#51 Chuck Berry, 'The Great Twenty-Eight' (1982)

Previously #21

Doing exactly what it says on the tin, ‘The Great Twenty-Eight’ compiles the 28 greatest singles of the “Father Of Rock,” Chuck Berry. Berry was a major influence on my own life. Marty McFly’s performance of ‘Johnny B. Goode’ in ‘Back To The Future’ was the actual reason I picked up a guitar myself and fell down the very deep rabbit hole of music. Seeing that performance when I was about 4-years-old was a major point in my life. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to visit Chess Studios in Chicago, and the feeling of standing in the very studio where Berry recorded all these songs was like nothing I’d felt before. As it was a quiet day, we had a semi-private tour with one other couple. The tour guide, a guy in his late 20s, relayed a story to us about how when Berry was signed to Chess in 1955 he was given a big advance. 29-years-old at the time, his instinct was to blow it all on cars, booze and whatever else a 29-year-old that’s just come into money would blow it on. Chess’s in-house bass player, Willie Dixon advised him that as it was an advance, he would need to pay it back and it wasn’t free money. He advised Berry to invest it wisely and spend it properly on his music, which he did. Our tour guide said “ask me how I know this.” I took the bait. “Chuck told me himself. I interviewed him for a school project.” There was a pregnant pause, the tour guide practically begging me to ask. “How did you manage to interview him?,” I asked. “Oh, he was a friend of my Grandpa.” “Alright, I’ll bite. How did your grandpa know him?” “Oh, well, my grandpa was Willie Dixon.” He then motioned to a double bass standing the in the corner of the studio. “That was his. Wanna play it?” “HELL YES!” A life highlight, playing the bassline to ‘Johnny B. Goode’ on the double bass on which it was originally recorded.

Anyway, I digress. This collection of songs changed the face of music as we know it. Chuck Berry was a major influence on, amongst many, The Beatles, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Buddy Holly and The Beach Boys. The Beatles would cover songs like ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ and ‘Rock and Roll Music,’ The Beach Boys ripped off ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ on ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ And speaking of ripping off his music, do these lyrics from ‘You Can’t Catch Me’ sound familiar? “Here come a flat-top, he was moving up with me.” Slow the song down slightly, tweak the lyrics to “Here come old flat top/He come grooving up slowly,” and you get The Beatles’ ‘Come Together.’ Big Seven, the publisher of the song, threatened a lawsuit against John Lennon. It was settled out of court and the result was that Lennon recorded the album ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ a collection of covers owned by that publisher, including the infringing song. Berry was the first great guitar showman (Angus Young “borrowed his duck walk and made it his own), he was the essence of rock ‘n roll and without him who knows what music would look like today. I have no doubt that so many artists wouldn’t have been inspired to pick up the guitar and start playing music had it not been for Chuck Berry.

#rs500albums