 AR)
64. Lloyd Price (BCD 16999 AR)
65. Piano Red
(aka Dr. Feelgood) (BCD 16639 AR) [see REVIEW]
66. Jimmy Reed (BCD 17572)
67. Louis Prima (BCD 17318 AR)
68. Charlie Rich (BCD 16513 AR) [see REVIEW]
69. Billy Lee Riley (BCD 17597)
70. Marty Robbins (BCD 17245 AR)
71. Jack Scott (BCD 16841 AR)
72. Ronnie Self (BCD 17656)
73. Shirley
& Lee (BCD 15785 AR)
74. Slim Harpo (BCD 17129 AR)
75. The Treniers (BCD 16164 AR)
76. Ike Turner (BCD 17679)
77. Big Joe
Turner (BCD 17215 AR) [see REVIEW]
78. Conway
Twitty (BCD 16670 AR)
79. Ritchie Valens (BCD 17525)
80. Gene Vincent
& His Blue Caps (BCD 17134 AR)
81. Johnny Guitar Watson (BCD 17764)
82. Link Wray (BCD 17600)
83. Rusty York (BCD 16543 AR) [see REVIEW]
Series Sampler Compilations from 2024 and 2025
84. Bear Family Records Rocks, Vol. 1 (BCD 17734)
85. Bear Family Records Rocks, Vol. 2 (BCD 17735)
The Bear Family
"Rockin' Rollin'" Series features:
1. Johnny Horton
2. Marvin
Rainwater
3. Marty Robbins
Vol.1
4. Marty Robbins
Vol.2
5. Marty Robbins
Vol.3
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