Customer Reviews

His Best 1 (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection)

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If you buy this disc in tandem with "Greatest Hits II" then you will have almost all of Chuck Berry's greatest hists. The sound quality is very good, there are no live versions (which mar other Berry "greatest hits" packages), and there is nothing but great music here.

It's a shame that Chuck Berry is not universally recognized as one of the greatest rock lyricists and most innovative figures. This CD will convince even skeptics of his brilliance. Without Chuck Berry, there would be no Beatles, Rolling Stones or Kinks, or at least in the forms they eventually took.

This CD contains all of Berry's original early recordings, pristine and beautifully remastered. Who can deny that his way with words was umatched: "He never, ever learned to read or write so well, but he could play a guitar just like a-ringing a bell..." It's a tragedy that most people have grown up listening to inferior musicians do paltry cover versions of the songs Berry wrote and performed better than anyone else.

This set is an absolutely essential component of any collection, of any genre. Chuck Berry was a pioneer with words and music and his influence is sorely underestimated today. Had Chuck Berry been born white, he would be regarded as a rock God instead of being neglected and virtually forgotten in many circles. These 28 magnificent songs just about cover his catalogue of hits. This is a great sampling, but incomplete, so if you want to experience Berry's real genius, branch off into his lesser known songs. But for the money, this one rocks!

This album is great not just from a historical standpoint. It doesn't sound dated and it's good to rock out or boogie down to anytime. Even though the lyrics seem trivial they sound so right for the music and make you think that nobody could have said it better. No More Monkey Business is my favorite, since he ends lots of his lyrical lines with this really cool gutteral "ha!" Really fun and brilliant.

CHuck Berry with His Signature Style of Guitar Playing&Duck Walk is One Of The FOunding Ground-Breaking Musicians of Rock-N-Roll.His Music Here Represents His GreatNess&Importance to the World of Music.Maybellene,Johnny B.Goode,Roll Over Beethoven etc.. are timeless Classics.

Nothing against Elvis, but if you really want to know where rock'n'roll began, this is the place. No other rock guitarist has been as influential. The man has never gotten the credit he deserves.

Chuck Berry is, without a doubt, one of the greatest musicians in the history of popular music; everything from his songwriting (which was an image-heavy, gleefully poetic celebration of growing up and being alive, full of subtle humor and snickering innuendo) to his musicianship (full of exciting rhythms, death-defying chord progressions, and guitar solos that have earned a rightful place in our collective unconscious) defines and exemplifies rock 'n' roll. His music is full of heart and soul and blues and country and even jazz, and it all simmers so irresistibly. Anyone who claims to like rock owes it to themselves to get as much Chuck in their collection as they can.

This disc features 20 golden tracks from the first segment of his career- you get such deathless classics as "Johnny B. Goode" and "You Can't Catch Me," as well as less well known gems like "Havana Moon" and "Anthony Boy." Now, this isn't the best Chuck comp out there- for a bit more cash you can get the almost definitive Chess Box or the epochal Great 28 collection, but it's certainly a start. Just don't sop exploring this great man's music after you've digested this stuff. Happy listening!

This CD contains every popular Chuck Berry side released from 1955 to mid-1958. This is great early rock and roll. The liner notes contain some useful bibliographic information but omit any discography unfortunately.

I own one Chuck Berry album and this is it. It is simply a great collection of the early rock that I grew up with. I like classical and jazz but Chuck Berry is in a class of his own.

What Memories. I've purchased Chuck Berry CD's in the past and was disappointed. Not this time. Excellent selection of hits and high quality sound. Add volume 2 and you've got all you'll ever need.

This is it, this is where rock n roll began. This is classic stuff and great fun. If you don't like this disc, then you don't like rock n roll. Any artist since has been influenced by what Berry did on this disc.

Great album, rock and roll history being made but he didn't do it by himself. Do yourself a favor and give a listen to the man that hired Chuck and gave him the music for those lyrics. Johnnie Johnson was the piano player and the person that Chuck Berry was talking about when he wrote Johnny B. Goode. Educate yourself and enjoy the real father of Rock and Roll.