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Live at the Fillmore Auditorium

Chuck Berry - Live at the Fillmore Auditorium Audio CD

A fair review of the Chuck Berry "Live at the Fillmore Auditorium" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Chuck Berry reviews here, or go back to the Chuck Berry tabs.

Band: Chuck Berry
Title: Live at the Fillmore Auditorium
Rating:

Release Date: 1995-04-16
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Medley: Rockin' at the Filmore/Everyday I Have the Blues 2: C.C. Rider 3: Driftin' Blues 4: Feelin' It [#] 5: Flying Home 6: (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man 7: It Hurts Me Too [#] 8: Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 9: Fillmore Blues 10: Reelin' and Rockin' 11: My Ding-A-Ling 12: Johnny B. Goode

Chuck gets back to his roots
Most people think of Chuck Berry as the originator of rock and roll, which he is, but this live set shows that he is also a phenomenal blues man. This live performance is a gem. I appreciate Chuck Berry's pop songs for their tremendous impact on the history of rock and roll, and their impact on society at large, but this album digs deep into the roots of rock and roll, the blues. Chuck's influences are the great blues musicians who paved the way for him and other musicians like him. This performance is a tacit tribute to his mentors. The set is full of classic blues songs and improvised blues jams, all the while back lit by Steve Miller on the harp. Overall, this is a special performance that I am glad to own.

Chuck Berry - 'Live At The Fillmore Auditorium' (Mercury)
Didn't realize it was from a 1967 concert, ALSO didn't know that Steve Miller (Joker, Fly Like An Eagle) was with Berry at the time. Haven't heard this CD in ages, so I obviously had to go dig it up. However, this disc won't likely get too many Steve Miller fans all stoked. After all, it IS a Chuck Berry title, pretty much aimed toward the collectors, die-hards and live lp fans (like myself). Tunes I like best were the Chuck Willis gem "C. C. Rider", Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man" and some of Berry's own gold like "It Hurts Me Too", "Wee Baby Blues" and Mr. Berry's ultimate show-stopper "Johnny B. Goode". Line-up: Chuck Berry-guitar & vocals, Steve Miller-guitar, harmonica & vocals, Lonnie Turner-bass, Jim Peterman-organ & piano and Tim Davis-drums. Worth checking out.

Chuck with Steve Miller
Both had excitement. Just before the Rock And Roll Revival kicked off officially in 1968, two Originators issued live albums in CA, first, Little Richard, a set at the Club Okeh; a bit later Chuck Berry got together with promotor Bill Graham and the Steve Miller Blues Band for this set. . . and some anomalous emanations, due to either being over-rehearsed or under-rehearsed. Who knows?
Richard stuck to Rock and Roll; Chuck went with the Blues.
On this Rebound reissue we are treated to *three* previously unreleased [or originally unreleased] tracks, "Good Morning Little SchoolGirl" [a tune that must have meant something to the man, as he unofficially remade it as "Our Little Rendezvous" abd "I Want To Be Your Driver" for Chess Records]; "Reelin' And Rockin'", an early reworking of his "lost" '50s hit, recovered by a coupla guys named Mick and Keith in the '60s, a solid effort by the Father Of R & R and his adopted sons, SMB, on this opus; and, of course, the infamous "My Ding-A-Ling", another early version of his 1972 million-seller. The hit single was altogether better, but this beat has more bounce. The audience doesn't seem to react nearly as much as the later English assemblage, but the Summer Of Lover(s), grooving offa "Revolver" and other more intellectual pressings, perhaps were searching for deeper meanings.
Somewhere along the way, some great sounds are produced, as Berry the great *guitarist* is going to transcend any categorical trappings: note the superb, worldweary, slow take of "C. C. Rider" - this is perhaps the closest thing to Chuck Berry "Soul" music as you're gonna get. He expells some V-8 Ford ash-tray dust from his 41 year old lungs and testifies, whether or not the hippies understand. The rhythm guitar plays a repeated riff, which veers towards novelty, though the hypnotic effect is riveting at times. I'll add Mitch Ryder's rendition to my proverbial "desert island collection" but this one shouldn't be passed off as unnecessary or incongruous to his catalogue.
Jim Peterman's Organ is audible only on "Fillmore Blues" and "Reelin' And Rockin'", which is a shame because it really adds drive. For that matter, his electric piano is also in the distance, on other tracks. Both instruments are not really in the Berry chemistry, but it still seems incredulous that sucha well-working element does get more presence in the mix.
Another issue is in the programming. Yes, it's Rock and Roll meets The Blues, but the feeling is the band should have had to drift over to Berry's side, more than the converse.
Track Number Twelve, listed as "Johnny B. Goode", is really a medley: "Goodnight, Well It's Time To Go" (aka "Bonsoir Cherie"/"Johnny B. Goode"). It's the most exciting track on the set. . . and is over just a little too soon.
Speaking of "previously unreleased" and "rare" and what have you, it seems that "Wee Baby Blues" took a sudden detour prior to making the team here. Sleuths, get on your gear.
.

Good Stuff, but for Hardcore Berry Fans
This is an early 1970s live recording done during that unusual period when so many 50s rockers got a second wind and could command a large audience again. Everybody who knows and loves rock and roll knows and loves the one and only Chuck Berry. Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chuck Berry were among the rockers capable of reinventing themselves onstage and attracting an excited live audience.

Playing to the west coast hippies, Chuck chose to play blues rather than rock guitar throughout most of this set. I love Chuck as much as anyone, and he's a surprisingly smooth crooner on slow blues tunes. But as a bluesman, he's no Buddy Guy or B. B. King. If you're expecting a collection of superior blues performances or a series of classic blues tunes rocked-up in suitable rockabilly style you will be disappointed.

On the other hand, I am one of the few here who enjoyed Chuck's versions of "My Ding-a-Ling" and "Reelin and Rockin'" but then again I've seen Chuck live and I've always got a kick out of those songs. Throughout, the Steve Miller Band gives Chuck Berry an excellent support and keep this disc on a consistently professional level.

So, if you love Chuck Berry, you'll buy this CD like I did. If you're not a diehard Berry fan, however, you'd better stick with his Greatest Hits.

NOT ONLY THE KING OF ROCK 'N' ROLL, BUT A BLUES MASTER TOO!
Sadly, this CD went largely unnoticed. A great live release by Chuck Berry. If you are looking for HAIL, HAIL ROCK 'N'ROLL it is not here (just a little bit). This is Chuck at his greasy blues best! Not only is he in killer blues form here, he proves he can ice the blues cake with the best of them. Just check out "Everyday I Have The Blues" & Driftin' Blues". You'll be in BERRY orbit! Steve Miller guests on "It Hurts Me Too". A must for any Berry fan! A+.

You can see a complete list of all Chuck Berry discography, or go back to the Chuck Berry tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.