Rock & Roll Music! The Songs of Chuck Berry

by N/A

Overview

It's no secret that Chuck Berry's songs are rock & roll standards, covered by more musicians than can be counted. That poses something of a problem for Ace's Rock & Roll Music! The Songs of Chuck Berry, a 2017 entry in their ongoing Songbook series. Where other collections in this line provide some kind of revelation about the composer, these songs are so well-known through their constant covers that having 24 songs collected on one disc doesn't stand as a testament to the composer; anybody paying attention to rock & roll music knows that Chuck Berry was a formidable writer. The sly revelation of Rock & Roll Music! The Songs of Chuck Berry is that his songs are malleable -- they don't need to be performed as hypercharged boogie; they can be slowed down and stretched out, twisted into different styles. To be sure, there is a fair amount of hard-driving rock here -- the Count Bishops tear through "Beautiful Delilah," MC5 rev up "Back in the USA" -- but the songs that catch the ear take a different tactic. Don Covay performs "Memphis" as ska, Ian Gomm turns "Come On" into soft rock reggae, Marty Robbins reveals the hillbilly roots of "Maybellene" just like how Ken Coyler's Skiffle Group treats "Down Bound Train" as folk, Jay & the Americans recast "Johnny B. Goode" as ornate Hollywood pop, and John Hammond treats "No Money Down" as a talking blues. All these entries keep the collection hopping as it bounces through more faithful renditions of standards (the Swinging Blue Jeans' "Around and Around," Dave Edmunds' "The Promised Land") and sly reinterpretations (Elvis Presley taking a cue from Jerry Reed on "Too Much Monkey Business," Dwight Yoakam twanging up "Run Run Rudolph"), and make this a dynamite listen (even including the presence of the Beach Boys' "Rock and Roll Music"). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/10/2017
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667078429
Rank:	79669

Tracks

1. Roll Over Beethoven  - Chuck Berry  - Helene Dixon
2. Around & Around  - Chuck Berry  -  Swinging Blue Jeans
3. Down Bound Train  - Chuck Berry  -  Colyer
4. Maybellene  - Chuck Berry  - Marty Robbins
5. Come On  - Chuck Berry  - Ian Gomm
6. Memphis Tennessee  - Chuck Berry  - Don Covay
7. Oh Baby Doll  - Chuck Berry  -  Pretty Things
8. Nadine (Is It You)  - Chuck Berry  -  Bunch
9. Little Queenie  - Chuck Berry  - Jerry Lee Lewis
10. I'm Talking About You  - Chuck Berry  -  Remains
11. Brown-Eyed Handsome Man  - Chuck Berry  - Buddy Holly
12. Johnny B. Goode  - Chuck Berry  -  Jay & the Americans
13. Sweet Little Sixteen  - Chuck Berry  -  Hollies
14. Too Much Monkey Business  - Chuck Berry  - Elvis Presley
15. Almost Grown  - Chuck Berry  -  Syndicate of Sound
16. No Money Down  - Chuck Berry  - John Jr. Hammond
17. Beautiful Delilah  - Chuck Berry  -  Count Bishops
18. Havana Moon  - Chuck Berry  - Booker T. Jones  - Carlos Santana
19. Back in the USA  - Chuck Berry  -  MC5
20. You Can't Catch Me  - Chuck Berry  - Sleepy LaBeef
21. Rock and Roll Music  -  Beach Boys  - Chuck Berry
22. You Never Can Tell  - Chuck Berry  - John Prine
23. Run Run Rudolph  - Marvin Broadie  - John Marks  - Dwight Yoakam
24. The Promised Land  - Chuck Berry  - Dave Edmunds

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Elvis Presley   Primary Artist
MC5   Primary Artist
Don Covay   Primary Artist
Helene Dixon   Primary Artist
The Bunch   Primary Artist
John Hammond, Jr.   Primary Artist
The Remains   Primary Artist
Carlos Santana   Primary Artist
Jerry Lee Lewis   Primary Artist
The Pretty Things   Primary Artist
Buddy Holly   Primary Artist
Ken Colyer's Skiffle Group   Primary Artist
The Swinging Blue Jeans   Primary Artist
Dave Edmunds   Primary Artist
The Syndicate of Sound   Primary Artist
The Count Bishops   Primary Artist
Dwight Yoakam   Primary Artist
Jay & the Americans   Primary Artist
John Prine   Primary Artist
Marty Robbins   Primary Artist
Sleepy LaBeef   Primary Artist
The Beach Boys   Primary Artist
Ian Gomm   Primary Artist
The Hollies   Primary Artist
Booker T. Jones   Vocals

Technical Credits

Paul Jeffrey   Package Design
Tony Rounce   Liner Notes
Chuck Berry   Composer
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Marvin Broadie   Composer
John Marks   Composer