A pair of 70s albums from the great
Chuck Berry – back to back on a single CD! First up is Bio – an overlooked early 70s set from the legendary
Chuck Berry – one that has him in a really great setting that shows just how much
Chuck continued to grow over the years! Sure, plenty of folks would have been content to live off their early hits – especially if those hits were as great as
Berry's – but
Chuck seems to be an even better guitarist here than usual, and hits all these great bluesy currents in the company of a small combo that features members of the group Elephant's Memory, who provide
Berry with backing on most of the tracks. Things are nice and lean down – more blues than soul or funk – and titles include "Aimlessly Driftin", "Bio", "Woodpecker", "Rain Eyes", and "Talkin Bout My Baby". The
Chuck Berry 75 set is nicely earthy work from
Chuck Berry – one of those records that represented part of the continuing evolution of the guitar genius from his early years – which here seems to have
Chuck maybe picking up a bit of a swamp rock vibe at times! The set was recorded in New York, but there's some southern currents in the rhythms too – and
Berry even plays a bit of piano at times, with a heavy hand that seems to draw a lot from the Louisiana scene. Ingrid
Berry Gibson joins
Berry on vocals on a few cuts – and titles include "I'm Just A Name", "My Babe", "A Deuce", "Too Late", "South Of The Border", "Sue Answer", "Baby What You Want Me To Do", and "I'm Just A Name".