Here we go, Chuck Berry, the biggest influence on rock 'n' roll music there is!! Now this greatest hits was released in 1964 and includes all the staple Berry tunes, no surprises there. Berry's music didn't just have an impact on rock 'n' roll, he was a key figure in the integration of the United States, all because he was able to draw and relate to audiences of all races, not through political lyrics, but killer guitar riffs. We all know the typical Berry hits,
Johnny B Goode,
Roll Over Beethoven,
Rock 'n' Roll Music, yadda yadda ... My picks of interest are
Maybellene,
Thirty Days, and
Memphis. The first two are pretty much the same song, loud, fast rock 'n' roll numbers, makes me think of the Ramones of the 50's.
Memphis is in my mind Chuck Berry's greatest song. Why? For starters the eerie bass line that carries the whole tune, followed by brilliant Berry guitar picking. The best part of the track are the great lyrics about a dialogue with the telephone operator trying to get in touch with his daughter, because his wife left him ... he goes on to describe they're last moment together and that the child, Marie, tried to contact him, he wasn't there, she left a message, but didn't leave her number, so he calls the operator, and all he knows is that she lives in Memphis, Tennessee. Whoa! It is a far cry from his usual tunes about teen culture or rock 'n' roll parties, but on
Memphis Berry goes straight for the jugular of emotion and makes it work for him ... big time ... eerie sound and sad lyrics, done so well that none of the cover versions could ever touch it. So all Hail Chuck Berry the king of Rock 'n' Roll!
