Artist: Chuck Berry Title: Johnny B. Goode - His Complete '50s Chess Recordings Label: Hip-o Select Release Date: 2008 Format: MP3 @ 320 K
Chuck Berry's legendary breakthrough 1950s Chess recordings has gotten their first thorough presentation anywhere via a 4-CD, 103-song box set on Chess/Hip-O Select Records. These are the groundbreaking recordings by the first poet laureate of rock and roll that set the tone lyrically and musically for all that came after. To paraphrase John Lennon, if they didn't call it rock'n'roll, they'd call it Chuck Berry music, and this remarkable new set shows why. Digitally remastered from the original Chess masters, the collection features not only such oft-covered classics as “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Rock And Roll Music,” “Memphis,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Carol,” and “Little Queenie,” but it also shows the evolution of the artist and his songs, while presenting a surfeit of rarities, including 16 previously unreleased tracks. With the exception of two live recordings, all of these tracks were recorded at Chess Studios from May 21, 1955, through a massive late July 1959 session, which culminated in the only time Berry played session lead guitar for an artist other than himself: two tracks by a studio group called the Ecuadors. Other rarities on the set, aside from the unreleased tracks, include a pair of live versions of “Maybellene” and “Roll Over Beethoven” Chuck recorded for Alan Freed's 1956 New York “Camel Rock'n'Roll Dance Party” album, several original masters overdubbed for the fake On Stage Chess album, and a number of recordings making their U.S. CD debut.
The unreleased recordings include take 3 of “Sweet Little Sixteen,” which is one of five versions of the song that tells the story of its recording—from its demonstration record to two rejected (and intriguingly different) session takes to the original master to the sped-up master finally released by Chess. There are also unreleased alternate takes at different tempos than those released, some with different lyrics, and one (for “Broken Arrow”) which features Chuck Berry instructing his backup singers in their parts. And, finally, there is a pair of previously unreleased 11 minutes-plus in-studio jams featuring Chuck with pianist Johnnie Johnson, bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Jasper Thomas – a blues called “Long Slow Jam” and a rocker called, suitably, “Long Fast Jam” from 1958. All of this remarkable music is elaborated on by tidbits of studio dialog, complete session by session credits, a a '50s Chuck Berry singles discography, period photos, and comprehensive liner notes by Chuck Berry's discographer/biographer Fred Rothwell, author of Long Distance Information: Chuck Berry's Recorded Legacy, who also compiled the set with Universal's reissue producer Andy McKaie.
DISC 1: 01. Maybellene 02. Wee Wee Hours 03. Thirty Days (To Come Back Home) 04. Together (We Will Always Be) 05. You Can’t Catch Me 06. Rolli Polli (instrumental) 07. Down Bound Train 08. Berry Pickin’ (instrumental) 09. No Money Down 10. I’ve Changed 11. Drifting Heart 12. Brown Eyed Handsome Man 13. Roll Over Beethoven 14. Too Much Monkey Business 15. Maybellene (live) 16. Roll Over Beethoven (live) 17. Havana Moon 18. Rock And Roll Music (demo) 19. Untitled Instrumental 20. Deep Feeling (instrumental) 21. School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell) 22. Low Feeling (instrumental) 23. La Jaunda (Espanol) 24. Blue Feeling (instrumental) 25. How You’ve Changed 26. Oh Baby Doll
DISC 2: 01. Rock And Roll Music (alternate) 02. Rock And Roll Music 03. 13 Question Method (early version) 04. How High The Moon (instrumental) 05. Sweet Little Sixteen (demo) 06. Sweet Little Sixteen (take 3) 07. Sweet Little Sixteen (take 11) 08. Sweet Little Sixteen (original master) 09. Sweet Little Sixteen (sped up originally released version) 10. Rock At The Philharmonic (instrumental) 11. Guitar Boogie (instrumental) 12. Night Beat (take 3) (instrumental) 13. Night Beat (instrumental) 14. Time Was (slow version, take 4) 15. Time Was (slow version) 16. Reelin’ And Rockin’ (take 1) 17. Reelin’ And Rockin’ (takes 7/8 ) 18. Reelin’ And Rockin’ 19. Chuckwalk (instrumental) 20. Johnny B. Goode (alt. take 2/3) 21. Johnny B. Goode 22. Around And Around (overdub take 2) 23. Around And Around (overdub take 3) 24. Around And Around 25. Ingo (overdub take 3) (instrumental) 26. Ingo (instrumental)
DISC 3: 01. It Don’t Take But A Few Minutes 02. Blues For Hawaiians (instrumental) 03. Beautiful Delilah (alternate takes 15/16) 04. Beautiful Delilah (take 6) 05. 21 Blues 06. 21 07. 21 (take 14) 08. Vacation Time 09. Oh Yeah 10. Hey Pedro 11. Time Was (fast version) 12. House Of Blue Lights 13. Carol 14. Jo Jo Gunne 15. Memphis Tennessee 16. Anthony Boy 17. Sweet Little Rock ‘n’ Roller (alternate take 5) 18. Sweet Little Rock ‘n’ Roller (take 11A) 19. Long Fast Jam (instrumental) 20. Long Slow Jam (instrumental) 21. Merry Christmas Baby 22. Merry Christmas Baby (alternate) 23. Run Rudolph Run
DISC 4: 01. Little Queenie (take 8 ) 02. Little Queenie 03. That’s My Desire 04. Do You Love Me (alternate) 05. Do You Love Me 06. Almost Grown (take 14) 07. Almost Grown (take 28 ) 08. Almost Grown 09. Back In The U.S.A. 10. Blue On Blue (alternate a/k/a Upchuck) (instrumental) 11. Blue On Blue (instrumental) 12. Betty Jean (alternate take 14) 13. Betty Jean (alternate take 17) 14. Betty Jean 15. County Line 16. Childhood Sweetheart (alternate) 17. Childhood Sweetheart 18. One O’Clock Jump (instrumental) 19. I Just Want To Make Love To You (take 3) 20. I Just Want To Make Love To You 21. Broken Arrow (take 21) 22. Broken Arrow 23. Let It Rock (alternate mix) 24. Let It Rock 25. Too Pooped To Pop (take 4A) 26. Too Pooped To Pop 27. Ecuadors - Say You’ll Be Mine 28. Ecuadors - Let Me Sleep Woman
Artist: Chuck Berry Title: You Never Can Tell - His Complete Chess Recordings 1960-1966 Label: Hip-o Select Release Date: 2009 Format: MP3 @ 320 K
Unlike his fellow original rock & rollers like Elvis, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis from the Class of '56, Chuck Berry remained quite vibrant in the '60s and even recorded some of his best songs: "You Never Can Tell," "No Particular Place To Go", and "Nadine" in the decade of Beatlemania. Including all of these classics and more, YOU NEVER CAN TELL: THE COMPLETE CHESS RECORDINGS 1960-1966 thoroughly covers this era over four discs and 108 tracks, 18 of which were previously unreleased. Capturing many different sides of the rock-&-roll giant, including his blues phase, great instrumental versions of favorites like "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," and 45 minutes of a 1963 live show in Michigan, the box is a must-own for serious Berry devotees and an in-depth rendering of one of the greats in his last essential era.
DISC 1: 01. Drifting Blues 02. I Got To Find My Baby 03. I Got To Find My Baby (stereo) 04. Don't You Lie To Me 05. Worried Life Blues 06. Our Little Rendezvous 07. Bye Bye Johnny 08. Bye Bye Johnny (stereo) 09. Run Around 10. Run Around (stereo) 11. Jaguar And Thunderbird 12. Diploma For Two 13. Little Star 14. The Way It Was Before 15. Away From You 16. Down The Road Apiece 17. Down The Road Apiece (stereo) 18. Confessin' The Blues 19. Sweet Sixteen 20. Thirteen Question Method 21. Stop And Listen 22. I Still Got The Blues 23. I'm Just A Lucky So And So 24. Mad Lad 25. Surfin' Steel (Cryin' Steel) 26. Route 66 (take 10) 27. Route 66 (take 11) 28. I'm Talking About You 29. Rip It Up 30. Come On 31. Come On (stereo) 32. Adulteen 33. The Man And The Donkey
DISC 2: 01. Go Go Go (alt.) 02. Go Go Go 03. Trick Or Treat 04. Brown Eyed Handsome Man (instr.) 05. Brown Eyed Handsome Man 06. Brown Eyed Handsome Man (stereo) 07. All Aboard 08. Guitar Boogie (live) 09. Let It Rock (live) 10. Almost Grown (live) 11. Chuck Berry dialog (live) 12. Johhny B. Goode (live) 13. Introduction Instrumental (live) 14. Sweet Little Sixteen (live) 15. Wee Wee Hours (live) 16. Chuck Berry dialog (live) 17. Maybellene (live) 18. Goodnight Sweetheart/Johnny B.Goode/Let It Rock/School Day (live) 19. Nadine (Is It You) 20. You Never Can Tell 21. The Little Girl From Central 22. (The) Things I Used To Do 23. I'm In The Danger Zone
DISC 3: 01. Fraulein 02. Lonely All The Time (Crazy Arms) 03. O Rangutang 04. Big Ben (Blues) 05. Promised Land 06. Brenda Lee 07. No Particular Place To Go 08. You Two 09. Liverpool Drive 10. Chuck's Beat 11. Bo's Beat 12. Little Marie 13. Go Bobby Soxer 14. Lonely School Days 15. His Daughter Caroline 16. Dear Dad 17. Want To Be Your Driver 18. Spending Christmas 19. The Song Of My Love 20. Butterscotch 21. After It's Over 22. Why Should We End This Way
DISC 4: 01. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis 02. She Once Was Mine. 03. Jamaica Farewell 04. My Little Love Light 05. I Got A Booking 06. St. Louis Blues 07. Shake, Rattle & Roll (take 23) 08. Wee Wee Hours (instr.) 09. Honey Hush (take 3) 10. Run Joe 11. It's My Own Business 12. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) 13. Every Day We Rock And Roll 14. My Mustang Ford (instr.) 15. My Mustang Ford 16. My Mustang Ford (stereo) 17. Merrily We Rock And Roll 18. Vaya Con Dios 19. Wee Hour Blues 20. It Wasn't Me 21. It Wasn't Me (stereo) 22. Ain't That Just Like A Woman 23. Right Off Rampart Street 24. Welcome Back Pretty Baby 25. Sad Day, Long Night (instr.) 26. Ramona Say Yes 27. Ramona Say Yes (alt. mix) 28. Viva Viva Rock 'n' Roll 29. His Daughter Caroline (fast vers.) 30. Lonely School Days (fast vers.)
Artist: Chuck Berry Title: Have Mercy - His Complete Chess Recordings 1969-1974 Label: Hip-o Select Release Date: 2010 Format: MP3 @ 320 K
Fulfilling Phil Chess's prophecy, Chuck Berry returned to Chess Records in 1969 after a three year stay with Mercury Records. And it was like he never left, as his very first session produced a great two-sided single, "Tulane" b/w "Have Mercy Judge." The record didn't chart, but it was obvious that Chuck was truly "back home" (as his first album back on Chess was called) and already producing high quality "Chess" recordings once again. This third and last 4 CD set of Chuck Berry's Chess recordings collects every available master and alternate from "Tulane" till the label shuttered its doors to recording new music. The 71 tracks here include his only #1 ("My Ding-A-Ling (live)"), plus 22 previously unreleased recordings, ranging from cool in-studio jams/instrumentals ("Turn On The House Lights," "Rockin'") to 4 additional live recordings from the smoking concert that produced the live side of The London Chuck Berry Sessions; from an intimate, small group session in October of 1972 which produced two throwback "Chuck blues" tracks, "Blues #1" and "Annie Lou," to Chuck's renditions of "Jambalaya" and "Dust My Broom." There's also a live version of "South Of The Border" only previously released as a "B" side in the U.K. and the hot concert London Sessions per formance of "Roll `Em Pete," also originally only released in edited form as a "B" side with a different rhythm section dubbed in - this set has both the complete original and single versions. As with the two earlier volumes, Have Mercy includes liner notes by Berry biographer (and the set's co-compiler) Fred Rothwell, great period photos and graphics, as well as complete sessionby - session credits.
DISC 1: 01. Tulane 02. Have Mercy Judge 03. Untitled Instrumental 04. My Ding-A-Ling 05. Gun (instrumental - fast) 06. Gun (instrumental - slow) 07. Gun (instrumental) 08. That’s None Of Your Business 09. Instrumental 10. Christmas 11. I’m A Rocker 12. Flyin’ Home (instrumental) 13. Fish & Chips 14. Some People 15. My Pad (poem) 16. Oh Louisiana 17. Festival 18. Let’s Do Our Thing Together 19. Your Lick 20. Bound To Lose
DISC 2: 01. Bordeaux In My Pirough 02. San Francisco Dues 03. My Dream (poem) 04. Sweet Little Sixteen (live) 05. Roll ’Em Pete (live) 06. It Hurts Me Too (live) 07. Around And Around (live) 80. Promised Land (live) 09. Reelin’ And Rockin’ (live) 10. My Ding-A-Ling (live) 11. Johnny B. Goode (live) 12. Roll ‘Em Pete (live single edit) 13. My Ding-A-Ling (live single edit) 14. Let’s Boogie 15. Mean Old World
DISC 3: 01. I Love You 02. I Will Not Let You Go 03. London Berry Blues 04. South Of The Border (live) 05. Blues #1 06. Annie Lou 07. Rain Eyes 08. Me And My Country 08. Sue Answer 09. Got It And Gone 10. A Deuce 11. Talkin’ About My Buddy 12. Hello Little Girl, Goodbye 13. One Sixty Nine AM 14. Aimlessly Driftin’ 15. Woodpecker 16. Bio
DISC 4: 01. Roll Away 02. I’m Just A Name 03. Too Late 04. Turn On The Houselights 05. Heel Sneakers 06. Jambalaya 07. The Song Of My Love 08. South Of The Border 09. Swanee River 10. You Are My Sunshine 11. Johnny B. Blues 12. Dust My Broom 13. Don’t You Lie To Me 14. My Babe 15. Here Today 16. I Just Want To Make Love To You 17. Rockin’ 18. Shake, Rattle And Roll 19. Baby, What You Want Me To Do |