The music of Chuck Berry

[Mithrandir]

So last night i was texting with a group of 8 friends (my "regular" texting group). We have been friends for 30 plus years. We all love music and discuss it constantly.

I texted to them that I was listening to Chuck Berry and every single one of them said that they never or hardly ever listen to his music! Well you could have knocked me over with a feather! I mean these guys are music lovers and they never listen to Chuck! A few even said his music is BORING!! And sound the same....yeah his songs all sound the same...AWESOME!!

Now i know many of you guys here are music lovers extraordinaire and you gotta love Chuck Berry, right?

How the hell is Johnny B Goode boring? Or Sweet Little Sixteen boring???

[madducks]

I like a lot of the 50's music. But, at the same time, the lower sound quality of the studio recordings made back then can be a turnoff for me. A lot of those artists sound so much better in live concert recordings from the 70's & 80's.

[revo]

I can see what they're saying. I like Chuck Berry too -- as well as a handful of other 1950s and early 1960s artists -- but hardly ever listen to their stuff.

[Erik]

I appreciate what his music led to, but I prefer it in small doses.

[Gregg]

I appreciate what his music led to, but I prefer it in small doses.

It is one of the reasons still like radio. I get different artists in small doses. Brings back unexpected good memories.

[DMT]

I listen to his albums regularly.

[Judge Jude]

I saw him at the Ritz in Manhattan for..... I guess it was his 70th birthday in 1996.

he played 2 or 3 songs, then said, "ok, your turn. what do YOU want to hear?"
that was great.

there's an excellent documentary about him a a businessman. most of the other acts got ripped off constantly. there was a time where he was a big enough draw that if he didn't go on stage, the audience would be enraged.

so he'd get a deal for payment in advance, iirc, and then if the cash wasn't in his hand before the curtain opened - he ain't playing

[Gregg]

I listen to his albums regularly.

I was surprised to read this. Not sure why but it made me smile.

[madducks]

0:18 - Roll Over Beethoven
4:53 - School Day
8:46 - Sweet Little Sixteen
11:45 - Memphis, Tennessee
16:26 - Too Much Monkey Business
20:06 - South Of The Border
22:08 - Beer Drinkin' Woman
26:41 - Let It Rock
32:18 - Mean Old World
39:54 - Carol
43:56 - Rock And Roll Music
46:20 - Liverpool Drive
49:36 - Promised Land
51:46 - Reelin' And Rockin'
59:32 - Nadine (Is It You?)
1:01:17 - My Ding-A-Ling
1:12:15 - Bye Bye Johnny/Bonsoir chérie/Johnny B. Goode

[DMT]

I was surprised to read this. Not sure why but it made me smile.

Keep the good vibes flowing!

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[senorsheep]

His music was surely mind-blowing to kids in the 50's raised on middle-aged crooners and big bands. Removed from that historical context, his formula is pretty basic and repetitive, so I get the "boring" criticism from modern music listeners. Like all rock pioneers, his sound has been dwarfed creatively, technically, and technologically by what has come since.

I used to have his greatest hits collection on vinyl. I didn't feel the need to replace it when I went digital. I don't seek out his music now, but it is kind of cool when one of his songs pops up unexpectedly (e.g. You Never Can Tell in Pulp Fiction).

[Teenwolf]

One of the most common misconceptions about music is that it continues to "get worse". I believe decades in music represent building blocks, and the buildings always get cooler.

In college, I was obsessed with Captain Beefheart, but I'm more into seeing what the modern day equivalents of those who push boundaries are. Danny Brown's "Atrocity Exhibition" is this generation's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Trout Mask Replica"... CLPPNG or Death Grips certainly push more boundaries than rock bands of the 70's because they have a much more diverse set of influences to draw upon. I can also see how modern production would be viewed as soulless, but I dont have any contemporaneous nostalgia for anything pre 1985, and that clearly shades my perspective.

[Fresno Bob]

I like Chuck Berry better than the Beatles

[dslaw]

One of the few artists that both my dad and I like. Haven't got my kid into Berry other than 'My Ding-a-Ling' which is a failure on my part. Great music that not only stands overt time but also influenced so many early rock groups.

Berry was in Park City and I was going to go but wound up in the hospital that week and was in no shape to go to a concert. One of those 'I will make sure to see him next time' only there was no next time.

[Redbirds Fan]

"Maybellene" has always been my favorite.

When it was released in 1955, my father drove from his home in south Arkansas to Little Rock in the middle of the night so he could be at the record store when it opened to buy a copy. This was an impressive example of fandom considering the fact that he didn't own a record player.