ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 278 CHUCK BERRY - ST. LOUIS TO LIVERPOOL (1964)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Artist: Chuck Berry

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: Yes (1986)

Album: St. Louis To Liverpool

Producer: Leonard Chess/Phillip Chess

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is gathered from wikipedia.com (mostly because Jon can't stand it) unless otherwise noted.

I've got an idea.  Let's just spend some time in the 60's.  Sound good?  There will be no rhyme or reason to what I post.  No chronological order.  And no warning for when it will stop (unless I forget and warn you).  I'm kicking this thing off with an icon.  Yes, Chuck Berry is an icon.  I bought this album specifically for this 60's run, and I'm very glad I did. I've learned some stuff that I didn't know about Mr. Berry.  

Things like he wrote most of his songs.  Songs like Promised Land, You Never Can Tell and No Particular Place To Go.  Killer rock songs, especially Promised Land.  I had been more familiar with Elvis' version, but this version is fantastic, and it's the original.  I also learned that Berry spent almost two years in prison.  It seems as though he discovered a fourteen year old waitress and transported her across state lines to work as a hat check girl in a club.  No more details are necessary, but he was eventually convicted and served his prison time.  All of this is included in a nice set of sleeve notes in the version I bought (the 50th Anniversary Edition with the three bonus tracks).

So, four of the tracks on the album were singles he had released in 1964 (No Particular Place To Go, You Never Can Tell, Promised Land and Little Marie).  The latter of those was a sequel to his number 6 hit Memphis, Tennessee.  Four of the album's tracks were the b-sides to those singles.  Our Little Rendezvous was a b-side from 1960, while Merry Christmas Baby was a 1958 holiday single.  Finally, Liverpool Drive was a recently recorded instrumental and there was also an instrumental outtake from the 50's included.

Wow, that's a lot of useless info, but this is just a cool, cool album in my opinion.  Little Marie, You Two, Promised Land, You Never Can Tell and Merry Christmas Baby are absolute standout tracks for me.  The latter shows just how great Berry's voice was. Fraulein, one of the bonus tracks, is also a standout.  Personally, I can't find a dud. This album is available on Amazon for just 4 dollars and 99 cents.  That's definitely a steal.  

Side One:

1. Little Marie

2. Our Little Rendezvous

3. No Particular Place To Go

4. You Two

5. Promised Land

6. You Never Can Tell

Side Two:

7. Go Bobby Soxer

8. Things I Used To Do (Eddie Jones)

9. Liverpool Drive

10. Night Beat

11. Merry Christmas Baby (Lou Baxter/Johnny Moore)

12. Brenda Lee

Bonus Tracks:

13. Fraulein

14. O Rangutang

15. The Little Girl From Central

[Niels (Mod)]

Another interesting and surprising choice.

Chuck Berry is one of the absolute most important musicians in the history of rock without a doubt.

I've read several times, that he was pretty hard to work with, and was easy to piss off.

I'm not a fan, and will never be, since for me, the best music was made from 1966-1976. I never was a fan of the old stuff, it's too simple, but never the less, it can be nice listening to it, only not album after album.

I don't really want to "review" each and every song on this album. I let it play, and comment if I feel like it.

Oh, has this got something to do with the "anniversary" regarding the "Back To The future"-movies?

NPPTG is the first song on this album, that I know, and it's a great song.

You Two almost sounds like a Nat King Cole-song. I love NKC.

The start to Promised Land has sure been used before and after. A lot of songs sounds like this one, and I don't know which came first.

YNCT is of course from the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction. Another great song.

Side two starts with a familiar opening - sigh!! Sounds like Roll Over Beethoven or Johnnie B. Goode. A throwaway imo.

Liverpool Drive, eh? A tribute to the Fab Four? Nah, not if Berry was as cranky, as he's supposed to.

A bit early for a christmas-song, and I never really liked this one, especially Springsteen's version.

And right about here, I'm prety near of having more than enough. 

Fraulein....

O Rangutang.....

TLGFC sounds like some or several other CB-songs. God Damn, I feel like listening to some Prog right now.

Good stuff, but in a small dosis.

[Jon]

This was a fun listen, but I think it's way too early for Christmas music.

You're right (finally) about no duds on this album. Even that Christmas song (which is still too early to play) isn't a dud, but he should have put it out this year when it was closer to Christmas. 

My minor quibble about this is that some songs fade out when there's some serious jamming going on. Would be cool to hear the whole, jam-filled song, but that's not the way they did business back then.

Nice post, but still too early for a Christmas song, in case I haven't mentioned that.

[Niels (Mod)]

As I did before you, but I guess, we're ignoring each other, for some reason.

[Scott]

An interesting slice of real rock and roll history no doubt. These all feel like they are short soundbytes and the listening experience of 15 songs felt like 15 minutes!  I do dig the Back To The Future tie in given yesterday was, well everyone already knows...

I'm not sure outside of this forum that I would ever pull this off the shelf and pop it in.  The guitar style is fun but it gets repetitive after while, but I would have loved see him do that duck walk live.  I did get the feeling that a lot of these songs were just cut short and faded out before they should have been.  I wonder if that's just a product of the times.

That said, No Particular Place To Go is great stuff so that one may get some love especially if I was making a home video or a playlist for some older folks. And that Merry Christmas tune may be early but at 3 minutes and 14 seconds its the longest time on here!

Fun listen!

[Scott]

[RJhog (Admin)]

I really liked it.