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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 - then 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 on Bear Family BCD
17139 AR (Barcode 4000127171399) stretches to a chunky 80:01 minutes and
features 32 tracks.
All bar one were
Chess 7" singles - from his first "Maybelline" on Chess 1604 in
1955 to "Dear Dad" on Chess 1926 in 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).
|
1
|
Maybellene
|
2:20
|
|
2
|
Thirty Days (To Come
Back Home)
|
2:23
|
|
3
|
You Can't Catch Me
|
2:43
|
|
4
|
No Money Down
|
2:57
|
|
5
|
Brown Eyed Handsome
Man
|
2:16
|
|
6
|
Roll Over Beethoven
|
2:24
|
|
7
|
Too Much Monkey
Business
|
2:56
|
|
8
|
School Day (Ring!
Ring! Goes The Bell)
|
2:42
|
|
9
|
Rock And Roll Music
|
2:32
|
|
10
|
Oh Baby Doll
|
2:36
|
|
11
|
Sweet Little Sixteen
|
3:03
|
|
12
|
Reelin' And Rocking
|
3:16
|
|
13
|
Johnny B. Goode
|
2:39
|
|
14
|
Around & Around
|
2:39
|
|
15
|
Beautiful Delilah
|
2:08
|
|
16
|
Carol
|
2:47
|
|
17
|
Memphis, Tennessee
|
2:14
|
|
18
|
Sweet Little Rock And
Roller
|
2:21
|
|
19
|
Run Rudolph Run
|
2:43
|
|
20
|
Little Queenie
|
2:41
|
|
21
|
Almost Grown
|
2:21
|
|
22
|
Back In The U.S.A.
|
2:28
|
|
23
|
Betty Jean
|
2:30
|
|
24
|
Let It Rock
|
1:45
|
|
25
|
Bye Bye Johnny
|
2:04
|
|
26
|
Jaguar And Thunderbird
|
1:50
|
|
27
|
Go-Go-Go
|
2:33
|
|
28
|
Nadine (Is It You?)
|
2:33
|
|
29
|
You Never Can Tell
|
2:42
|
|
30
|
Promised Land
|
2:23
|
|
31
|
No Particular Place To
Go
|
2:43
|
|
32
|
Dear Dad
|
"Chuck
Berry Rocks" comes in Bear's now standard packaging for this series – a
3-way foldout 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 it's 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. 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) and
the "Sweet Soul Music" series (10 discs). 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. And the
STEREO takes are particularly alive too – the Leroy Davis and James Robinson
brass/Johnnie Johnson piano on "You Never Can Tell" and the wonderful
"No Particular Place To Go" which still sounds so totally kicking
("…stole a kiss at the turn of a mile…") And on that point – the
lyrics – witty, smart, full of cool Americanisms – he really did chronicle the
teenage experience (and thankfully no dire "Ding A Ling" 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 by Bear Family features the following artists:
1. Chuck Berry [see
REVIEW]
2. Pat Boone
3. Johnny
Burnette [see REVIEW]
4. The Cadillacs
5. Eddie Cochran
6. Bobby Darin
7. Fats Domino
8. Connie
Francis
9. Don Gibson
10. Glen Glenn
11. Bill Haley
12. Roy Hall
13. Slim Harpo
[see REVIEW]
14. Dale Hawkins
15. Ronnie Hawkins
16. Screamin'
Jay Hawkins
17. Wanda
Jackson [see REVIEW]
18. Sonny James
19. Buddy Knox
& Jimmy Bowen with the Rhythm Orchids
20. Sleepy
LaBeef
21. Brenda Lee
22. Jerry Lee
Lewis
23. Smiley Lewis
[see REVIEW]
24. Little
Richard
25. Bob Luman
26. Frankie
Lymon and The Teenagers
27. Carl Mann
28. Amos Milburn
[see REVIEW]
29. Ella Mae
Morse [see REVIEW]
30. Ricky Nelson
31. Carl Perkins
32. Roy Orbison
33. Lloyd Price
34. Piano Red
(aka Dr. Feelgood) [see REVIEW]
35. Charlie Rich
[see REVIEW]
36. Jack Scott
37. Shirley
& Lee
38. The Treniers
39. Big Joe
Turner [see REVIEW]
40. Conway
Twitty
41. Gene Vincent
& His Blue Caps
42. Rusty York [see REVIEW]
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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