Chuck Berry
Chess 2CH-1514
1967
Unless you are a big fan, "The Great Twenty-Eight" is probably the only Chuck Berry album you need to own. It is the definitive vinyl comp for Berry although there are several CD comps that have a lot more songs on them, most of which are far from essential. I consider Berry a genius, but his albums are pretty spotty. Prior to the release of "The Great Twenty-Eight" this was the best Berry compilation. It has fake electronically altered stereo which I know bothers some purists, but I'm generally okay with that although I do prefer mono. I rescued this album from a thrift store. It was in the bin with the usual thrift store vinyl dreck and although the cover was a little beat up, I took pity on it and decided to give it a good home even though I really didn't need it. It was the first and best of the three "Golden Decade" comps, all of which are 24 track double record sets. The majority of his most famous songs are on here but it is missing a few essential classics like "Carol" and "Little Queenie" (both on the second set.) Unless you are a casual fan you'd have to buy both of the first and second "Golden Decade" sets to get all the Berry you need to have. This is lots of fun, one great song after another although there are few duds. "Deep Feeling" and "Wee Wee Hours" are reminders that it was a good thing Berry invented rock and roll because he never would have made it as a bluesman. I don't care much for "Anthony Boy" or "Havana Moon" and I could easily think of a dozen other Berry songs that are better, but this is a minor quibble since there are so many classic songs on here besides the 4 misses, it is still an impressive collection. Recommended to people who can't find "The Great Twenty-Eight" - everyone who likes rock should own these songs in one form or another.
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