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Johnny B. Goode: His Complete '50s Chess Recordings

Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode: His Complete '50s Chess Recordings Audio CD

A fair review of the Chuck Berry "Johnny B. Goode: His Complete '50s Chess Recordings" 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: Johnny B. Goode: His Complete '50s Chess Recordings
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-02-19
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Maybellene 2: Wee Wee Hours 3: Thirty Days (To Come Back Home) 4: Together (We Will Always Be) 5: You Can't Catch Me 6: Rolli Polli [Instrumental] 7: Down Bound Train 8: Berry Pickin' [Instrumental] 9: 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 Version] 19: Deep Feeling [Instrumental] 20: School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell) 21: Low Feeling [Instrumental] 22: Jaunda [Espa�ol] 23: Blue Feeling [Instrumental] 24: How You've Changed 25: Oh Baby Doll 26: Rock and Roll [Alternate Take] 27: Rock and Roll Music 28: 13 Question Method [Early Version] 29: How High the Moon [Instrumental] 30: Sweet Little Sixteen [Demo Version] 31: Sweet Little Sixteen [Take 3] 32: Sweet Little Sixteen [Take 11] 33: Sweet Little Sixteen [Original Master] 34: Sweet Little Sixteen [Sped Up Originally Released Version] 35: Rock at the Philharmonic [Instrumental] 36: Guitar Boogie [Instrumental] 37: Night Beat [Take 3][Instrumental] 38: Night Beat [Instrumental] 39: Time Was [Slow Version, Take 4] 40: Time Was [Slow Version] 41: Reelin' and Rockin' [Tale 1] 42: Reelin' and Rockin' [Takes 7 & 8] 43: Reelin' and Rockin' 44: Chuckwalk [Instrumental] 45: Johnny B. Goode [Alt. Takes 2 & 3] 46: Johnny B. Goode 47: Around and Around [Overdub Take 2] 48: Around and Around [Overdub Take 3] 49: Around and Around 50: Ingo [Overdub Take 3] 51: Ingo [Instrumental] 52: It Don't Take But a Few Minutes 53: Blues for Hawaiians [Instrumental] 54: Beautiful Delilah [Alternate Takes 15 & 16] 55: Beautiful Delilah [Take 6] 56: 21 Blues 57: 21 58: 21 [Take 14] 59: Vacation Time 60: Oh Yeah 61: Hey Pedro 62: Time Was [Fast Version] 63: House of Blue Lights 64: Carol 65: Jo Jo Gunne 66: Memphis Tennessee 67: Anthony Boy 68: Sweet Little Rock 'N' Roller [Alternate Take 5] 69: Sweet Little Rock 'N' Roller [Take 11A] 70: Long Fast Jam [Instrumental] 71: Long Slow Jam [Instrumental] 72: Merry Christmas Baby 73: Merry Christmas Baby [Alternate Take] 74: Run Rudolph Run 75: Little Queenie [Take 8] 76: Little Queenie 77: That's My Desire 78: Do You Love Me [Alternate Take] 79: Do You Love Me 80: Almost Grown [Take 14] 81: Almost Grown [Take 28] 82: Almost Grown 83: Back in the U.S.A. 84: Blue on Blue (Upchuck) [Alternate Instrumental][Alternate Take] 85: Blue on Blue [Instrumental] 86: Betty Jean [Alternate Take 14] 87: Betty Jean [Alternate Take 17] 88: Betty Jean 89: County Line 90: Childhood Sweetheart [Alternate Take] 91: Childhood Sweetheart 92: One O'Clock Jump [Instrumental] 93: I Just Want to Make Love to You [Take 3] 94: I Just Want to Make Love to You 95: Broken Arrow [Take 21] 96: Broken Arrow 97: Let It Rock [Alternate Mix] 98: Let It Rock 99: Too Pooped to Pop [Take 4A] 100: Too Pooped to Pop 101: Say You'll Be Mine - Chuck Berry, Ecuadors 102: Let Me Sleep Woman - Chuck Berry, Ecuadors

A Must for all Chuck Berry Fans.
A box set containing all of Berrys Chess recordings from 1955 to the late 1970s should have been released years ago. I recently purchased this new 4-CD box set of Chuck Berrys complete Chess recordings made during the period from 1955 to 1959. Chuck Berry was the most influential artist in the history of Rock and Roll before the Beatles came along. He composed over 90 percent of everything he recorded and is one of the greatest guitar players in the history of Popular Music. Geffen Records has used every avalible track recorded by Berry at Chess up to 1959 which includes several alternate and unreleased takes. The songs are spread over 4-CDs in the exact order they were recoreded. Some lesser fans of Chuck may find it a little ponderous having to listen to several versions of the same song. However, if you are a true Chuck Berry fan like I've been for the last 35-years, you won't mind. In fact,the 5-versions of Sweet Little Sixteen and 3-versions of Reelin And Rockin are one of the high points in this box set. You can really hear these songs developing in the studio, along with some occasional comments spoken by Chuck, his band and his producers,Phil and Leonard Chess. A total of 103 songs make up this set which also includes a small 23-page pull-out booklet containing some biograpical information about Berry plus his recording disography. There are only 2-negatives that I would point out about this set. The first is the packaging. The 4-CDs come in a fold-up type box which is open on both sides. They should have placed each disc in its own individual case that way you would not have to worry about how to transport it to your car or elsewhere outside of your home. This fold-up type box is held together by a thin red thred like string. Very tacky. Why could'nt these people get it right. The second negative point which is a minor thing, is the selection of photos used in this set. There have been hundreds of great photos takin of Chuck Berry through the years. Why have the same photo of a person with just a slightly different pose placed on each of the inner flaps when they could have used several different ones. The bottom line here is that the sound quality on all of the music is excellent and you've got everything Chuck Berry recorded during the 1950s. A second box set containing everything else Chuck recorded for Chess from 1960 into the 1970s should be put together as soon as possible. Berry recorded some fantastic songs during the 1960s and early 70s. Geffen records should have put out one complete box-set on all of Berrys music in the first place. Why split it up into 2-sets. In closing, if your a fan of Chuck Berry, then this box-set is a MUST BUY. And lets hope a volume-2 will be released soon. .

The Best!
The sound quality far surpasses anything in any format presently available. This is, by far, the best compilation of Chuck Berry material ever made available to the public. And, if it's not on Chess, it's not the REAL Berry. Enough said.

Complete 50's Chuck - Rocks!
The sound is is fantastic and to have a complete set of Chuck's 50's sides all in one place is just great!
You will hear the early sides like "Maybelline" right through 1959's "Too Pooped To Pop". Universal Music / Hip-O Select has put together this fine release and deserve high kudos for a job well done. In between you hear a little studio chatter and a bunch of fun alternate versions and a few songs that were never released. Booklet is very imformative and gives dates, personnel and dates of the releases. I highly recommend this set and sincerely hope there are subsequent volumes to cover the 60's.

A couple of small complaints: I really enjoy the alternate versions, but multiple versions (5 in row for example of "Sweet Little Sixteen") can be a little tiring and I think it may have been nice to either space them out or have the alternate versions on their own disc. The packaging is a bit annoying, I would have preferred separate cases, but these are small issues! .

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.