A great collection of lesser-known gems from
Chuck Berry – four albums from his post-Chess time at Mercury Records – where he was really cutting some unusual material! First up is
Chuck Berry In Memphis – a funky little record from
Chuck Berry – one that has him picking up a bit of Memphis soul, but in ways that are nicely different from the sound of Stax and Hi Records!
Berry's guitar work still gets plenty of play, but there's also a nice current of deep soul in the overall arrangements – moving him more from the rocking style of the Chess years, and more towards a southern soul scene, and with some surprisingly bluesy currents too. Titles include "Check Me Out", "Bring Another Drink", "Back To Memphis", "I Do Really Love You", "Goodnight Well It's Time To Go", and "My Heart Will Always Belong To You". Next is Live At The Fillmore – a set that stands as a strong tribute to the way the early work of
Chuck Berry continued to influence a generation of rockers well through the 60s!
Berry's the frontman, and gets plenty of chance to sing and sear on guitar – and the backing band is actually the combo of a young Steve Miller – soon to explode in fame of his own, but here very respectful to
Chuck! Wally Heider recorded the set – and it's definitely one of the headier
Chuck Berry moments of the 60s – but mostly because the live setting allows things to get a bit looser, and even grittier. Miller plays guitar, and Jim Peterman turns in lots of great work on organ and electric piano – and titles include "Flying Home", "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", "CC Rider", "Feelin It", "Wee Baby Blues", "Hoochie Coochie Man", and "Driftin Blues". Next is From St Louie To Frisco – a real back-to-basics record from
Chuck Berry – produced by the man himself, with a lean, stripped-down vibe that almost goes back to his earlier work at Chess Records! There's definitely a few 60s soul currents in the mix, but in the best way possible – helping
Berry mature his sound a bit, but without turning it towards any easy crossover gimmicks – which means that there's still a lot of bluesy elements at the core, and
Chuck's charms really come through on both his vocals and guitar. Titles include "Louie To Frisco", "Ma Dear", "The Love I Lost", "Rock Cradle Rock", "Misery", and "I Can't Believe". Last up is Concert Be Goode – a real cooker for Mercury! Side one has
Berry working in a cool hybrid of blues and soul, but with some very weird production – handled by
Chuck himself, with almost a nod towards the way that the younger generation was messing up electric blues a bit with their rock experiments.
Chuck uses a bit of unusual echo here and there, but still nicely avoids any cliched attempts to cash in with a rock blues mode – and then on side two, he really gets crazy – by offering up a side-long song that runs for over 18 minutes in length – the mighty "Concerto In B Goode", which is one hell of a guitar-heavy jam! Other shorter titles include "Good Looking Woman", "It's Too Dark In There", "Put Her Down", and "My Woman".