The true poet of rock ‘n’roll who put more into his songs than many a Hollywood director has put into film. No one else has encapsulated life as a teenager in the way he did. RIP, you old bugger.
Its nice to see that Johnny B Goode and Roll Over Beethoven are trending on Twitter tonight. No mention of THAT song
I love the Hail Hail Rock n Roll film and the deluxe DVD with extra footage including with Fats Domino and Little Richard meetup is history making stuff
saw him at the Free trade Hall Manchester in 1975..place was jam packed with Teddy Boys who were none too impressed when Chuck unplugged and bid goodnight after 45 minutes!!!!!
I posted on the AW on the occasion of Chuck’s 90th birthday to point our that he was one of the great lyricists. It takes great skill to make every syllable of an apparently simple lyric contribute to the song’s rhythm like this:
I left my home in Norfolk Virginia,
California on my mind.
Straddled that Greyhound, rode him past Raleigh,
On across Caroline.
…
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia,
Tidewater four ten O nine
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin’
And the poor boy’s on the line.
One of the great originals, in not one but many ways. He invented a guitar style which is plundered daily by millions (guity m’lud). He showed the work ethic needed to succeed – lying around at home is bad business, and he understood decades before many that it is a business. No one ripped off Chuck once he got his act together. He also understood you need a thing – the duck walk, again, is as Instant Chuck as the Johnny B Goode intro. And as Gatz says, he wrote the best poetic lyrics of is generation, bar none. In many ways he was a dodgy geezer – bores will claim he nicked everything off Johnny Johnson, he was a crook, pervert, rip off artist etc. But he wrote and played better rock n roll than anyone in his prime, including the King. And he wrote great songs. “You never can tell” has only two chords but you’d never know. It has a fantastic melody and half the lyrics are in French. This is the one song I played with the band on my wedding day…
FFS does that mean a three chord song is now a SIX chord song because you distinguish between a straight major chord and a dominant seventh? Are we in arse periscope land or what?
As i said,”if” you include the seventh chord, it’s 3. I was not didactic about it. I personally would class a 7th chord as a different chord, since the musical/harmonic effect is intentionally distinct. But your opinion is as valid as mine. Calme toi!
One of my favourites, and Twang has explained why better than I will. But I’ve a feeling that without him loads of stuff I hold dear to my heart would not have come to pass. History would quite literally have sounded differently.
One of the best. But it doesn’t feel sad, because he lived a long, full life, he made the money, he got the accolades, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t care one bit about the less flattering parts of his reputation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9nlZaAj8mU
Saw him on a package tour in a large arena ca 2002 with Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. His reputation was to give half arsed performances with a barely rehearsed pick up band, but actually he was outstanding. He was 76 then but easily outshone the other two.
Chuck Berry. My first ever gig. 1982(ish). In of all places, Irvine Magnum.
Me 17 with a hall full of Teds (where did they come from?).
An hour with a pick up band and then off on the dot.
He doesn’t seem to have been the loveliest of men, but what a legacy he leaves behind. Every two bit guitar player on the planet owes a debt to Chuck.
Sad to hear of his passing here as both of the opening posts reporting his death sounded so glib and cheap.
A bona fide genius.
Flawed as a person beyond doubt, but what a sound, what lyrics!
I was taken to see him at The Albert Hall in ’76 ( still in his snazzy shirt era & my 2nd ever gig) & he was terrific.
Like many others I had his ‘Motorvatin” complilation & later the ‘ Golden Decade’ double – they were old then but still 10 times more fresh & sexy than virtually anything in the charts.
He is hugely underrated as a lyricist – I honestly think for sheer enjoyment he’s only pipped by Cole Porter. Hopefully the appreciation will grow in time –
If in doubt, check out ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’ or his ‘ civil rights song’ ‘Promised Land’
‘ We had motor trouble that turned into a struggle
Half way across Alabam
And that hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham’
Tell me anybody else who could encapsulate the struggle of Rosa Parks, MLK et al in
2 couplets – as I said, genius.
RIP you dreadful, magnificent old sod.
Not too much to add to the comments above, but he was a genius. Would have probably been a footnote without the early 60s groups picking up on his songs – I heard about him through the Beatles and the Stones, and even Dave Berry had a hit with Memphis Tennessee, and then he had a second wind with hit No Particular Place To Go etc. Should be some good stuff on the TV coming up!
It’s not simply just a case of ‘artist vs person’ though, is it? Who apart from committed shock-junkies is making a case for Charles Manson along those lines? And could you listen to the Lostprophets and easily divorce artist from person? I’d suggest not.
Isn’t it more to do with questioning whether their bad deeds outweigh the joy they’ve brought mankind? And with Berry the answer is no, they don’t.
The words ‘great’ and ‘genius’ are thrown around far too much nowadays. For Charles Edward Berry they are entirely appropriate. We wouldn’t be here without him.
Fifer says
The true poet of rock ‘n’roll who put more into his songs than many a Hollywood director has put into film. No one else has encapsulated life as a teenager in the way he did. RIP, you old bugger.
ganglesprocket says
I saw him a few years ago. He played My Ding A Ling. I really wish he hadn’t.
But he also played Rock And Roll Music…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XSaKQlBZuE
DogFacedBoy says
Its nice to see that Johnny B Goode and Roll Over Beethoven are trending on Twitter tonight. No mention of THAT song
I love the Hail Hail Rock n Roll film and the deluxe DVD with extra footage including with Fats Domino and Little Richard meetup is history making stuff
mikethep says
Even the Daily Mail resisted the temptation to celebrate the MDALH.
Bartleby says
Sad news. A genuine innovator. At least while working with Johnnie Johnson. Hits aside, he played a mean blues cover:
https://youtu.be/Ls5byhxZe6w
colrow26 says
saw him at the Free trade Hall Manchester in 1975..place was jam packed with Teddy Boys who were none too impressed when Chuck unplugged and bid goodnight after 45 minutes!!!!!
mikethep says
Yes, he had form in that regard.
DogFacedBoy says
And of course THIS for us 80s kids
Gatz says
I posted on the AW on the occasion of Chuck’s 90th birthday to point our that he was one of the great lyricists. It takes great skill to make every syllable of an apparently simple lyric contribute to the song’s rhythm like this:
Billybob Dylan says
The best version of one of – if not the best – rock & roll song. Ever.
RIP Chuck
Twang says
One of the great originals, in not one but many ways. He invented a guitar style which is plundered daily by millions (guity m’lud). He showed the work ethic needed to succeed – lying around at home is bad business, and he understood decades before many that it is a business. No one ripped off Chuck once he got his act together. He also understood you need a thing – the duck walk, again, is as Instant Chuck as the Johnny B Goode intro. And as Gatz says, he wrote the best poetic lyrics of is generation, bar none. In many ways he was a dodgy geezer – bores will claim he nicked everything off Johnny Johnson, he was a crook, pervert, rip off artist etc. But he wrote and played better rock n roll than anyone in his prime, including the King. And he wrote great songs. “You never can tell” has only two chords but you’d never know. It has a fantastic melody and half the lyrics are in French. This is the one song I played with the band on my wedding day…
Good rocking tonight in the hot place.
Bartleby says
3 if you include the G7. Writes A Bore 😉
mikethep says
Just listened to it, and for the life of me I can’t hear a third chord.
Mousey says
“You Never Can Tell” has two chords, C and G7
Podicle says
I think our learned gent is counting G7 and G major as two separate chords.
Mousey says
It’s two chords. C and G.
FFS does that mean a three chord song is now a SIX chord song because you distinguish between a straight major chord and a dominant seventh? Are we in arse periscope land or what?
Bartleby says
As i said,”if” you include the seventh chord, it’s 3. I was not didactic about it. I personally would class a 7th chord as a different chord, since the musical/harmonic effect is intentionally distinct. But your opinion is as valid as mine. Calme toi!
Twang says
Nah. There are only 2. Least the way I play it.
mikethep says
Here’s the lounge version.
Cmaj7x2/Em7x2/Am7x2/Em7x2/C/Cmaj7/C6/C
Cmaj7x2/Em7x2/Am7x2/Em7/Cdim/Dm7x2/G7
Etc.
IanP says
One of my favourites, and Twang has explained why better than I will. But I’ve a feeling that without him loads of stuff I hold dear to my heart would not have come to pass. History would quite literally have sounded differently.
Locust says
One of the best. But it doesn’t feel sad, because he lived a long, full life, he made the money, he got the accolades, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t care one bit about the less flattering parts of his reputation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9nlZaAj8mU
dai says
Saw him on a package tour in a large arena ca 2002 with Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. His reputation was to give half arsed performances with a barely rehearsed pick up band, but actually he was outstanding. He was 76 then but easily outshone the other two.
carabara says
Chuck Berry. My first ever gig. 1982(ish). In of all places, Irvine Magnum.
Me 17 with a hall full of Teds (where did they come from?).
An hour with a pick up band and then off on the dot.
He doesn’t seem to have been the loveliest of men, but what a legacy he leaves behind. Every two bit guitar player on the planet owes a debt to Chuck.
Sad to hear of his passing here as both of the opening posts reporting his death sounded so glib and cheap.
Arthur Cowslip says
Chuck Berry at the Magnum??? Wow. All I ever saw there were magic shows and cartoons.
carabara says
I know….it was kind of surreal. Apparently The Smiths played there too, but I missed that one.
Junglejim says
A bona fide genius.
Flawed as a person beyond doubt, but what a sound, what lyrics!
I was taken to see him at The Albert Hall in ’76 ( still in his snazzy shirt era & my 2nd ever gig) & he was terrific.
Like many others I had his ‘Motorvatin” complilation & later the ‘ Golden Decade’ double – they were old then but still 10 times more fresh & sexy than virtually anything in the charts.
He is hugely underrated as a lyricist – I honestly think for sheer enjoyment he’s only pipped by Cole Porter. Hopefully the appreciation will grow in time –
If in doubt, check out ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’ or his ‘ civil rights song’ ‘Promised Land’
‘ We had motor trouble that turned into a struggle
Half way across Alabam
And that hound broke down and left us all stranded
In downtown Birmingham’
Tell me anybody else who could encapsulate the struggle of Rosa Parks, MLK et al in
2 couplets – as I said, genius.
RIP you dreadful, magnificent old sod.
mikethep says
Here’s Chuck at the top of his game, despite the galumphing middle-aged jazzers backing him.
https://www.facebook.com/heppestofthehep/videos/766383286833668/
mikethep says
Won’t let me share, dammit. Look for Heppest of the Hep on Facebook.
NigelT says
Not too much to add to the comments above, but he was a genius. Would have probably been a footnote without the early 60s groups picking up on his songs – I heard about him through the Beatles and the Stones, and even Dave Berry had a hit with Memphis Tennessee, and then he had a second wind with hit No Particular Place To Go etc. Should be some good stuff on the TV coming up!
Kid Dynamite says
Johnny B Goode was one of the pieces of music included on the golden disc that went with Voyager. Saturday Night Live predicted the alien response
Sitheref2409 says
Just to be clear: godfather of rock ‘n roll, and the Yewtree-type stuff is a pass?
MC Escher says
Not sure how clear that comment is, in fact. If you mean what I think you mean, are you really doing the artist vs person thing again?
God bless Chuck Berry.
Leicester Bangs says
It’s not simply just a case of ‘artist vs person’ though, is it? Who apart from committed shock-junkies is making a case for Charles Manson along those lines? And could you listen to the Lostprophets and easily divorce artist from person? I’d suggest not.
Isn’t it more to do with questioning whether their bad deeds outweigh the joy they’ve brought mankind? And with Berry the answer is no, they don’t.
MC Escher says
Well quite. Perhaps I should have said “worthwile artist” but I thought that was implicit.
Sitheref2409 says
I think there is a tendency to excuse certain acts, which is understandable.
Breaching the Mann Act I thought we felt was kinda above and beyond. Unless you’re Chuck Berry in which case ….ssshhhhh. Not going to mention that.
deramdaze says
Fawlty Towers wasn’t it?
“It’s alright, it’s alright, I mentioned Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco in the turgid 1970s…..but I think I got away with it.”
count jim moriarty says
The words ‘great’ and ‘genius’ are thrown around far too much nowadays. For Charles Edward Berry they are entirely appropriate. We wouldn’t be here without him.
Kaisfatdad says
Chuck goes jazz at Newport. The clarinet solo seems strangely out of place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBAw-_oEW78
Just stumbled across these marvelous clips of Chuck on French telly in 1958. A joy!
Even la rive gauche are rocking.