Chess Rhythm & Roll

Various Artists - Rock - Vintage Rock & Roll | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 6, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002OCC
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,503 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #32 in Music > Pop > Oldies > Beach Pop

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Chicago Boogie [#]

2. Boogie Woogie Blues [#]

3. Hey Jack [#]

4. Little Boy, Little Boy [#]

5. Rocket 88

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. See You Later, Alligator

2. The $64,000 Question [#]

3. I'll Be Home

4. Heavyweight Baby [#]

5. Too Much Monkey Business

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Look Out Mabel

2. The Book of Love

3. Mr. Big Wheel [#]

4. Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees)

5. Johnny B. Goode

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. At Last

2. I Need Your Love [#]

3. My Heart Cries [#]

4. Let Me In

5. Saving My Love for You [#]

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "...They Call Me Mr. Big Wheel...Because I Love To Roll...", August 29, 2009

By 

Mark Barry, Reckless Records, London (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Chess Rhythm & Roll (Audio CD)

Following on from MCA's 4CD "Chess Blues" box set in 1992, this 1994 US-only complimentary set seems to have slipped through the net - because for my money, it's one of the best box sets of its type - and somehow criminally ignored. Here's a basic breakdown...

DISC 1, 1947-1955, 25 Tracks, 68:52 minutes
DISC 2, 1955-1957, 25 Tracks, 61:47 minutes
DISC 3, 1957-1959, 25 Tracks, 65:45 minutes
DISC 4, 1960-1967, 24 Tracks, 64:58 minutes

Of the 99 tracks, 14 are previously unreleased - and even in 2009 with wads of Chess stuff in my possession, a good 'half' of the rest are rarities exclusive to this set. Hard to find songs by artists like PAUL GAYTEN, TV SLIM, JIMMY NELSON (lyrics above) and JUMPIN' GENE SIMMONS are all on here. The quality of the unreleased tracks too is shockingly good and of course there's early artistic genius everywhere you look - MINNIE RIPERTON with THE GEMS, EDDIE FLOYD with THE FALCONS, CHARLES STEPNEY with THE DELLS on their truly delicious "O-O, I Love You" (not on their "Standing Ovation" 2CD set - see separate review).

Long time ace engineer ERICK LABSON (has over 800 mastering credits to his name) remastered the first generation tapes and the sound is WONDERFUL throughout - especially on the more soulful stuff on Discs 3 and 4 (BILL INGLOT of Rhino fame helped out on a few tracks). It's all good frankly - a joy to listen to throughout.

But the real peach for me is the superlative 64-page box-length booklet by PETER GRENDYSA (does a lot of Bear Family's stuff - see my review for Louis Jordan's 9CD box set "Let The Good Times Roll"), which gives detailed annotation on every single track - and not just a couple of lines, but whole paragraphs to each entry (discography details too). The text is peppered with classy period photos (forgotten Doo Wop group THE DOZIERS are in there), trade adverts and an interview with Phil Chess. It's a well of great info and a proper informative read. Good names like ANDY McKAIE and COLIN ESCOTT were involved in the interviews and research, so you know it's a class act.

"Chess Rhythm & Roll" has been deleted years now, so it's acquired a bit of a price tag, but if you get a chance to buy one - don't hesitate.

PS: see also reviews for - "Chess Blues", 4CD Box set from 1993, and "The Chess Story 1947-1975", 15CD Box Set from 2000

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ****1/2. Why the hell don't Amazon stock this?!, June 21, 2005

By 

Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chess Rhythm & Roll (Audio CD)

This is one impresssive box set, four discs and an excellent 64-page booklet.
"Chess Rhythm & Roll" brings together excactly 99 Chess singles recorded between 1947 and 1967, and while Chess records is better known as the home of men like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, the Chess brothers also had many of the earliest (and best) rock n' rollers in their stable. This is rock n' roll, R&B, and a bit of soul, pop, blues and doo-wop as well, and this lavish collection far exceeds your average "oldies" package.

The sound is every bit as good as you can expect from material dating back to the 40s and 50s. Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley are here, of course, two of the label's biggest stars, but it's the attention given to lesser-known artists and "one hit wonders" which makes "Chess Rhythm & Roll" so remarkable.
We all know "See You Later Alligator", "At Last", "Johnny B. Goode" and "Suzie Q", but how about "Goin' To The River" by Bill & Will, "Country Girl" by the Four Tops, Paul Gayten's driving instrumental "Nervous Boogie", or Clarence 'Frogman' Henry's swinging "Lady With The Hat Box"?
Some of these tunes are probably more familiar to all you Americans than to a thirty-something European like me...but there are numerous songs here (39 in all) which are not just rarities, they have never been available in LP format before, and in many cases have not seen release at all until this collection came out in '94.

Not everything is top-notch, obviously, but very few of these 99 songs are anything less than good. "Chess Rhythm & Roll" is a find for anyone with an interest in "proto-rock n' roll", an exceptionally handsome and well-made box set, and a terrific companion volume to Chess' other big box set, "Chess Blues".
Pick up "Chess Rhythm & Roll", and you'll be surprised at the overall quality of the material assembled here.