A Chuck Berry concert in the 1950's must have been a sight to behold--with his distinctive "duck walk", his big pompadour hairdo and his flamboyant style of playing rock 'n roll guitar, I know that his shows must have been charged with energy and electricity. Although he was the ultimate showman, his importance in the field of rock 'n roll music cannot be discounted--in my opinion, Chuck Berry was the single most important rock 'n roll guitarist that ever lived. He created guitar licks that formed the basis for most of the rock music that was to follow--even today, most guitarists are playing licks that are just recycled versions of those raw, primal chops that Chuck Berry invented.

Chuck Berry-The Great Twenty-Eight is a collection of some of his best music from the period covering 1955 through 1965. It's probably the ultimate "greatest hits" collection, but I'm probably exaggarating a little--it's just that most of his songs are so recognizable and ingrained in our collective conciousness that they all seem like smash hits. Whatever the case, this collection defines the music of Chuck Berry and gives the listener a good idea of why this man's influence is still being felt today.

Maybelline was Chuck Berry's first hit, and the start-stop framework of the song became a model that many future artists copied. Roll Over Beethoven was a tune that was covered by such diverse artists as The Beatles, Mountain, and Electric Light Orchestra, but no one has ever matched the throbbing, primal energy of the original version. Rock And Roll Music matched up wonderful lyrical imagery with the pulsating beat, while Reelin' & Rockin" was a tune that Chuck Berry improvised on in live performances--his lyrics were much more racy than anything the record industry would have allowed on a recording.

Nadine was a bluesy tune, complete with a powerful horn section, while Carol had distinct pop overtones (if you get a chance, check out John Lennon's cover of Carol on the BBC Sessions--it's really a treat). Sweet Little Sixteen is one of Chuck Berry's most endearing numbers, while No Particular Place To Go captured the imagination of a generation with its' wandering, carefree theme.

The booklet that accompanies the album has a brief history of the career of Chuck Berry--I've certainly seen more comprehensive histories, but this one is fairly complete, albeit with brevity. The track listing gives the year of each recording and the personnel who participated (Willie Dixon played bass guitar on many of these songs!). All in all, the insert has enough information to educate the listener.