Chuck Berry - Definitive Collection
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Free Music Notes for Definitive Collection
Free Music Review: Look No Further, This Is Pure Rock At Its Finest.
Hit: 5 Stars
Chuck Berry is quite possilby the most important artist in rock and roll. Most people may credit Elvis Presley with that title, and while he is worthy, Chuck is far more worthy. Without Chuck, there'd probably no Elvis. Or Jerry Lee Lewis. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, even Bob Dylan - none of them probably would've came into focus. Each of the artists listed was influenced by Chuck Berry in one way or another. John Lennon himself perhaps put it best: "If you were to give rock and roll another name, it would be Chuck Berry".
As with all influential artists in rock and roll, Chuck Berry has anthologized an almost obscene number of times. However, as with all artists, only a few of his collections are worth getting. And for those just getting into Chuck Berry, there is no better place to start than "The Definiitve Collection".
This 30 song, single disc collection contains all the ideal Berry classics for the casual fans: "Maybellene", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", "School Day", "Rock And Roll Music", "Sweet Little Sixteen", the timeless "Johnny B. Goode", "Little Queenie" and a host of others are all here, all in chronological orders, all digitally remastered and sounding better than ever. The sound quality alone is enough to get even the most avid Berry fan to add yet another compilation to their collection.
The liner notes by Bud Scoppa do an excellent job at empahsizing Berry's impact on the music world, and the packaging as a whole is quite excellent. If you're just beginning the music of Rock's Prime Minister, than this cd is a must have.
Free Music Review: Still great music, and rocks harder than a lot of "hip, edgier" bands do today...
Hit: 5 Stars
There are a ton of Chuck Berry greatest hits recordings, so I can't really say whether this is the best one. However, it does have 30 tracks on it, it's a single disc edition, and the music is extraordinary. Berry is one of the creators of rock and roll, and listening to this stuff 40 years later, it's still rocks, and rocks really hard. The music here sounds more vital, fresh, and edgy (yes, edgy) than most rock and roll acts do today. Berry wrote all 30 tracks in this collection, and they're all fantastic. This album has the classics (Johnny B. Goode, Maybellene, Rock and Roll Music), and it has some songs that I've heard covered by The Rolling Stones and REO Speedwagon (Carol and Little Queenie). It also contains the great, underrated You Never Can Tell (featured in Pulp Fiction, but I can listen to the song without thinking about that film now. Thank goodness, as I like the song a lot better than the film). I love the song Promised Land, an obscure one. Listen to the guitar solo and tell me you don't hear Lou Reed in it, specifically the soloing on the Velvet Underground's first album. Some have criticised the inclusion of My Ding-a-Ling, a novelty song that was Berry's last #1 hit. I like the song, and Berry liked it too, despite being very different that his other material. It was a big hit for Chuck, he wrote it himself, and I have to say I like it a lot, especially with the extremely enthusiastic crowd (recorded in the U.K.). Berry gives a great performance of it, and it becomes infectious. Overall, this is a great start for Berry novices.Free Music Review: If you don't want the Chess box set get this
Hit: 5 Stars
One of the best single disc compilations of a single performer I've seen. Most definitive discs leave much to be desired but this actually contains the absolute best of Chuck Berry and manages to fit 30 full songs on here including almost all his 50s hits and of course a few 60s minor hits and his 70s live recording of My Ding-A-Ling. Chuck is one of the greatest rock n' roll performers of all time and unlike Elvis was more than just a novice at guitar, no offense to Elvis fans. Chuck could rock and sing much heavier and again no offense to Elvis fans, Chuck is debateably the true king of rock n' roll along with Buddy and Little Richard of course, since Chuck could create blues riffs that combined elements of r&b and country, and used his guitar to accompany his singing, and was equally as good a singer as guitar player. His voice might not have been as smooth as Elvis' but it suited his style much better. Chuck defined rock n' roll and was the embodiment of it, and in my opinion, few others rocked as well as he did. Its a shame Chuck didn't last as long as Elvis, but his music left a legacy and Johnny B. Goode will always be immortal, especially since Back of the Future used it in its most famous scene.Free Music Review: Move Over "Great 28", The Best One Disc Collection Is Here...
Hit: 5 Stars
The "Box Set", "Anthology", "Great 28"....I've got most of them. So, when I picked this up for the car cd player I was not expecting much, especially with the word "remastered" added to the title. Boy was I wrong. What hit me hardest about this collection is the clarity of Berry's guitar. The tone & "reverb" seem more full & upfront than other Berry collections. Also a few other sonic improvements: it seems Johnny Johnson's keyboards are a bit clearer than other releases, Berry's vocals seem a bit brighter with more range & tone, & finally 30 tracks (everyone of them a winner). Not much can be added to Berry's legacy that hasn't been said already. The songs are classics and the foundation of rock & roll. The question here is which collection or best of release to purchase.
While other multi-disc collections may be a bit more in depth, this one is a sure fire winner if you only have the cash for one disc. "Definitive Collection" has the exact same tracks as "The Great 28" but adds two great songs "Promise Land" and "My Ding-A-Ling" making it the single disc compilation of choice. No way you can go wrong with this one.
Free Music Review: "...Tidewater four-ten-oh-nine..."
Hit: 5 Stars
I saw Dennis Miller on "The Tonight Show" one time and he said, "what planet are Brando and the Beatles from and why can't we find it?" I feel the same way about Chuck Berry. I guess it would be hard to explain to a Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears fan, but if you are a fan of good ol' rootsy, r&b influenced rock n' roll, you know in your soul that Chuck Berry is the savant.
How can a guy come up with those riffs? Those simple, yet poetic lyrics? One of his rivals was the output of the Brill Building writers, but that was a group of enlightened kids (influenced by Berry, among others) feeding off of each others energy and ideas. Maybe the closest "rival" was Buddy Holly. Here is a poor guy from St. Louis who even pushed Presley, not to mention how he (along with Holly) inspired the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
Bottom line: great sound, finally a great single disc overview of one of the greatest musical minds since 1950 and certainly one of the "Dead Sea Scrolls" if you are looking for the genesis of rock n'roll.