March 10 street date. Packages together Chuck Berry's albums "After School Session" and "A Dozen Berrys", with plenty of bonus tracks, which basically makes this a greatest hits collection (with a few fine lesser known tracks). Cool!
Sept. 15 street date. Chuck Berry was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and here we present his original versions of some of the most recorded songs of all time. For the first time on CD Chuck Berry’s first 14 singles, A-Sides and B-Sides in the order they were released. Features such defining classics hits as: 'Roll Over Beethoven', 'Brown Eyed Handsome
Man', 'Sweet Little Sixteen', 'Rock and Roll Music' and 'Johnny B. Goode'. One of the few artists to have been an equal influence over the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.
June 18 street date. A pioneer of Rock ‘n’ Roll Chuck Berry hit the Billboard charts running in 1955 with ‘Maybellene’ the first of a number of mainstream hits including ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘School day’ and ‘Sweet Little Sixteen. Also the composer of the inspirational ‘ Johnny B. Goode’ which features in the now infamous scene in Back To The Future as well as ‘Back In The USA’ later parodied by Paul McCartney for ‘Back in the USSR’. Still performing today these 32 tracks represent Berry at his best.
Available now. Deluxe coloured vinyl and Cd package in original 1957 cover art - Liner notes by rock n roll author musician and mojo writer Max Decharne - All songs remastered - Artwork designed by Sophie Lo. Chuck Berry - steel guitar on "Deep Feeling", vocals, guitar, Johnnie Johnson - piano, Willie Dixon - bass, Fred Below - drums, L. C. Davis - tenor saxophone on "Too Much Monkey Business" and "Drifting Heart", Jasper Thomas - drums, Ebby Hardy - drums, Otis Spann - piano, Jimmy Rogers - guitar, Leonard & Phil Chess - producers. After School Session was Chuck Berry’s debut LP, but when it appeared in 1957 he had already been famous for two years. The teen market in those days was based around singles, not albums, and he had built a formidable reputation releasing one killer 45 after another. On stage, screen, and radio, he had been featured heavily by deejay Alan Freed, whose syndicated radio show, All-Star stage packages and Hollywood drive-in features put Chuck right in the front rank as rock’n’roll swept all before it. Released in May 1957, the album came complete with sleeve notes describing the man himself as ‘our Rock-a-Billy Troubadour’. If this sounds a little strange to modern ears, it’s worth recalling Chuck’s well-documented love of hillbilly music, and Maybellene’s own roots in the 1938 Bob Wills recording, Ida Red.Chuck once said that his influences ranged all the way from Muddy Waters to Jimmie Rodgers, via Nat King Cole. Out of this he created something truly his own, which wasn’t strictly R&B and it wasn’t hillbilly either. This, unquestionably, was rock’n’roll, and with this LP and its preceding singles, he laid down many of the genre’s enduring ground rules. As the original back cover proudly stated, ‘The songs are all original compositions written by Chuck, for Chuck, and as only Chuck can perform them’. Of course, other fine Chess musicians were backing him, but here was a star who sang, played, and crucially wrote his own material. Max Décharné Max’s history of rockabilly, A Rocket in My Pocket, is published by Serpent’s Tail.
Available now. Deluxe coloured vinyl and Cd package - All songs remastered - Liner notes by rock n roll author, musician and mojo writer Max Decharne. One Dozen Berrys was Chuck Berry’s second LP, and - like its predecessor, After School Session (1957) - contained a mixture of songs which had already been released on singles and EPs, mixed in with new material. Its tracks were drawn from recordings laid down at four one-day sessions, from January and May 1957, and January and February 1958 - the latter being only weeks before the album release. Five out of the twelve songs were previously unreleased - or rather, four of them, since Low Feeling is the master from Blue Feeling, slowed down. The album appeared in March 1958, just as Chuck’s new single Johnny B Goode / Around & Around was climbing the charts, but those songs would have to wait till the July 1959 release of his next album to appear in the long playing format. Most artists would think it insanity to leave off such all-time classics from their new record, but Chuck was red-hot that year, and One Dozen Berrys rode in fresh on the heels of his previous double-sided smash 45, Sweet Little Sixteen / Reelin’ and Rockin’, which kicked off each side of the album. Chuck Berry - vocals, guitar, Fred Below - drums, Ebbie Hardy - drums, Willie Dixon - bass, Johnnie Johnson - piano Lafayette Leake - piano, Hubert Sumlin - guitar.
April 7 street date. AVID Rock N Roll continues with its Four Classic Rock n Roll album series with a re-mastered 2CD release by Chuck Berry, complete with original artwork and liner notes. Includes : "After School Session"; "One Dozen Berries"; "Chuck Berry Is On Top" and "Rockin' At The Hops". The first thing that has to be said about this amazing musician is that, hey, he's still alive and kicking. Something of a rarity in the catalogue of Avid Music! We are of course, immensely proud of our fine catalogue of musical heroes from primarily the world of classic jazz music. Here, however, we are branching out a little into a musical world that was rather unsettling for jazzers at the time, the dreaded Rock n Roll! Emerging from under the influence of the blues, gospel, country and R'n'B, musicians such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and of course Elvis Presley were taking the music world by storm in the 1950's. In many ways Chuck Berry must stand out amongst his contemporaries as he not only wrote his own music and played it his way but his signature riffs became the template for what later became pop and rock music! Arguably without Chuck Berry there would have been no Beatles, Beach Boys or Rolling Stones, and music history would have had to have been re-written! So here is how the main man started his musical recording career. Four startling albums full of classic Berry riffs and sharp as a razor lyrics for you to enjoy. Some tracks you will know of course, but there are sure to be some undiscovered gems for you to hear for perhaps the first time. Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll!
June 2 street date. Non-returnable CD. The world is mourning the loss of rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry. The iconic guitarist, singer and songwriter passed away Saturday at his home at the age of 90. His impact on popular music cannot be underestimated. John Lennon once commented: “If you tried to give rock-and-roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry,’”. Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive. Writing clever lyrics that focused on teen life and consumerism and developing a signature style that included guitar solos and showmanship, Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music. “One Dozen Berrys” was the second studio album by Berry, released in 1958. “Rockin’ at the Hops” was his fourth studio album, released in 1960. Its opening track, “Bye Bye Johnny”, is a sequel to Berry’s earlier hit, “Johnny B. Goode”. “New Juke Box Hits”, his fifth studio album, was released in 1961. It was recorded and released while Berry was in the midst of legal difficulties, which led to his imprisonment in 1962. Also presented here are several bonus tracks, including “Back in the U.S.A.”, a top 40 hit in 1959.
June 22 street date. FIVE CLASSIC ALBUMS PLUS BONUS SINGLES & RARE TRACKS ON A 4CD BOX SET, DIGITALLY REMASTERED, DIGIPACK. INCLUDES THE ALBUMS: One Dozen Berry's, Chuck Berry On Top, Rockin At The Hops, New Juke Box Hits, After School Sessions Plus Unreleased Demos, Alternative Versions & Hit Singles.
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