Chuck Berry - Live at the Fillmore Auditorium

Chuck Berry - 'Live At The Fillmore Auditorium' (Mercury)

Haven't heard this CD in ages, so I obviously had to go dig it up. Didn't realize it was from a 1967 concert, ALSO didn't know that Steve Miller (Joker, Fly Like An Eagle) was with Berry at the time. However, this disc won't likely get too many Steve Miller fans all stoked. After all, it IS a Chuck Berry title, pretty much aimed toward the collectors, die-hards and live lp fans (like myself). Tunes I like best were the Chuck Willis gem "C.C. Rider", Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man" and some of Berry's own gold like "It Hurts Me Too", "Wee Baby Blues" and Mr. Berry's ultimate show-stopper "Johnny B. Goode". Line-up: Chuck Berry-guitar & vocals, Steve Miller-guitar, harmonica & vocals, Lonnie Turner-bass, Jim Peterman-organ & piano and Tim Davis-drums. Worth checking out. November 1, 2008

Chuck with Steve Miller

Just before the Rock And Roll Revival kicked off officially in 1968, two Originators issued live albums in CA, first, Little Richard, a set at the Club Okeh; a bit later Chuck Berry got together with promotor Bill Graham and the Steve Miller Blues Band for this set. Both had excitement...and some anomalous emanations, due to either being over-rehearsed or under-rehearsed. Who knows?
Richard stuck to Rock and Roll; Chuck went with the Blues.
On this Rebound reissue we are treated to *three* previously unreleased [or originally unreleased] tracks, "Good Morning Little SchoolGirl" [a tune that must have meant something to the man, as he unofficially remade it as "Our Little Rendezvous" abd "I Want To Be Your Driver" for Chess Records]; "Reelin' And Rockin'", an early reworking of his "lost" '50s hit, recovered by a coupla guys named Mick and Keith in the '60s, a solid effort by the Father Of R & R and his adopted sons, SMB, on this opus; and, of course, the infamous "My Ding-A-Ling", another early version of his 1972 million-seller. The hit single was altogether better, but this beat has more bounce. The audience doesn't seem to react nearly as much as the later English assemblage, but the Summer Of Lover(s), grooving offa "Revolver" and other more intellectual pressings, perhaps were searching for deeper meanings.
Somewhere along the way, some great sounds are produced, as Berry the great *guitarist* is going to transcend any categorical trappings: note the superb, worldweary, slow take of "C. C. Rider" - this is perhaps the closest thing to Chuck Berry "Soul" music as you're gonna get. He expells some V-8 Ford ash-tray dust from his 41 year old lungs and testifies, whether or not the hippies understand. The rhythm guitar plays a repeated riff, which veers towards novelty, though the hypnotic effect is riveting at times. I'll add Mitch Ryder's rendition to my proverbial "desert island collection" but this one shouldn't be passed off as unnecessary or incongruous to his catalogue.
Jim Peterman's Organ is audible only on "Fillmore Blues" and "Reelin' And Rockin'", which is a shame because it really adds drive. For that matter, his electric piano is also in the distance, on other tracks. Both instruments are not really in the Berry chemistry, but it still seems incredulous that sucha well-working element does get more presence in the mix.
Another issue is in the programming. Yes, it's Rock and Roll meets The Blues, but the feeling is the band should have had to drift over to Berry's side, more than the converse.
Track Number Twelve, listed as "Johnny B. Goode", is really a medley: "Goodnight, Well It's Time To Go" (aka "Bonsoir Cherie"/"Johnny B. Goode"). It's the most exciting track on the set...and is over just a little too soon.
Speaking of "previously unreleased" and "rare" and what have you, it seems that "Wee Baby Blues" took a sudden detour prior to making the team here. Sleuths, get on your gear.
June 1, 2008

Good Stuff, but for Hardcore Berry Fans

Everybody who knows and loves rock and roll knows and loves the one and only Chuck Berry. This is an early 1970s live recording done during that unusual period when so many 50s rockers got a second wind and could command a large audience again. Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chuck Berry were among the rockers capable of reinventing themselves onstage and attracting an excited live audience.

Playing to the west coast hippies, Chuck chose to play blues rather than rock guitar throughout most of this set. I love Chuck as much as anyone, and he's a surprisingly smooth crooner on slow blues tunes. But as a bluesman, he's no Buddy Guy or B.B. King. If you're expecting a collection of superior blues performances or a series of classic blues tunes rocked-up in suitable rockabilly style you will be disappointed.

On the other hand, I am one of the few here who enjoyed Chuck's versions of "My Ding-a-Ling" and "Reelin and Rockin'" but then again I've seen Chuck live and I've always got a kick out of those songs. Throughout, the Steve Miller Band gives Chuck Berry an excellent support and keep this disc on a consistently professional level.

So, if you love Chuck Berry, you'll buy this CD like I did. If you're not a diehard Berry fan, however, you'd better stick with his Greatest Hits. October 27, 2006

NOT ONLY THE KING OF ROCK 'N' ROLL, BUT A BLUES MASTER TOO!

A great live release by Chuck Berry. Sadly, this CD went largely unnoticed.If you are looking for HAIL, HAIL ROCK 'N'ROLL it is not here (just a little bit). This is Chuck at his greasy blues best! Not only is he in killer blues form here, he proves he can ice the blues cake with the best of them. Just check out "Everyday I Have The Blues" & Driftin' Blues". You'll be in BERRY orbit! Steve Miller guests on "It Hurts Me Too". A must for any Berry fan! A+ November 17, 2003

The King Live

I was a tad dissapointed with LIVE AT FILLMORE AUDITORIUM, because I've never been very interested in Berry's slow stuff and there's nearly wall-to-wall true blues on the LP.

On the other hand, it's Chuck Berry, and he IS the king of Rock'n'Roll, so how bad could it possibly be?

When I saw Berry in concert about 15 years ago, he was still doing shows like he'd done for a couple of decades: pickup bands, or just one step better than that, everything in A, and make up the playlist as you go. The band here is Steve Miller's, there is the occasional tune in B or G, and the playlist is surprisingly berift of the better known Berry songs. He focuses instead on slow blues and a couple of drifting jam sessions.

But I could listen to Berry play his wandering leads on that red hollow body all day long. He's occasionally sloppy, but so was Jimmy Page and I liked his stuff too.

A word of warning: the versions of "Reelin' And Rockin'" and "My Ding-A-Ling" are NOT the hit versions. "Reelin' and Rockin'" chugs along just fine; "My Ding-A-Ling" isn't as good as the hit single, which was recorded in the UK...and a lot of people didn't think the hit was too great to begin with. "Johnny B. Goode" is thE disapointment of the album, starting as a slow dirge before shifting into a franticly uptempo mess. September 14, 2002

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