Customer Reviews

Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock N' Roll (Four-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This documentary-concert-behind-the-scenes look at Rock and Roll's original lyrical master is back. I have been waiting for its release to DVD for ten years and here it is with a four disc set! How good is that! I had the original movie when it was released in 1987 on VHS and have been playing it ever since.

There are many, many highlights and you will see them all over and over when you get this show. Some of them are:

1) Chuck talking about his meeting with Leonard Chess and his reluctance to play in front of him.

2) How Chuck shows up at a gig alone and always used local bands to back him up. Bruce Springsteen tells the delightful story of his band doing backup when he opened for Chuck and Jerry Lee Lewis early in his career. Chuck comes to the show late out of nowhere ignores the band goes out onstage and starts playing. The band was in a panic, "What song is it?" "What key?", "What arrangement?"...Chuck just comes over and says "Play for that money boys" and Bruce says he didn't know we were doing it for free!! The whole story about going to the bass player for the key was priceless! I know its true-I've seen him do it! 1-2-3 go--that's Chuck Berry!

3) How Chuck got paid in cash (had lots of IRS problems). Here in Australia I saw Chuck in 1975 and he was caught at Sydney Airport with $50000 AUD in an attache case. We still have currency restrictions due to this famous incident!!

4) His reluctance to talk publically about his time in jail (it ruined his career-he was going to be much bigger but that stopped him until the British rediscovered him in 1964!!).

5) His playing steel guitar at the end- a nice country touch, and rare, by himself in his Clubhouse at Berry Park.
You can hear more of this on the rare track "Deep Feeling" released on his "Blues" CD.

6) My highlight is his rehearsal with Keith Richards and the band doing "Carol" or "Oh, Carol" and Chuck correcting him even though the Stones had sold millions of this tune on their first LP. It is priceless I have watched that (and Keith's lovely 1960's Stratocaster) hundreds and hundreds of times and it's so fantastic! And a previous reviewer is right: the arrangements were different. Keith also plays the same solo he did in 1964!

7) Great footage of the late, great Johnnie Johnson. His piano playing made Chuck Berry's records (just imagine "Sweet Little Sixteen" without it!"). Check out his great solo in "Wee Wee Hours", he was a great Blues Pianist in the style of Roosevelt Sykes and in the Kansas City tradition of Jay "Hootie" McShann.

He added so much to Chuck's music and never got any credit, in fact, Chuck took over HIS band in the beginning. It's also telling that, unlike all other Rockers who play in guitar keys of E,A and D, because of Johnson's influence, all of Chuck's tunes are in Jazz and Piano keys like Bb, F, Eb and so on. I remember trying to play "Johnny B. Goode" on my first electric guitar about 1965-I couldn't understand why it wasn't in A!! (It's in Bb! And we had no books, DVD's or Tabs!! just records and sheet music). This is a further insight into why Jimi Hendrix tuned down his guitar a half step--lots of explanations have been given (helped singing, fuller sound for a power trio and so on!), but this gave him guitar key access to a jazzier sound! I am glad Johnnie got to play with Chuck again and get some of the recognition he deserved.

8) The Opening of the concert in St Louis for Chuck's 60th birthday (I'm 60 in 3 years yikes!!!). We see Chuck doing "Roll Over Beethoven" and going to Keith and saying "Let's change the key to Bb from C". Keith says "no" and what follows is classic. Chuck is the original "wing it" musician!

9) Highlights of the actual concert are Eric Clapton's version of "Wee Wee Hours". It's just about his best Blues playing on film, his phrasing is great and he uses both upper and lower registers. Compare this with his "Concert in Hyde Park" (5 Long Years) and the "Cream Reunion Concert" (Stormy Monday). This playing on a ES-350T Gibson (this guitar had been given to Chuck by Keith Richards, but he didn't want it, he liked his ES-355 as it was more "modern"-Eric still plays this guitar today, watch him do "Reptile" on the "One More Road" DVD)in the style of early Rock and Chuck Berry is fantastic!

10) Other great tunes are "Almost Grown", "Little Queenie" (best ever version of this classic!)and "Too Much Monkey Business" which have Keith Richard's best solos. "Memphis, Tennessee", a great version very delicate and Chuck's best solo on the night. Also really good is "No Particular Place To Go" Chuck's big come back hit when he was rediscovered and started to record again in the mid-sixties. The interplay between Chuck and Keith is very good on this tune with them exchanging leads. There is plenty of great music in this concert! Robert Cray's version of "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" is also very good!

The four disc set is definately the way to go unless you have only a casual interest in this topic. The extra three discs have hours and hours of very interesting items:

Disc 2 has the rehearsal and we wish there was a lot more than the 50 odd minutes. The "guitar jam" is really great, however, the actual best playing are the organ and piano solos.The whole segment on Etta James("I sang backup on 3 or 4 of Chuck's tunes at Chess with Minnie Riperton!!") is very interesting and is the best (albeit casual) performance I have ever heard from her. You hear Johnnie Johnson's piano the whole time on this section and he is great! On the blues "Mean Old World" (T-Bone Walker) we hear Eric Clapton and others, but disappointingly, no Keith Richards blues solo!

The whole mini-documentary on the making of the film is also fascinating. Chuck comes across as a money hungry tax cheat, but you still have a soft spot for him, especially after what he went through growing up and then being ripped off so much (but so was Dylan). Actually I believe he was probably a lot worse than the producers made him out!!!

The big insight in this "making of" film is that he did a gig in Ohio before the big 60th concert to make a few bucks, blew his voice out and had to do the concert we see twice (also charged the producers twice!) and then had to overdub the vocals in LA (which he also charged extra for--I always suspected that the concert was "Too Good" to be live Chuck Berry in 1987!!). Very interesting!

Disc 3 has three parts; The interview with Chuck, Bo Diddley and Little Richard is very good. It opens one's eye's to the racism and discrimination these artists had to go through in the early days. Bo's story of the Georgia State Police is shocking! Little Richard's description of R&B as "Real Black" music has them all in stitches! We also see Chuck playing boogie woogie piano with Little Richard, another insight!

The other two parts deal with Robbie Robertson from the Band going through an old scrapbook, which had been in a fire, and bascially interviewing him. He touches gently on Berry's prison experience (which he had done 3 different stints)and the final section "Chuckisms" is, as previous reviews have said-very interesting and moving with Robertson's gentle guitar backround.

Disc 4 has three-and-a-half hours of historical interviews with the founders of Rock and Roll, modern pop music and the recording industry. All fascinating and compelling viewing. The sound on all these discs is superb, the editing great and the colour is magnificent.

This film was made by Taylor Hackford, who introduces each section of each disc in an interesting way that makes you want to view it, is a great documentary filmmaker. He goes back to the 1960s and many documentary specials on US TV. His latest film "Ray" of course got him the recognition he deserves. Get this DVD and get the 4 discs pay the little extra money and get hours more enjoyment from a film about an American institution. This is probably the music release of 2006!

This is a wonderful restoration of the great 1987 film that celebrated Chuck Berry's 60th birthday, as well as his past and his massive, yet-underappreciated influence on rock and pop music. There is still some grain to be seen, but it's the age of the film. The colors, like on George Harrison's "Concert for Bangladesh" DVD reissue, are amazing. They jump out at you, and the sound is great.
And for those of you who don't know Berry's immense gift for words, check out the extra on disc 3 (or 4?) where he and former Band guitarist Robbie Robertson thumb through Berry's scapbook. The scene where Robertson is softly strumming an acoustic guitar while Berry miraculously recites his own poetry - and this is POETRY that none of us have heard, and they're mini-stories that are even better than his great song lyrics from the 1950s and 1960s - is mezmerizing beyond belief. If there was an award for Best Actor for A Musician in a DVD Deleted Scene Categroy at the Academy Awards, Berry would win without a doubt. It's simply arresting, so much as the usually talkative Robertson is speechless while the usually tough, evasive Berry pours out his soul in front of the camera.
Five stars for a terrific concert film/birthday celebration packed to the gills with hours of extras! Hail! Hail! Chuck Berry!

Oh, and the scene where Berry tries to get Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, the film and concert's band director, to switch keys from C down to B-flat in the beginning of a song (Richards boldly frowns and tells his hero, "No!") near the beginning of the concert finale is awesome. I guess it's payback since Berry was the only man who ever punched Keith Richards and got away with it.

peace!

This is a lovely account of Chuck Berry as told by himself and many other famous musicians (Keith Richards, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen etc. etc.) as they prepare for a concert with a Keith Richards-organized band. What I think is unusual about it and what makes it one of the best "rock films" is that it clearly also presents Chuck as the often-difficult character he clearly is instead of being a hagiography. In fact, knowing this and seeing his humanity, makes the music all the more powerful. Keith Richards (as so often) is priceless, his musical contribution is superb. Chuck "correcting" Keith on his intro to "O Carol" is wonderful. Can you hear the difference between his and Chuck's rendition? The final concert is superb with all the guest stars appearing and keeping a lowish profile. The stars are Berry and, even though he tries very hard not to overshadow the man, Richards who shows us (once again) that there is no one who plays Chuck Berry better than Keith.

I recommend it to any one who likes rock music. Berry is a giant and here he is with other giants.

Of course now it needs to be on DVD....

Sure you could buy the soundtrack, but in the movie there's more, besides the amazing visual element. A lot of the fun of the movie is in the rehearsal and interview parts. A great moment comes in a rehearsal where the band is playing the standard "I'm through with Love," which doesn't appear on the soundtrack. Keith Richards offers the most soulful guitar perhaps of his career on the track, after which Berry looks at him and says "you sure play some pretty chords for a rock and roller." Keith appears genuinely humbled by the praise from Berry, whom he reveres. Berry continues with the ultimate compliment: "You shoulda been a jazz musician Jack." Richards, still sheepish but more composed, replies with a sharp smile: "There's no money in it Chuck, there's no money in it." In addition to the beautiful chords, this scene vividly demonstrates the artists' mutual respect and common vernacular, and signifies in a small way the true passing of a musical tradition across years, races, and continents.

If you are a musician operating anywhere within blues, rock, country, or any combination thereof, then you will LOVE this. As Bill Graham introduced him once, "The big big daddy of them all, Mister Chuck Berry!" He's bitter, and justifiably so. Sometimes he just seems MEAN. But every move and sound he makes are a textbook lesson in rock and roll, warts and all. My only "complaint" about the whole thing is that Dave Edmunds didn't somehow magically get involved. But it's KEITH EFFIN' RICHARDS! I'm preachin' to the choir here, probably, but the unavailability of this prizefight, er, uh, FILM, on DVD with lots of extras, seems a real shame. Then again, who knows who owns the rights?! Get it by any means necessary! A must-see!

I saw this movie on television while channel surfing about 8 years ago, and loved it. Years of waiting for it to be brought out on DVD have been worth it, because this is one time that the extras may actually be better than the film.

The film is very well mastered in both the audio and visual departments. I watched it in DTS 5.1, and it was keeping all of my speakers busy. For the purists, the film can also be heard in the original stereo rendering. The film has been out there and is well known, so there is not much to say other than that you can't see a better version of it on your T.V. than this DVD. This is a warts and all review of Chuck Berry, and while he can come off a brash and egotistical there is true hero worship from those that used him as the mould for their own music.

The extras... Wow, I can't believe that some of this stuff has sat unseen for a couple of decades! The rehearsal footage is spectacular and if you consider yourself a student / aficionado of the blues, you must own the second disc in this two-disc set. The director introduces each sequence with a short narrative about how it came about, and unlike some director commentaries, this is actually interesting. For example, world-class piano player and former Berry partner Jonnie Johnson was found driving busses and recruited into the sessions for the movie. Then the music plays. Chuck Berry playing off of Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Jonnie Johnson in a loose informal setting is worth the price of the whole set.

This is a must-have DVD for fans of the blues and rock and roll. After viewing the extras, I now wonder if I should have went for the 4-disc set. Something tells me I just might be doing just that.

Amended on July 6th...

O.K., I screwed up. To save a couple of bucks, and sure that 4 discs are too many for this subject; I bought and reviewed (above) the 2-disc set. After viewing it, I was so impressed that I bought the 4-disc set from Amazon as soon as I had posted that review. After viewing discs 3 and 4, I can say that potential buyers of this product should go ahead and buy the 4-disc set. It is a false economy to save a couple of bucks while depriving yourself of the extras that you would have missed on the third and forth discs.

A quick recap....the 2 disc version has the same 2 discs as this version
disc 1) the MOVIE/Documentary...which is fabulous and looks/sounds great in widescreen!
disc 2) rehearsal footage....very cool and some multi-angle stuff! (terrific, worth repeated viewings) bonus interviews regarding the terribly difficult production and with some greats from Rocks early beginnings (some of this is...better for industry folks than average fans/viewers)
....
now THIS edition has
disc 3) Chuckisms...a fun featurette on Chuck Berry's sayings as well as other insights into his personality (his love of cars and his love of his father and his early years and even reciting poetry! )
a GREAT..I mean GREAT feature with Chuck Berry and Robbie Robertson talking about Chucks history while leafing through a book of old photos and articles in chucks house...(ESSENTIAL!)
a section of interviews of chuck and Little richard and bo diddley talking about the roots of rock...(again essential)
disc 4) This disc has 3 and a half hours of interviews with The Everly Brothers, Willie Dixon, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and others talking not only about Chuck but THEIR beginnings...(again..Essential)..

so , the 3rd and 4th discs are fabulous companions to the first one and my feeling is they are better than disc 2....the director Taylor Hackford is the DVD tour guide as allmost all of this footage is extra film that obviously couldn't fit into a 2hour movie but he recognized is worthy of being saved/watched!
Spend the extra $10 and get the 4 disc set....
if you are a fan of real rock n roll....its a great treasure trove...and if you aren't? why are you reading a Chuck Berry review anyway?

I hope this helps...the two disc version is good...but the 4 disc...well....Hail Hail the producers who put all these goodies out for us to have!

Back in the glory days of the British Invasion, Chuck Berry and Little Richard and Carl Perkins, et. al (all '50s originators struggling to get airplay at the time) were celebrated by the overseas groups brought up on their records. Chuck's biggest supporters were the Stones whose lead guitarist constantly paid homage in a classy way. The group recorded lesser-known numbers, too. Although they recorded Berry tunes mostly in the '63 to '66 period, many of Keith's later licks also had the CB tag.
By the time of Chuck's 60th birthday he was still not forgotton by Keith, who got together this impressive documentary around the event. He assembled a first-class hard rockin' back-up group and they went to St. Louis for a real concert - not another Rock and Rock Revival event with pickup bands who play "Memphis" in a straight blues progression.
Among the many superstars on hand, are ex-labelmate Bo Diddley, and Little Richard, who have a great scene chatting it up about the old days. They do not perform together, however - please don't tell me that they did "Roll Over, Beethoven" at the piano and it wound up on the cutting room floor!
The rehearsal and the live show are some of the most exciting moments in R & R history.
At one point, early in the concert, Chuck's whispers to Keith about changing the key, mid-song. (Earlier, during rehearsals, Richards gave in to the perennial rockin' rebel when he refused to lower his guitar volume to accomodate the filming). Keith's response is priceless: his expression seems to suggest "I'll defer to my man to a point and this ain't it".

Leslie Gourse, jazz writer and critic, in her excellent 1984 book, "Louis' Children", wrote of Louis Armstrong's influence on the jazz and popular singers who came after him, from Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee, from Billie Holiday to Frank Sinatra and Mel Torme, from Cab Calloway to Al Jarreau. They called him "Pops."

Gosphel and blues singers begat Louis Armstrong, who became the first jazz singer to sing the way he played his horn. But his influence extended beyond that to R&B and R&R as well, whether their practitioners and fans realize it or not. The blues descended in direct lineage through jazz to R&B and R&R. Chuck Berry's influence on rock music was comparable to Armstrong's on jazz and pop music.

The first time I heard Chuck Berry was in 1955, when my uncle, a WWII vet, brought a copy of Chuck's recording of "Maybellene" on a 45 rpm disc to our house to play on my new Hi-Fi player. I liked it, but I didn't become a fan until many years later. At the time, I was more interested in jazz and classical music.

I have seen "Hail, Hail Rock & Roll" on TV several times and loved it. Jerry Lee Lewis was right. Chuck Berry, not Elvis, is the King of R&R. Elvis, as a musician, was just not in the same class as Chuck. Chuck wrote wonderful songs, which, as John Lennon says on the DVD, "have incredible meter to the lyrics."

He was, by far, the best performer of his own music, which can't be said for most song writers. No one else can deliver his songs so convincingly. Julian Lennon's awful performance of "Johnny B. Goode" is a case in point, and is also the biggest disappointment on the DVD.

Berry's stage personna, his facial expressions, and the famous Berry "duck walk" were so much a part of his image, that hearing him on a recording just doesn't give you the real Chuck Berry. He is best appreciated on video or in person, where you get the whole wonderful package.

One of my favorite places on the DVD is where Chuck sings the beautiful blues ballad, "A Cottage for Sale." It is a great song, and Chuck sings it beautifully. He was a man of many talents. A man of great musical ability, and an artist in the true sense of that much mis-applied and overused word. The word, as applied today, means anyone who makes a recording.

On October 18, 2006, Chuck Berry will be 80 years old. Its hard to think of him as an old man, but I was present at the creation, so to speak, with "Maybellene." Chuck Berry is an original, and a unique artist.

Thanks for a wonderful life, Chuck.

I had the pleasure of attending this birthday celebration concert in person and it was a night to remember. Living in St. Louis, Chuck Berry is still seen around town in the local Walmart, at parks, shopping centers and even fast food joints on a regular basis.

This film biogragphical story of Chuck Berry is a masterpiece even though up to now, it was only available on VHS. Well, good news was announced this week!

On Thursday, January 26th, 2006 - According to The Hollywood Reporter, Image Entertainment has secured DVD rights to seminal music film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll, from Oscar-winning director Taylor Hackford and is preparing two-disc and four-disc editions with never-before-seen footage, documentaries, interviews and other bonus materials. The 1987 film, which captures the concert commemorating the 60th birthday of Chuck Berry, features such music superstars as Eric Clapton, Etta James, Robert Cray, Linda Ronstadt and the Everly Brothers. The film also incorporates interviews with the late Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bruce Springsteen, Little Richard and Bo Diddley. Also featured is footage of a performance by Berry and his backup band of the 1950s at the long-gone Cosmopolitan Club in East St. Louis, Ill.

The musical celebration, held in 1986 at the ornate Fox Theater in St. Louis, was put together by the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards. Image will release the two NEW DVD editions of the film June 27, 2006.

Highly recommended for any fan of Chuck Berry and the era when Rock-n-Roll began. HAIL HAIL ROCK-N-ROLL!