The Great Twenty-Eight by Chuck Berry (CD, Jan-1984, Chess USA)

Many of the greatest Rock'n'Roll songs ever recorded are on this CD !

Unless you're very young or you've been living on another planet for the past 50 years; you probably already know that.

On the off chance that you fit into either one of those categories; or that you simply never had the opportunity to hear REAL Rock'n'Roll, here's the story:

Chuck Berry, more than anyone else, wrote the Rock'n'Roll songbook. He wrote more R'n'R classics, or standards if you prefer, than anyone else.

Chuck was handsome, dressed well, played beautiful Gibson guitars and also incorporated stage moves such as the Duck Walk into his shows. He contributed as much as or possibly more than anyone else to the image of Rock'n'Roll. Musicians always present some kind of visual style to the world, whether on record covers and advertisements or onstage. It's not as important as the music, but the visual aspect is part of the culture of Rock'n'roll, and ultimately an integral part of the art of the genre.

Chuck Berry has a great voice for Rock'n'Roll music, and he is a great singer. It's true that his range is somewhat limited; but the tone quality of his voice is just right. Chuck is one of the greatest Rock'n'Roll singers of all time; and can also sing Pop, Country, Blues, and Soul very well.

Chuck Berry is the most influential Rock'n'Roll (and probably R&B) guitar player of all time. There may be faster and more fluid Rock guitarists; but everyone studied and learned Chuck's guitar licks-- from Jimmy Page to Jimi Hendrix-- from John Lennon to John Fogerty-- from Johnny Winter to Johnny Thunders-- from Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison to Dave Edmunds and Alvin Lee-- and Leslie West, the Grateful Dead, the MC5, Brownsville Station, and a million other guitar players-- great and small. And more than any other band: the Rolling Stones. Chuck's influence on Pop, Rock, Country, and Blues guitar players is staggering, almost incomprehensibly so.

There are probably other Chuck Berry CDs available which have better, remastered sound than The Great Twenty Eight; but I have to say that the song selection on this release is close to perfect.

This CD is a satisfying representation of Chuck Berry's monumental musical legacy.