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.
Early on in his career, Chuck Berry discovered that if you rolled all of the controls on those old tube amps all the way to the right, you could get that distortion that made his sound distinctive--putting the amp into overdrive created a guitar sound that would be recreated in the future by pedals and other effects, but he was the first to do it. Many great guitarists would come to emulate his licks and his sounds, and his songs were covered by so many artists that it's impossible to list them all. Suffice it to say that his influence was pervasive, to say the least.
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.
Highlights Of The Album (This album is hard to highlight because all of the songs are great, so actually these are the "super" highlights!)
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.
Johnny B. Goode was Chuck Berry's tribute to Elvis Presley, complete with a jumped up beat and a rocking guitar line. Memphis was one of his most famous tunes, while Back In The USA has been covered by numerous artists--one of the most memorable (and unlikely) was Linda Ronstadt. Little Queenie lets Chuck Berry show off his rock 'n roll guitar skill, while Bye Bye Johnny was another tune loosely based on the career of Elvis Presley.
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.
As the title indicates, there are twenty-eight tracks on this album, and believe me when I say that there's not a loser in the bunch. Each track is instantly recognizable by anyone who professes to love rock 'n roll music, and all of the songs demonstrate the guitar genius of Chuck Berry.
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.
If you want a good look at the music of a true guitar legend, this album is for you. Chuck Berry remains one of the most important figures in the history of rock 'n roll music, and this collection shows why.
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Outstanding
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Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Outstanding
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