Ultimate [Import, Original recording remastered]

Chuck Berry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 14, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Universal UK
• ASIN: B000E8NQTK
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,576 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Maybellene

2. Wee Wee Hours (1955 Single Version)

3. Thirty Days

4. No Money Down

5. Down Bound Train

6. Roll Over Beethoven

7. Too Much Monkey Business

8. Brown Eyed Handsome Man

9. You Can't Catch Me

10. Havana Moon

11. School Day (Ring Ring Goes The Bell)

12. Oh Baby Doll (1957 Single Version)

13. Rock & Roll Music (1958 Single Version)

14. Sweet Little Sixteen

15. Reelin' & Rockin'

16. House Of Blue Lights

17. Johnny B. Goode

18. Around & Around

19. Beautiful Delilah

20. Carol

See all 57 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT COLLECTION, BUT IGNORE THE WACKY AMAZON PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ABOVE, October 8, 2007

By 

BOB (LOS ANGELES, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ultimate (Audio CD)

Contrary to the product description above, this is a three-disc CHUCK BERRY-ONLY compilation. The tracklist above, however, is correct.

The audio on the Ultimate discs is virtually identical to that on the 2000 Anthology 2CD set, and the 2004 Chess remasters; it's very good.

However, on the "One Dozen Berrys" tracks, Universal's approach to the audio mastering, vs. BGO's mastering on their Berry 2-fer, could only be described as a chasm.

The Universal discs have the inherent reverb in the recordings toned down, which cuts into the highs, but isolates and emphasizes Berry's vocals a bit more.

The BGO discs are much brighter in sound, and the tick of the drumstick against the cymbal is more prevalent, but the reverb effect is much greater across the entire spectrum of sound; some people may find this tiring to the ear after a while.

More surprisingly, when the BGO comes to the "Juke Box Hits" portion of the disc, the audio is almost exactly the same as the Universal mastering, with a nod to the BGO for slight additional clarity.

So, for the "Dozen" tracks, it's a toss-up between the two mastering methodologies, and will ultimately come down to personal preference.

Back to this Ultimate set: In total number of tracks, it has six more than Anthology, and while there's much commonality between both sets, there are several songs that only appear on either (most notably, the two famous Christmas hits, are sorely missing on Anthology):

Anthology-only tracks:
Guitar Boogie
Do You Love Me
I Got To Find My Baby
Don't You Lie To Me
Confessin' The Blues
I Want To Be Your Driver

Ultimate-only tracks:
Merry Christmas Baby
Run Rudolph Run
Anthony Boy
Mad Lad
Route 66
Go Go Go
Go Bobby Soxer
Little Marie
Things I Used To Do
Lonely School Days
It Wasn't Me
Club Nitty Gritty

At this writing, the "used & new" price for the Ultimate 3CD set is actually lower than the Anthology set, which is now OOP. So, with the inclusion of the two Christmas hits, it's definitely the better deal.