Chuck Berry - After School Session (LP)

Product specifications

Details

Album

After School Session

Artist

Chuck Berry

LP release year

2022

Album release date

May 1, 1957

Label

Not Now Music

EAN

5060397602299

Available

No

Product information

Format

LP

Quantity

1 piece(s)

Type

Reissue

Mono or stereo

Stereo

Duration

32 min

Tracks

12 tracks

Weight

180g

EAN

EAN

5060397602299

Other

Limited Edition

No

Country

UK

Genre

Rockabilly

Box set

No

Remastered

No

Reissue

Yes

• Chuck's Classic Compilation

  5 out of 5 stars
  Vv-Vigepc-SigMay 6, 2024United States🇺🇸

  You truly can't make a bad choice with any of Chuck's 50's & early 60's LPs, but this particular one is a genuine classic. It's basically a compilation of tracks from his singles, but there are some fantastic B-Sides here that don't receive the recognition they deserve.

• 70s Chess Records Revival

  4 out of 5 stars
  TobPiqcihtijMarch 31, 2024United States🇺🇸

  This chess label is a throwback to the '70s era. It's linked to the GRT Record Group.

• Turntable Skipping Disappointment

  1 out of 5 stars
  tijecgsuhgmJanuary 28, 2024United States🇺🇸

  I'm not certain if it's only my unit or the AT 120 turntable, but there's skipping happening all the time. Really let down.

• Chuck Berry's Rock and Roll Masterpiece

  5 out of 5 stars
  xojunhaxJanuary 9, 2024United Kingdom🇬🇧

  Every classic rock and roll enthusiast must have this album in their collection. While Chuck Berry's only mainstream hit was the rather lackluster 'My Ding-A-Ling', he crafted at least two full albums packed with other artists' hits. I firmly believe Chuck Berry is the true 'King of Rock and Roll'. His guitar playing essentially laid the foundation for the genre. Unlike Elvis Presley, Chuck wrote his own songs, and his lyrics often reached poetic heights, painting vivid pictures with lines like 'coffee colored Cadillacs' and 'hurry home drop tears'. This debut album for Chess Records showcases five genuine Berry masterpieces. Side one opens with one of the earliest rock and roll anthems, 'School Days', featuring the insightful lyric 'and the guy behind you won't leave you alone'. The thrilling conclusion, with Chuck proclaiming 'hail, hail rock and roll', perfectly captures the excitement of this new musical form. 'Too Much Monkey Business' highlights Chuck's signature rapid-fire delivery of witty lyrics, later emulated by Dylan in 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'. The verses vividly depict the daily frustrations of teenage life: 'Same thing everyday, gettin' up, go to school, no need to be complaining, my objection's overruled.' Absolutely brilliant. 'No Money Down' is yet another Berry song centered around automobiles. It's a testament to Berry's clever wordplay that you can't always tell if he's singing about a car or a girl, so intense are the emotions conveyed. (It would've been fantastic to include 'Maybellene' in this collection.) 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man' is a celebration of black pride that's neither overbearing nor in-your-face, unlike many lesser artists' attempts. Once again, the songwriting is exceptional. While countless songs of the time relied on simplistic rhymes, Berry penned lines like 'Milo Venus was a beautiful lass, she had the world in the palm of her hand. She lost both her arms in a wrestling match to meet a brown eyed handsome man'. Even today, one of the oddest songs I've ever heard is the lesser-known Berry track 'Downbound Train'. A chilling tale of a drunkard's nightmare, it's like a 'Twilight Zone' episode condensed into under three minutes. 'Havana Moon' offers an island-inspired rhythm along with some blues instrumentals. Personally, I find the blues numbers to be the weaker tracks. Chuck Berry truly shined in the realm of rock and roll. A man of remarkable style and intelligence, Chuck Berry wasn't a technical virtuoso, and he's been improvising live performances for decades. It's enough that he is Chuck Berry. And this might just be the greatest rock and roll album ever released.