Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hail, Hail, Chuck Berry, July 2, 2000
It's a given that an anthology of Chuck Berry is essential to any well-rounded rock and roll collection. This one, with pristine sound and attractive packaging, may be the one for you if you want more than just the mega-hits. That being said, here's what you need to know : Forget the MCA "Millenium Collection" CD, which is criminally skimpy. The two Chess Best-ofs, taken together, total 40 tracks, and if you have those already, you're in good shape, although you'd be missing some 12 essential tracks from this new set. If you have the out-of-print "Great 28", not only are you missing 24 of these tracks (including "Wee Wee Hours", "You Never Can Tell", "Promised Land", "Don't You Lie to Me"), but the sound quality here is much improved, so it's time to upgrade. The question comes down to : this new collection or the "Chess Box", with 3 discs and 71 tracks. Hard call : "Anthology" has four tracks not on the box set, but they're fairly dispensible ("Guitar Boogie", "Do You Love Me", "I Got to Find My Baby", and "I Want to Be Your Driver". The box set has 21 tracks not on "Anthology", including some goodies like "Anthony Boy", "Merry Christmas Baby", "Run Rudolph Run", "Little Marie", and "Have Mercy Judge", but also some clunkers (in relative terms; this is Chuck Berry, after all), and excellent sound as well, but you have to shell out more and have a coffee table available to keep the box on. My advice : go with this new "Anthology" and send the money you save to the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and feel good about both.
|
|
|
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well picked double-disc of rock 'n' roll roots, November 2, 2001
MCA's latest compilation, expanding upon and replacing the double-LP/single-CD "The Great Twenty-Eight," is a nearly perfect stop between single-disc collections and the more inclusive "Chess Box." Nearly all of Berry's seminal sides are present, including his first single (1955's "Maybelline" b/w "Wee Wee Hours"), hits from the peak chart years of '57 and '58 ("School Days" "Rock and Roll Music" "Sweet Little Sixteen" "Johnny B. Goode" "Carol"), post-jail hits from '64 ("Nadine" and "No Particular Place to Go"), a few sides from the waning years of the Chess label (e.g., "Tulane" and "Bio"), and Berry's last #1, "My Ding-A-Ling."Also included are numerous lower-charting singles, and superb, lesser-known songs like "Jaguar & Thunderbird" (perhaps known to modern-day pop audiences through its inclusion in Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker's live set) and "I Want to Be Your Driver" (covered by the Blues Project, among others). The double-disc configuration provides room for a trio of cover versions Berry recorded in the 60s: the eight-bar boogie-woogie "House of Blue Lights," the oft-recorded "Down the Road Apiece," and Little Walter's "Confessin' the Blues." Touches of saxophone ("Too Pooped to Pop") and harmonica ("Tulane") also turn up to compliment the usual lineup. A seven-minute live version of "Reelin' and Rockin'" (a hit in the UK taken from the same show that produced "My Ding-A-Ling") also turns up here. The bare-bones packaging of "The Great Twenty-Eight," has been greatly enhanced on "The Anthology" with vintage photos, an illuminating essay on Berry's career and influence, and session information that unlocks some of the details of the supporting players (e.g., the superb bass line on "I'm Talking About You" - a strong influence on The Remains' mid-60s cover - is thought to have been provided by Reggie Boyd). The audio on these discs, while cleaner than "The Great Twenty-Eight," still shows several of the earlier compilation's problems with the underlying masters. E.g., the vocal on "Roll Over Beethoven" is driven into clipping and the guitar solo on "Come On" has the same distracting noise underneath. Oddly, "Around and Around" seems to have its bassline exaggerated compared to earlier reissues. On the positive side, there is a good deal of stereo here: "Nadine" "You Never Can Tell" " "Promised Land" "No Particular Place to Go" "Dear Dad" "I Want to Be Your Driver" and "Tulane." "Nadine" "No Particular Place to Go" and "I Want to Be Your Driver" appeared in mono on "The Great Twenty-Eight." Audio quality on Berry's CD reissues has often been problematic. At the time the music was waxed, Chess Records did not seem to live up to the recording standards of some of its well-known contemporaries (e.g., Atlantic). This resulted in inconsistent engineering that produced recordings of highly variable sound quality. In some cases the results (perhaps complicated by poor subsequent archiving) were masters that often evidence poor equalization (causing vocals to sound tinny), as well as occasional clipping distortion and electrical noise. To further complicate the reissue producer's task, no one connected with the original releases thought that the exact configurations would be important 45 years later. Bits of reverb or EQ added to the original 45s, as well as the physical technologies used to actually cut masters and press vinyl were left mostly undocumented. The result of this poorly kept history is that CD collections such as this must be built from what's available. And what's available, though transcendent in its songwriting, performance, and historical and artistic significance, has its cheap production spot-lit in the bright light of digital audio. And perhaps that's the central issue with respect to fidelity: these songs were recorded for release on vinyl 45s, for play on juke boxes, or through AM car radio speakers. Piping them through digital remastering and today's high fidelity electronics exposes deficiencies that weren't audible in the music's original context. With "The Great Twenty-Eight" out of print, those new to Berry's catalog must choose between lesser single-disc collections, this anthology, or the triple-disc "Chess Box." This is clearly the superior pick to any single-disc collection currently in print, and perhaps a better pick than the "Chess Box" for anyone who's at all tenuous about price. Though a few valuable tracks are missing from "The Anthology" (e.g., "Run Rudolph Run"), the experience of these two discs will fully immerse the listener in Berry's greatness. For those who already own "The Great Twenty-Eight," this anthology is a worthwhile step-up, if not quite as all-encompassing as the Chess box.
|
|
|
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Father of Rock And Roll, April 2, 2001
Chuck Berry's influence is widespread and he influenced such bands as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Animals, the Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix and George Thorogood among many others. This remastered 2 cd set is excellent. The sound on these classic tracks is the best yet. New Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Johnnie Johnson sounds great along with Chuck. Nearly every song on this set was a hit for Chuck or covered by another band. Highlights are too many to mention. Everyone has their own favorites. I was glad that the compilers included the instrumental track "Chuck's Boogie". It later became "Jeff's Boogie" when played by Jeff Beck in the Yardbirds. My only quibble is that a few of the minor singles "Anthony Boy", "Little Marie", "Run Rudolf Run" and "Merry Christmas Baby" were left off this set. These songs could have been easily added as the first disc is approximately 70 minutes and the second 65 minutes. I also wish they could have included Chuck's smokin' cover of "Route 66" and "It Wasn't Me" at the expense of the obscure "Do You Love Me". However, if you have the cash you might want to pick up the Chuck Berry 3 cd box set before it goes out of print as it contains most of the songs I just mentioned. The only drawback with the box set other than expense is that the sound is not as good as on this set. This is an ESSENTIAL purchase for those interested in rock and roll guitar and songwriting. It also provides a reference point for fans of some of the many bands Chuck Berry influenced.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
~ Buddy Holly
~ Chuck Berry
~ Leonard Cohen
~ Blind Boys of Alabama
by Chuck Berry 
