Mad Lad: A Live Tribute to Chuck Berry

by Ron Wood, Ronnie Wood & His Wild Five

Overview

Like the rest of the Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood had his life changed by Chuck Berry, so it's fitting that he decided to release a tribute album to his idol. Recorded at Wimborne Tivoli Theatre on November 13, 2018 and released nearly a year later, Mad Lad: A Live Tribute to Chuck Berry finds Wood playing with His Wild Five, a band featuring pianist Ben Waters and vocalist Imelda May. Wood kicks off the proceedings with "Tribute to Chuck Berry," a shambling, funny salute that is good-natured and filled with dad jokes that are just this side of embarrassing. Wood avoids "Dear Dad" along with many other modernist rockers from Berry, preferring to play the blues. "Talkin' 'Bout You" helps get the set off to a cooking start, "Almost Grown" and "Back in the USA" anchor the middle, and "Rock N Roll Music" and "Johnny B. Goode" bring things to a rousing close, but the long-ish jams on "Wee Wee Hours," "Blue Feeling," and "Worried Life Blues" give Mad Lad a bit of a relaxed, after-hours vibe. Berry didn't always play in this fashion -- certainly, if he was headlining a club, it was a crapshoot whether you'd get a good gig -- and there's a slight de-emphasis on his lyrical genius, but that's fine. It's clear that Ronnie Wood & His Wild Five love playing this music and that palpable joy makes Mad Lad a fine time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/15/2019
Label:	Bmg
UPC:	4050538527711
Rank:	57504

Tracks

1. Tribute to Chuck Berry
2. Talking About You
3. Mad Lad
4. Wee Wee Hours
5. Almost Grown
6. Back in the USA
7. Blue Feeling
8. Worried Life Blues
9. Little Queenie
10. Rock 'N' Roll Music
11. Johnny B Goode

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ronnie Wood & His Wild Five   Primary Artist
Ron Wood   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Imelda May   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Denise Gordon   Vocals (Background)
Antti Snellman   Sax (Tenor)
Ben Waters   Keyboards
Tom Waters   Sax (Alto)
Dion Egtved   Guitar (Bass)
Dexter Hercules   Drums
Amy Mayes   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Bob Clearmountain   Mixing,Engineer
Big Maceo Merriweather   Composer
Chuck Berry   Composer
Ron Wood   Artwork,Composer,Producer
Will Shapland   Engineer
John Moss   Design,Art Direction
Carl Hyde   Photography
Caspar Sutton-Jones   Engineer,Mastering