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A DYNA['4II AND INNOVATIVE SOPHOMORE OUTING, OR MERELY A ILUIIH OF PEDE$RIAN FILLERS WITH A FEW HIIS TACKED ON? JEREIIIY ISAAC DEBATES THE lvlERITS OF 'S CONTROVERSIAL AND t\,lULII-INFLUENCED SECOND ALBUt\4

ythe end of1957 So where to next? Running off a string repeat the process. Ebby Hardy (a Sir Chuck Berry had of catchy singles thick and fast between John Trio original) and former Aces tub- become a rock and impossible tour dates was one thing, thumper shared drumming roll star. Having come but the traditionally difficult second duties, future legend , from obscuritv in could present a bigger challenge. a Chess recording artist since 1948, was a 1955 as a member of However. the forward-thinkin g Berry stonking upright bass player. and Johnnie Johnnie Johnson's and his producers, brorhers Phil and Johnson, founder ofthe Sir John Trio, Sir John Trio, of which he soon became , didn't even blink, as work would provide inimitable jazz and blues leader. by September of '57 Berry on a flollow-up. eventually to be called . Newcomers included Chess regular had scored no less than a dozen hit One Dozen Berrys, had begun as early as Lafayette Leake, who spelled Johnson on singles, appeared in two movies (Rock, January 1957. piano, and Howlin'Wolf axeman Hubert Rock, Rock! and Mister RockAndRoll, Comprising l2 Berry originals Sumlin on electric guitar. starring DJ Alan Freed) and released spanninga broad range ofrock and roll, Session information is too n po*"rfrll debut album,A/t er School blues. ballads, instrumerttals and even contradictory or incomplete to know Session. Only the second album ever to calypso, A/ter School Session had struck which musicians played on which tracks. be released on the label, a perfect balance, boasting a second For instance, in places Johnson gets a boasted three ofthe winning formula with its line-up of shared general credit with Leake, but aforementioned hit singles and a cool musicians, specifically the keyboard and elsewhere is listed only on two or three sleeve photo, and it helped transform rhythm section, who brought what had tunes. The same goes for Hardy, whose the voung guirar player into a mrjor become known as the Chess Records general credit is contradicted by data figurehead in the newly-established rock backbeat sound to Chuck's impressive suggesting he may only have played on and roll mainstream. debur. There seemed no reason not to tunes that didn't make the final cut, +

BO TINT,{CI NOII SPIIIAI (HUCK BERRY except irs bonus tracks on later reissues. Hou ever. Johr-rson ar-rd Hard1, are knou,rt ,-i: ,r\n3-term Berry band members and .-'. ::''r-.:rt,le tl-ret thev macie a major : :::i,iLr:ion to tl-re recordings. D:ri.: tor the .ttr.'iio sessions lre also harr'l to pin dou'n. as sources cliffer. ri:!i.!.r Tlrere is certainq' about Blue Feeling/ Low Feeling and La Juanda (Espanola), which were recorded on Januarl, 2l 1957. Sinri1arl1,, It Dotl't Take Bttt A Fe.u.t Minutes is listed as beir-rg laid dou.n or.r February 28, i958. The remaining tracks are not so certirin: Oh Baby Doll and Rocli Dates for the sessions are hard And RolI Mttsic were cut on either 6 or 15 May i95Z while dates rar.rging from 29 to pin downas sources differ and 30 December 1957 to Februarl, 1958 are offered for the numbers Sweet Littlc Sixteen, Rockin' At The Philharmonic, up to seven months before the irlbum's moocl, pacing ar-rcl ultimate impact. One Gtitar B oogie, Reelin' And Rockin', In- Go release, ancl other tunes beir-rg recorded Dozen Berries opens rvith Cl-mck's r-t-rost arrd How You've Clnnged. up to 14 months earlier, it seems un1ikel1, recent hit, Sweet Little Slxfeen, u,hich was What seen-rs clear frorn this cliverse that such a concept u,as in place much releasecl in Januirrl, 1958, just tu.o uronths range of session dates is that there couicl before the album's release in March I958. before the album u.as unveiled, reaching not have been an original'concept' for Hou,ever, it is also clear from the finished #2 on the Billhoard Hot loo. The song One Dozen Berrys, rvherebl, certain tracks product that Chuck and tl-re Chess starts on a catchy guitar intro that leads were specifically recorded for the album brothers felt somcthir.rg slightly more into a steadl,, mid-paced rh-vthm featuring - or if there \vas one, it rvas simplr. the sophisticatecl rvas requiled, son-rething some casually delivered drum changes sirme baianced formula for-rnd on A,fter that retained the roots-v lock ser-rsibilities bchind soi itl boogie-st1'lc pirrto. School Sesslons, of multi-ir.rfl uencecl of Sessions, but u4.rich also took the music Berrlr got the idea for the song from Berry ollgi1r1s hung on three sn.rash-hit to a mellorv, more esotet'ic level through a an autograph-huntir.rg female fan he had singles, u.hose success suggested a repeat further diversitv of sr,vlings. seen backstage at a sholv at tl-re Ottau,a performance ',vould be a g'ood idea. After Tl-re order and jllxtirirosititttr of the Coliseurn ir-r Canadir. The sor-rg's l.vrics, all, rvith three tracks appearing as singles 12 tracks rvould bc crucirl to tl.re albuu's about a popular but ordinari, teenage

B2 YINTAGXRO[[SPICIAI tHUtK BERRY heald on the B-side of the hit single Rock The And Roll Muslc, released in September first offour 1957 After a feu, slippery opening guitar instrumentals, passages, the piano cuts in with some Rockin'At The frantic, swirling runs reminiscent of blues Philharmonic gr eat Memphis S1im, before hancling back features a to Chuck's fussy and at times grating relentless shuffling guitar licks. As a blues workout B/ue brush rh),thm "s f'eelingmay be somewhat routine, and it's and Willie Dixon's F^fr rr- definitely the piano that is the star here; slapback upright bass to nevertheless, it demonstrates perfectly underpin some jazzy guitar Berry's understar-rding and mastery of licks from Berry. Having spent traditionrl blues. the opening passages lending L. originalll, released on the flip of underlying rhphmic support, the single Oh Baby Do11 ir.r June 1957, La piano sudclenly takes off ha1fu,ay through, P Juanda (Espanola) is tl-re album's first incorporating wi1d, discordant higl-r notes departure from more traditional black into the increasingly frenetic keyboard music into some of the diverse genres that runs while Chuck inserts some craltry comprised Berry's influences, in this case licks in between times. Things then the rumba sound of Latin music. Sung in quieten down briefly before the guitar both Englislr and Spanish to an acoustic returns and the tivo duelling instruments guitar accompaniment, and featuring an fight it out to a ragged close. appealing chorus rvith su,eet harmonies OhBaby Dollwas Berry's ninth single, and a clever lyrical twist at the end, it's and the earliest of the three included a gentle if whimsical love story about a here, havingbeen released in June smooth-talking guy and his attempts to 1957 and reached #57 onthe charts. steal a kiss from a 1,61ng 5enorita who Opening with a short guitar introduction speaks no English. renriniscent ofhis earlier hitSchool +

girl with "about a half a million framed autographs". have what is now corrsidered typical Berry teen appeal: "She's got the grown up blues/ Tight dresses and lipstick/ Shc's sportin' high heel shoes/ Oh. but tomorrow morrring/ She'll have t. One to change her trend/ And be slr,eet i most .ixreen/ And brck irr clrss again". At rhe hich was scme tinrc, a selies of widely scattered r months geographical name clrecks ( Boston. :aching Pittsburgh. Texas, San Fruncisco. Sr Louis. sonEl \ew Orleans, Philadelphia) coupled with Lt leads references to Dick Clark's nationally leaturing broadcrst TV show American Bandstand anges on wlrich Berry had appeered the previous November) hailed rock ard roll's rg from univelsrl suprelnrcy r he l-rad Blue Feeling is a slow blues of the )tta\ /a kind that Berry thought would impress :: 1.vrics, the Chess brothers when he brought his e nage first dernos to them, ancl had already been ..."*[email protected]

IHUIK BERRY YIIllT,{ffi NOCI iPXEAI, 83 Days from the prer-ious .\larch, t1-re song n,orn glritar passages from Sureer lrttle picks trp the lelentless bcat ol XlLty,belline, Sr-rteen and Jolinn.y -B Goode {licking in his debut chart sr.nash from 1955, ancl out of :r rhr.thm trirck that could t'eatr-rrirg uncler-statecl piano ke1's in the have been lifted flom Too Muclt Monliey backgrounci and gir.ing ura\. to t\\() o\.er- Business. As the belting rhl.thm section amplifiecl gr-rit:rr brcaks, the first picked ti-rr-rnders au.:1). to the accompanimcnt ancl stuttering, the second morc gratirrg of somc r.r.e11-placed piano, the grincling br-rt, disappointinglv-, shorter, :rnc1 facling guitar chorcls sir.e u.av to :r scries of short, olrt at thc cnd of the recorcl. Again, tl-ris innovatir.e ancl or.er-irnrpecl br-rt clelicatcl-v sh ou,c irsecl Bcrrr,'s abilit1, to pla1. er,rt.t" cleliverecl {i11s. Sac111,, as u.itl'r the seconcl rhc l.lrre s R& ts hor rr(l e\ircl'inlerrr ,quiter break t'tn Oh Baby Dol1, the track u,ith other str,les; he u,ould later appe.lr tails off ratl-rer abruptlr. :rs it closes the miming to the sorlg in the n-rovie ,\,ftster rlbum's first sic1c. . Side tu.o opc'ns u'ith Reelit'And Guitar Boogie is the seconcl Rockin' a song u,h ich, b--v the tin-re the irrstrunrcntll ro be includcd onBerrys, album u,as rcleasccl, hacl alreadv been arcl is probabll'bcst-knou,n lor hiu,ing hcard on tirc flipsidc of Sweet Little bccn'adapted' bv Britisl-r gliitarist .Icff Si"rteen. Florn its lou', cloomv ope ninpJ Beck as Je/.ft /3oo[I'e on the self-titlecl gtrirlrr rrote. rnd Lelke'. orrrnipreserrt 1966 Yarcibirds alburn usuallv knou,n as ivories to its thinlv ciisguisecl sexualll- Roger Tlrc Engineer. 1t's been covered suggL'sti\rc l),rics, framccl in the course mar-y times b-v nurlelous a1'tists, irncl of iln exhausting er,enir-rg's clancing. this I-ras also bcen confused u,ith a song of is pure rock ancl ro11. Thc onlv criticism the same name b1. South Carolina-born is that the storyr is too r,r.orcl1., clocking

n.r r-rs i ci ar.l an cl p roelucer Alth ur''(iu i tal in at 10 r.erses, but u.ith no instrunrental l3oogie' Sn-ritl-r (son're sa1. 13...,"r tune \\.as breaks at ail. The song \\ras later coverecl actuallv a nerv take or-r Smith's origir-ral, l-r1, {;".tn and the P:rcemakers atrd, a1t1'rough this is belied orr listcning). f:rnror-rs11,, the Dar.e Cltrrk Five. To sorrre, Gttitar Boogie colres across Jnsti"unc.ntal numbel thlee is In- as clcrivativc, *.ith Bcrrr.'s b1.nor.r, u,ei1- Go, a mid-pacecl blues foot-t:rpper'. As

Beny poses for a portnit at leonard (hess's home in ftiago circa 1958

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ig.. ?et Little Orte Dozen Berrys as'excellent', 'highly cking in After all's said and done there's recommended' and simply'great'. By eould comparison. others conclude that Berrys hMonkey no doubt: the original One is "a pleasant sophomore, but not as n sectioa strong as his debutA,ffer School Session niment or his third release Berry ls On Top", that grinding Dozen Bercys stands alone as a apart from three rock and roll tracks, the ies of shorc. album has "too much filler and is lacking t delicatel5 triumphant rock and roll record in energy and diversiry", observing re second that "the production couid have been he track stronger", and adding that "a remaster oses the with Blue Feeling, it's a fairly standard would have been nice". trlues workout featuring some interplay But after all's said and done there's 'And betvyeen barrelhouse-style piano and no doubt: the original One Dozen Berrys time the Berry's chirpy pieking as well as some stands alone as a triumphant rock and ro11 ly been run-of-the-mi1l guitar lines. As with record. It's true that a few tracks - fn-Go, ',ittle several tunes here, it's a litt1e short and the possibly over-rated GuiLar Boogie and pening could have allowed more room fcrr some the outrageou s Low Feeling - smack of )resent interesting improvisation. rehash with their familiar rhythm and :xually Next up is the album's jewel in the guitar patterns, but the presence ofthree ) course crown. RockAnd Roll Music was the rockin'smash hit singles, plus essential cing, this second single to be included on Berrys, cuts Blue Feeling, La J uanda, Rockin' At criticism having been released in September 1957 The Philharmonic, Reelin' And Rockin' locking and reached +8 on the Hot 100. with (later released a single in its own righr), rumental the more traditional Blue Feeling on the How You've Changed and,It Don't Take :r covered B-side. Chuck is at his best here, goirs But A Few Minufes, ensure thatOne nd, straight in after a minimal intro, extolling Dazen Berrys is a real one.off (for those rock and ro11 over all other music forms not enamoured of the original fruiry : is In- to a pounding syncopated rhythm track cover. Vipvop's 2014 vinyl reissue o[[ers per. As that switches in and out of a Latin tempo, the original 12 track album in a new, interspersed with playful keyboard work. nicely illustrated sleeve). How You've Changed, on the other In these days of CD reissues and hand, is a moody tale of love gone bad downloads, it was inevitable that this that again highlights the diversiry of essential album would fall victim to Berry's approach and his versatility as a the viral impact of the bonus track. songwriter. using a lazy blues background Consequently, the myriad versions to deliver a slow love ballad in the style Srudio tinkering is more successful available include Vinyl Lovers Eu's of one of his musical idols. Nat King on the closing ft Don't Take But A limited edition vinyl import which also Cole. The piano is once again to the Few MinuLes.on which Berry himself features BrounEyed Handsome Man and fore, taking turns with Chuck's dreamy, overdubbed rhe original track with You Can't Catch Me, rnd a 1997 Japanese underlying guitar licks. Later covered second guitar, piano and drums as he reissue that includes alternate takes by The Animals, the song boasts one of knocks out a jaunry debt to his counrry and rernixes ol Johnnie B Coode, Little the sparsest sets oflyrics ever - just nine music roots, its rhythm mimicking the Queenie. Nadine (Is It You?) and You Never lines - as the singer mourrs the loss of his sound of,a banjo, and leaturing more Can Tell. There's also a firrther extended former iover: "You scolded mg caring not guitar/piano interaction and the usual 2010 version ofthis on Universal how my heart grieves..." tale of younglove featuringthe now- Japan, whose incredible 26 tracks add a lf there is a low point to One Dozen familiar geographical touchstones (San profusion of alternate takes and overdubs Berrys, it's the aptly-titled instrumental, Diego, Portland. Maine, Hollywood). It's irom both the Berrysand other unrelated Low Feeling. So-called "studio wizardry" something of a curiosiry but nevertheless sessions, some of which find Chuck has figured frequently in popular music it contributes a cool, loot-tapping close to scolding his band for coming in late. The over the years with varying degrees of an impressive album. relevance of these various releases and success. Sadly, Iow Feeling is something When OneDozenBerrys was released whether they add to or detract frorn the of a travesry in this oeuvre, as producers in March 1958, Billboard pictured the original is debatable. Phil and:l,eonard Chess took the tasteful sleeve and described the album as "a solid However, one thing is cerlain: despite Blue Feeling, slowed the tape to half package of rock and roll sides". Opinions the relentless surge of toda-v's streamed speed and did some extra editing for good seem to have held pretry fast since, with and downloaded extras, the original 1-2 measure. Rather than evoking a darker, AllMusic writer and reissue producer tracks contain ed on One Dozen Berrvs. as moody feel - presumably the originaJ Bruce Eder opining that, hit singles aside. unleashed on an unsuspecting public in intention - this funereal-sounding re- the set was "slightly more sophisticated March 1958, represent a glorious fusion rendering simply sounds like a record than its predecessor", giving "a close-up ofblues, boogie, country swing and Latin running at the wrong speed, doing no look at some of the types of music that go which place it deservedly on the high favours to the otherwise sensational into brewing up the Chuck Berry sound". pedestal of Classic Album. It's not hard to guitar and piano work. Similarly, many web users have described grasp - the clue is in the title. *

CHUCK BERRY YII{TAOI NOffi SPICIAL 85