Album Reviews

No, this is not up there with After School Session or Berry is on Top but this Chuck Berry album, his first after being released from prison for having violated the Mann Act (transporting minors across state lines to have sex) and issued as Beatlemania swept the world, has plenty of hits along with a lot of filler.

No, this is not up there with After School Session or Berry is on Top but this Chuck Berry album, his first after being released from prison for having violated the Mann Act (transporting minors across state lines to have sex) and issued as Beatlemania swept the world, has plenty of hits along with a lot of filler.

The Beatles, The Stones and of course The Beach Boys, helped popularize Berry's classics that were hits back in the 1950s, so with the album title and Beatles references in "Go Bobby Soxer," Berry was trying to engage a younger generation himself.

He really didn't have an album's worth of solid material, so in addition to charting hits like the "Memphis,Tennessee" sequel "Little Marie," "No Particular Place to Go," "Promise(d) Land" and "You Never Can Tell," there's filler like "Brenda Lee," a pair of instrumentals—one dating from the 1950s—and the holiday novelty hit "Merry Christmas Baby."

Not that filler matters today, because like a vintage '57 Chevy that you know doesn't handle or perform as well as a modern car, you can't take your eyes off of it. Here, your ears will sink into the Berry grooves, the trademarked licks and the familiar chord turnarounds and they'll want to stay there, aided by the spectacularly natural, unprocessed Chess Studios sound.

Backed by Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Johnnie Johnson on piano, Willie Dixon on bass and other members of the Chess studio team, Berry knocks off these tunes with good humor intact, moving easily between blues, jazz and straight forward rock. Perhaps you'll hear a few Berry gestures that probably influenced Jimi Hendrix.

I think you'll be floored by the 2120 South Michigan Avenue sound, probably recorded to 4 track. It's weighty,  transparent and full bodied, with great weight on bottom and shimmer on top. 

Not a "must have," but  "fun have." By the way, I see that Doxy has issued After School Session —I'd proceed with caution there. I  could be wrong, but I doubt they mastered from an analog source.