Chuck Berry Is on Top

by Chuck Berry

Overview

If you had to sweat all of Chuck Berry's early albums on Chess (and some, but not all, of his subsequent greatest-hits packages), this would be the one to own. The song lineup is exemplary, cobbling together classics like "Maybellene," "Carol," "Sweet Little Rock & Roller," "Little Queenie," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Around and Around," "Johnny B. Goode," and "Almost Grown." With the addition of the Latin-flavored "Hey Pedro," the steel guitar workout "Blues for Hawaiians," "Anthony Boy," and "Jo Jo Gunne," this serves as almost a mini-greatest-hits package in and of itself. While this may be merely a collection of singles and album ballast (as were most rock & roll LPs of the 1950s and early '60s), it ends up being the most perfectly realized of Chuck Berry's career. ~ Cub Koda

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/1990
Label:	Chess / Mca
UPC:	0076731126029
Rank:	63812

Tracks

1. Almost Grown
2. Carol
3. Maybellene
4. Sweet Little Rock & Roller
5. Anthony Boy
6. Johnny B. Goode
7. Little Queenie
8. Jo Jo Gunne
9. Roll over Beethoven
10. Around and Around
11. Hey Pedro
12. Blues for Hawaiians

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chuck Berry   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Lead Vocals,Guitar (Steel)
Jasper Thomas   Vocals (Background),Drums,Vocals
Willie Dixon   Bass,Vocals,Double Bass,Vocals (Background)
Eddie Hardy   Drums
Chester Simmons   Vocals (Background)
Leroy Davis   Sax (Tenor)
Chuck Barksdale   Vocals (Background)
James Nolan   Vocals (Background)
Reese Palmer   Vocals (Background)
Melvin Billups   Drums
The Marquees   Vocals (Background)
Bo Diddley   Guitar
Johnnie Johnson   Piano
George "Harmonica" Smith   Bass
Vincent Pitts   Trumpet
Leonard Chess   Maracas
Marvin Gaye   Vocals (Background)
Jerome Green   Maracas
Odie Payne, Jr.   Drums
The Moonglows   Vocals (Background)
Otis Spann   Piano,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Harvey Fuqua   Vocals (Background)
Bob Bushnell   Bass (Electric)
Lafayette Leake   Piano
Fred Below   Drums
Etta James   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

John Sippel   Liner Notes
Don Kamerer   Liner Notes
Chuck Berry   Composer
Russell Fratto   Composer
Leonard Chess   Producer
Phil Chess   Producer
Alan Freed   Composer