Chuck Berry - Blues

Muddy Waters was his mentor, Willie Dixon his session bassist. Reversing Elvis Presley (a country kid who aspired to sing the blues), Chuck Berry was a blues musicians aspiring to play country. There have been Presley blues compilations, so it's only fitting that this co-founder of rock & roll should finally get his own. Ironically, Blues kicks off with a total rocker, "House of Blue Lights," which the Flamin' Groovies used as the blueprint for their classic cover, just as the Rolling Stones used this version of "Down the Road Apiece" as the mold for their own. "Route 66," however, is pure Nat King Cole, another Berry hero. Also imcluded are covers of Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love To You," Charles Brown's "Driftin' Blues," and several relatively obscure Berry originals, including "Wee Wee Hours," the B-side to his first single. Climaxed by a tribute to his beloved hometown via W.C. Handy's classic "St. Louis Blues," Blues stands out as one of the most unique Berry compilations, offering a glimpse of the artist's musical roots. --Bill Holdship Amazon.com

The Great Chuck Berry!!

I grew up in the 6o's lovin Chuck Berry music & I still listen to him a lot, but this cd caught me by surprise. This is one of the best blues cd's I've listen to in a while. Chuck did a great job on recordin this 1. Back then, you only heard a portion of the great music, now days they put everything out on cd's, unbeliveable of the music we missed out on. Hey, ya can't go wrong on this cd, it's awesome. March 3, 2008

Berry does the blues

all and all this was a pretty good album, but not a great one. I liked this album because he does some good covers of old blues classics and I am a HUGE blues fan and a HUGE Chuck Berry fan. I don't give it a 5 star rating because i do think Chuck is better as a rock and roller than as a blues musician, but all and all a good album i enjoy listening to it and am glad i got it. June 1, 2007

Good Stuff Here!

Not a single one of Chuck Berry's greatest hits can be found here. Instead, we're treated to mostly cover versions that Chuck used to fill out his original LP releases in the 1950s. All of the material is worth hearing because Chuck Berry plays them like Chuck Berry Songs. If you love Berry's riffing and chugging rhythm, you're going to love this CD. It provides a welcome compliment to the more widely available Greatest Hits packages readily available elsewhere. Given that none of these tracks are going to get played on oldies radio any time soon, they possess a freshness that many of Chuck's better-known songs have sadly lost. As a bonus, there's a booklet with liner notes that (for a change) seem to be accurate.

For what it's worth, my favorite track on this CD is "Worried Life Blues."
April 1, 2007

Mixed blessing

The British label Ace had a similarly themed compilation out over a decade ago, entitled On The Blues Side, but theirs had a rather more generous 21 tracks, and a playing time of over 55 minutes. That compares favourably with the 40 minutes on offer here, and so remains the better buy, especially as it has more comprehensive liner notes.
If there are specific titles that you are after, though, Blues does have a couple not to be found on On The Blues Side. These are his version of Ella Mae Morse's House Of Blue Lights (unreleased until Chuck Berry's Golden Decade Vol. 3), How You've Changed (from One Dozen Berries, and covered at the time by the Animals), St Louis Blues (from Chuck Berry In London), Route 66 (from New Jukebox Hits, and the arrangement that was used as the basis for subsequent covers by such as the Stones and Dr Feelgood) and, most interestingly, his little known train song All Aboard. This out and out gem appeared previously on Chuck Berry On Stage, when it was drenched in fake audience effects, and appears here in its unadulterated studio form for the first time. October 2, 2006

Chuck Berry Plays The Blues...

This collection showcases an interesting aspect of the music of the "King Of Rock and Roll" by highlighting his blues oriented material from the early 1960's. Although Berry is not known primarily as a blues musician, he actually had formidable blues chops both as a singer and guitar player. The obvious connection between rock and roll and the blues doesn't make this fact very surprising. Many of the songs on this collection feature blues legend Willie Dixon on bass and Hubert Sumlin on guitar. I love Berry's version of "Wee Wee Hours", which is a great late night blues rendition. "Sweet Sixteen" is another one of my favorites, a mellow slow blues with an excellent vocal and guitar part by Berry. Although this is not necessarily essential listening for those interested in Chuck Berry's music, this disc is an enjoyable listen and I would recommend it to any fan of the blues. March 27, 2006

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