CHUCK BERRY > Johnny B. Goode: His Complete ‘50s Chess Recordings

Updated:

February 6, 2013 9:17 pm

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This four-CD, 103-song set has not just all of the standard releases from Chuck Berry’s 1950s Chess catalog, but a wealth of demos and alternate takes, a couple live recordings, and a vocal group single by the Ecuadors on which Chuck played unmistakable backup. A good number of these have only been available on non-U.S. or out-of-print releases, and 15 tracks that make their first appearance anywhere. True, for most fans, the compilations that assemble the best two-dozen-or-so core Berry classics from the era are enough. For more serious students of the master, however, there are a number of cool surprises, particularly in the opportunities to hear the evolution of “Rock and Roll Music,” “Sweet Little Sixteen” and “Almost Grown” in the studio. The more obscure selections also offer some unexpected demonstrations of Berry’s love for straight blues, Hawaiian-Latin-tinged sounds, instrumentals, and Les Paul-like picking. Those weren’t Chuck’s strong suits, however, which were found in the matchless nonstop wit and flaming, pioneering guitar riffs of his flat-out rock and rollers. He was both early rock and roll’s most influential instrumentalist and premier poet, and it’s hard to envision a more thorough document of the era that produced his most enduring work.