Customer Reviews

Great 28

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For someone on a budget who is interested in the music of this legendary artist, look no further than this single disc album. The sound and track selection here are excellent. Anyone interested in early Rock 'N Roll needs to have at least one Chuck Berry album in their collection and you can't go wrong here. For those of you have a few extra dollars around, I strongly suggest 2 disc set, "Anthology 2"; or upgrade even further to the 3 disc "The Chess Box" set. "The Box Set" can easily be considered one of the foundations of rock n roll & the Mt Olympus of Chuck Berry collections.
****July 2006 Update. The release of the "Definitive Collection" now puts "Great Twenty-Eight" in the #2 slot. "Definitive Collection" has every track included here (in basically the same order), but includes two more tracks: "Promised Land" & "My Ding-A-Ling". So if you're budget dictates a single disc album purchase, "Definitive Collection" should be your choice.

This is the definitive single disc Chuck Berry compilation. The title says it all. It contains 28 great songs. Not necessarily Chuck's "greatest" songs, but great nonetheless. "You Never Can Tell" is unquestionably one of Chuck's greatest songs, and it's not here. But, c'est la vie. The songs that they do include are great, so I won't complain. Highly recommended.

Some of the newer "remastered" packages have better sound quality, but if you are looking for a restrospective sampling of some of the best "roots of rock n roll" music ever, this might well be it. 28 songs on one cd, I mean you will feel like you have died and gone to Chuck Berry heaven. The full staple of hits is here, including some gems little heard. My favorites next to the ones everyone knows would be "30 Days"...a real cookin classic and "Nadine". This version of "Roll Over Beethoven" is simply the best ever done...not many songs will give a person goose bumps or send a shiver down the spine, but this is one of those....absolutely fantastic! It is no wonder so many of the world's greatest rock n roll groups were influenced by Mr. Berry...he had the soul to make rock n roll great.

In October of 2006 Chuck Berry will be 80 years old. Of the founders of rock `n' roll, he is today the one whose honor and esteem is most out of whack with his actual contributions. By any standards, Chuck Berry is one of the founding titans of rock. Musically, he contributed more than any other of the original inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Elvis put rock `n' roll on the map, but Chuck is the one who drew it. Before Bob Dylan and the rash of great rock `n' roll song writers to spring up in the wake of Beatlemania, Chuck Berry was hands down the finest rock songwriter, with the lone exception of his equal Buddy Holly. It is only a slight over implication to state that most rock since Berry has been a variant of his original adaptation of rhythm and blues. And lyrically Berry was the most gifted lyricist before the advent of Bob Dylan. Of all the rock and roll performers, Berry was the easiest to understand when he sang, precisely pronouncing every word and for a very good reason: they were good words. Indeed, his diction was so superb that his earliest listeners refused to believe that he was a black man; they were convinced he was white. Chuck Berry has long been criticized for his lack of involvement in the Civil Rights movement and for reinforcing some negative images of black males, but by presenting himself as an undeniably intelligent and gifted black at a time when many whites were denying that blacks were as intelligent was itself an important contribution. Besides, working as a black crossover artist he was sometimes able to get his own back by subtle messaging. We all know, for instance, that in "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" he wasn't really talking about eye color. My hope is that for his birthday Berry will be recognized for what he was: the equal of anyone in making rock the popular musical form it became.

Apart from Berry's musical contributions, which were formidable, he brought a sense of playful theatricality that was key in defining early on that rock `n' roll, whatever else it was, was fun. Many of the early rock `n' rollers were great, great showmen in a way that few today aspire to be. Most contemporary performers rely on light shows, gimmicks, and props for their shows, but several early performers were precisely that: performers. To this day few guitarists have been as much fun to watch as Berry, not just during his legendary duck walks, but in a myriad of minor antics onstage.

But most of all, Chuck Berry has established a legacy of great, great songs. Most people know that the lone rock `n' roll song put on Voyager's data disc for any extraterrestrial who happens upon it was none other than Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode." Perhaps one day it will be as big a hit in Alpha Centauri as it has been on earth. What many today may not know is just how much very great music he produced. In fact, his string of hits outstrips nearly any of his contemporaries other than Elvis. His notorious stint in prison probably kept him from charting a few more hits (that he transported an underage girl across state lines is undeniable, but it is hard today to realize how vigorously he was prosecuted by St. Louis authorities and he certainly seems innocent of incitation to prostitution charges), but he eventually recovered from his ordeal to generate a second run of hits in the sixties.

Luckily, though in my and others' opinion Berry is not today given the credit he deserves for his major role in creating rock `n' roll, he has been exceedingly well served by a host of absolutely first rate anthologies. What I would like to do here is map out the five Chuck Berry collections I would most recommend. Each has its virtues and none any vices and it would be very hard to go wrong with any of them. I do think a couple of choices are better than others. Here are the main Chuck Berry collections available today:

CHESS BOX--If price is no consideration and you want almost all of the great music that Chuck Berry, this is unquestionably the one to get. The 3-CD set collects over 70 songs and has every one of the songs that the vast majority of music fans will have heard, all the way to his Christmas hit "Run Rudolph Run." There are a few cuts that are less than essential, but no current collection gives such a great view of his work as a whole, except for the complete collection of his Chess work, but in my opinion it collects too much that is of at most secondary interest.

ANTHOLOGY--Chess released this superb 2-CD culling from the larger CHESS BOX. Though less than half the price of the box, it collects over two-thirds of the songs, though without the Christmas songs that I frankly find endearing. But if you are willing to live without "Run Rudolph Run," this has just about all the Chuck Berry that most fans could crave.

GOLD--This is the big bargain of Chuck Berry anthologies. It contains all the major hits and familiar songs--though, again, without "Run Rudolph Run," which for some reason is omitted from almost all hits collections--and several nice extras as well. Though its 50 songs are slightly different than the one from the ANTHOLOGY, the heart of both collections is the same. If you don't own any Chuck Berry and are not sure that you want to spring the bucks for the CHESS BOX, this is probably the safest best. Lots of Chuck Berry for not very much money.

THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION--Well, no, this isn't definitive, but this newest Chuck Berry is arguably the finest single-disc edition. But here is the problem: The GOLD collection is only a buck more and contains 20 more songs. Plus, one of the 30 songs on this disc is the dreadful gimmick song "My Ding-A-Ling," a slightly ribald and not very good song that was Berry's last hit in the early seventies. My own belief is that shorter anthologies are improved by its exclusion.

THE GREAT TWENTY-EIGHT--This is back in print after being unavailable for a long time. Unlike THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION, this is pretty much definitive. Most anthologies basically take the songs off this disc and then add to it. It is canonical in a way that none of the other discs is. Nonetheless, while I think it deserves five stars simply for the role it has played in introducing fans to Berry and for its historical importance, I think it has been surpassed by other collections. Also, the sound on the later discs is better than what you will find on this disc. (Caveat: I own an earlier version of this disc, and it is not impossible that on its re-release the remastered versions of the recordings have been utilized.) Still, for a long, long time this was the Chuck Berry disc to get.

So, if I were buying my first Chuck Berry disc and couldn't afford the CHESS BOX, which one would I go for? I would probably go with the GOLD collection. It is cheap, contains a heap of songs, and has decent sound quality. Then, if I were sufficiently moved to the point where I wanted more, I would go for the CHESS BOX. That really is the best one to get, but there are some really inexpensive compromises that one can make and still get a lot of music by one of the towering figures in rock `n' roll.

We've waited a long time for a stellar one-CD set of Berry's music, and this is it! 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 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!

So says Chuck Berry in Little Queenie, "Let's shake it! Let's get with it!". This is the best Chuck Berry album out there. 28 great songs on one CD. This is rock'n'roll at its best among the best! Chuck Berry knew how to play that guitar! Great carefree songs, very simple melodies, driven by the great blues
progression mixed with a great driving beat! This how rock'n'roll was and should be! People who want to know what early-rock'n'roll sounded like should consider this a great pit stop. People my age think all that was back then was thanks to the Beatles. Uh-uh! Chuck Berry was among the many that invented
rock'n'roll and should be given more recognition. Teenagers should realize THIS is the good stuff! Forget the Beatles. Chuck Berry's got it and knows how to get with it!

All right Elvis fans admit it. You know Chuck Berry was the true king of rock 'n' roll, and is forever the godfather of rock 'n' roll. No one wrote catchier lyrics (capturing all the attitudes of a teen in the '50's) or catchier riffs (is there a better known riff than the opener to Johnny B. Goode.), as he created all the joy that could be pumped out of a guitar. His best singles (Maybelline, Thirty Days, Roll Over Beethoven, Johnny B. Goode, Rock and Roll Music, the list goes on and on.) are as essential and vital to the music world in 2002 (and a lot better than any of it) than it was in 1958 (when it was still better than anything on the scene).

The Great Twenty-Eight, though nowadays difficult to find, is the definitive collection of Chuck Berry, containing all of his hits and greatest songs in one disc without any of his latter day filler. It is passionate, fun, and lighthearted without sounding dated. From Maybelliene all the way through to I Want to Be Your Driver, every track here is not only essential to fans of Chuck Berry, the inventor of rock 'n' roll. This is for everyone who simply loves GOOD music!

If you are a fan of "classic rock" then you have heard Chuck Berry's influence all over the place - the Beatles, the Stones, John Fogerty, Bob Seger, the Allman Brothers, ELO, Santana - the list goes on and on. This collection showcases all the best of Berry and his long-time piano player extraordinaire, Johnny Johnson. This is great music to listen to even today, not just some historical artifact.
The one fault in this is that not only did Chuck have a big influence on others, he also had a big influence on himself. Many of the songs sound similar to each other. For instance, "School Days" and "No Particular Place to Go" are practically the same song. But if anyone has a right to copy Chuck Berry, it is Chuck Berry.

"Rock and roll" spelled backwards is "Chuck Berry." This CD is probably the best "best of" in the universe from the greatest rock poet and musician in the universe--credit where it's due, lads! He started the whole thing! The Bach of rock! Look at these song titles! One man did all of this? How, O lord, how? Give me Chuck or give me death! All hail the king of rock and roll, the one and only Chuck Berry!

This compilation of Chuck Berry's greatest hits is exactly that!! They're all here!! First issued in 1982, I thought I had missed my opportunity to buy this great collection. (It disappeared from the marketplace for a long time.) Then, 'lo and behold, I decided to check out AMAZON.COM last year and found it!! This CD is a Chuck Berry fan's goldmine. Mr. Berry is now 80 years young and will always be remembered as a great songwriter, great guitarist, and great performer. His 2000 Kennedy Honors were and are well-deserved!! Rock on, Chuck!!!!