Svartmer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I went to see the man when he played in Stockholm
> earlier this year. I really wish I hadn´t. Wrong
> chords, wrong keys, wrong lyrics etc. Give him his
> well earned retirement, you should not have to
> work at his age...


Yeah, pull up a few youtube videos from the last couple of years, you have to wonder if the man's going deaf as he seems to play as many wrong notes as right ones. And I'm not just talking about the latest infamous version of Johnnie B. Goode that's been circulating, I pulled up a few last night, ones that someone posted out there from a "great performance" (makes me wonder if they're tone deaf too).

I hate to criticize someone who really changed music, his music really stands on it's own (regardless of the previous topic of who wrote it; let's face it, when we think of Chuck, we think of those famous guitar intros). But it might be time to turn down his volume a bit in the live mix and let the backup musicians carry the load.

I'm not suggesting he retire, just change his approach, there's obviously still a very interested public. Of course who's going to change their approach in their 80's! That's not a criticism, just a fact of life...

All Hail!





When Chuck asked for requests,
I yelled out "Maybelline" and
he prompty played it.
I was thrilled.



Photo by Teafoe.

kovach Wrote:
> let's face it, when we think of Chuck, we think of those famous guitar intros

When I think of Chuck Berry I think of a tall mean black guy who can really lay some rhythm down (and @#$%& them solos all the way), who wrote a load of rock'n'roll's greatest songs: Little Queenie, Johnny B. Goode, Sweet Little 16, Roll over Beethoven, Around and around, Maybelline etc etc, the guy who wrote as well one of the biggest bullshit songs of all time and it was his only number 1 in where, yes the the US of A... which is so proud of him, a guy cheek enough to show off his dick in "Playgirl" in the 1980s when he was about 60 already, the guy who slapped Keith Richards in the face and got away with it, the guy who even got away with the duckwalk, the guy who wants the money first, a guy who plays the way he wants to and if it's wrong then it's the drummer's fault.

Yes, and he also got some fine guitar intros.

... Chuck didn't slap Keith, he punched him (and he apologised later - to Ronnie, but he did apologise!) :E
but maybe you mean that as a metaphor for throwing him off stage, punching him, setting him on fire,
calling him Jack and assorted other forms of bitchiness all down the line -
"but i can't help lovin the cat anyway," Keith said.

happy birthday, Chuck


- 1969, probably by Ethan Russell

'a guy cheek enough to show off his dick in "Playgirl" in the 1980s when he was about 60 already"

eh?

ablett Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 'a guy cheek enough to show off his dick in
> "Playgirl" in the 1980s when he was about 60
> already"
>
> eh?

The photos were apparently first publshed in "High Society", a New York-based sex magazine, and he was shown fully nude with some women around him (no short dick there). In 1990 Chuck sued the magazine, the suit saying the photos were stolen from him, who had kept them ''in a secure hiding place,'' and that the magazine bought the photos from the husband of Hosanna Huck, a former cook at a restaurant Berry owned. Hosanna Huck has sued Berry, claiming he took pictures of her with cameras hidden in the restroom of the restaurant.

At the same time Chuck was also accused by an undetermined number of women, charging that he made videotapes of them when they were undressing and using bathrooms on his property.

I hope you don't expect me to show you some photos of these crimes!

[www.autographs.co.uk]

"Welcome to the Palladium." "A stage I've been thrown off many times!" - Keith

Was not this in reference to Chuck throwing Keith off the Palladium stage?

>> Was not this in reference to Chuck throwing Keith off the Palladium stage? <<

i don't think Keith was thrown off it too many other times, so:
yeah, that would be the incident! january 1972

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pgarof Wrote:
> >
> > I don't see The Stones playing massive stadiums
> at
> > 80, that's not what I mean, when Chuck was the
> > same age as the Stones are now he was proberbly
> > doing larger gigs
>
> Actually I very much doubt that he was. Its been
> the same size of venues for as long as I can
> recall.
>
> (not as big as the Stones but
> > then the Stones are more popular) did Chuck get
> > all the flack from fans then saying he should
> > retire?
>
> Theres a huge difference. Even at 60, the general
> public wasnt aware of Chuck Berry. Profile-wise,
> he's been off the public radar for decades. The
> Stones have always been there. If there's not some
> mass consensus for him to quit, its simply because
> (with the greatest respect to Chuck) theres
> relatively few people around who care.
>
> Even 20 years ago, the attitude seemed to be "see
> him before he croaks". There isnt really a
> comparison. There's a public and critical bias in
> general when it comes to BANDS who are still going
> into their middle age as opposed to solo acts. Its
> down to the perception that theres a 'gang'
> mentality in being in a band. Additionally, the
> Stones from the beginning have had a more 'sexual'
> image. That tends to get a bit played out when
> you're 60.
> >
> > What i am saying is lets enjoy Chuck as we do
> but
> > also enjoy what The Stones do without picking
> them
> > apart all the time
>
>
> We're not 'picking them apart all the time'. Its
> civilised discussion for the most part, good or
> bad. You can still 'enjoy' them without thinking
> everything they do is wonderful.

Good responce Gazza, I'll stop wittering on now!

Went to St. Louis to see Chuck last night. First time I've seen him play. Glad I went, but the man can barely play anymore. He played for about an hour. Johnny B, Let it rock, Sweet little 16. Opened with around and around, He also covered Jimmy Reed's Honest I do, James Brown's I feel good, and a Muddy track I can't remember the name of. Aside from his daughter on harp and vox, his band was horrible. He left the stage 2mins into the opening song, thought something was wrong, turns out he had to pee. Very energetic for 81. Did a little duck walk.

The venue in St. Louis, Blueberry Hill, had some great Chuck memorablia. Tons of stuff from Hail! Hail! RnR. Chuck's Gibson Es 350-T, A few photos of the owner with Keith.

Happy Birthday Chuck.

I just ordered me some tix for the Lotto Arena gig in Antwerp on Nov. 15.

The venue is brand new and holds about 7000.



Must say ticketprices are not exactly in the local blues night category. The €40 puts you right up at the back roof; €50 back in the lower tier. The €80 will get you the front rows and €60 is behind that.

I opted some €60 seats today and still got row 11! With sales running for months, just 3 weeks to go and about 25 rows on the floor I suspect sales are very slow and I doubt it'll sell out (contrary to the Dutch gig in Tilburg).

But me I'll have a rockin great hour anyway!

Here's an article someone else posted a while back that I thought was worth reposting under this subject matter:

Chuck Berry documentary shows dark side of rock legend
By Dean Goodman

Twenty years ago, a camera crew and some of the world's biggest rock stars ventured to St. Louis to help Chuck Berry celebrate his 60th birthday.

They were lucky to survive the experience.

The famously prickly "father of rock 'n' roll" shook down the filmmakers for a big bag of cash every day, almost started a prison riot, belittled his protege Keith Richards, hit on the female producer and then lost his voice for the climactic all-star concerts before a hometown crowd.

The darkly comic saga is detailed in the new DVD of "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll," which was originally released in movie theaters in 1987. Long out of print on home video, the film was directed by Taylor Hackford, who went on to collaborate with another musical icon, Ray Charles, for the movie "Ray."

The two back-to-back concerts at the Fox Theater in October 1986 served as the backbone for the original film. Hackford shot the difficult rehearsals at Berry's rundown estate, interviewed Berry, his family members and associates, and added often-raucous commentary from peers such as Little Richard, Bo Diddley and Jerry Lee Lewis.

"I signed on to this as a celebration of somebody who had had a major impact on our lives," Hackford told Reuters in a recent interview. "So we went there to celebrate him, and we had every expectation to expect a lot of cooperation because he was also a producer. Lo and behold ... we found quite a different situation."

MORE HEADACHES THAN MICK JAGGER

Rolling Stones guitarist Richards, whose adoration for Berry over the years has largely been greeted with disdain and even a sucker punch by his idol, was musical director of the concerts. Long disappointed by Berry's take-the-money-and-run gigs, he assembled an ace house band, insisted that Berry rehearse and invited the likes of Eric Clapton, Etta James and Robert Cray to play the shows.

In the film, an exhausted Richards described the experience as torture, adding, "He gives me more headaches than Mick Jagger. But I still can't dislike him."

One key scene shows Berry and Richards at loggerheads during rehearsals over the chords for "Carol," one of about a dozen Berry songs covered by the Stones during their career.

"That was a very tough moment," Hackford said, "because it was a humiliating moment where Chuck is taking him to school ... it's like, 'Go ahead, Keith. You're the big rock 'n' roll star. Blow up and stomp off.' Keith just stood his ground."

Hackford said Berry, now 79 and still playing one-nighters, had no involvement in the production of the DVD, which will be released on June 27. Although they are on fairly cordial terms, Hackford recalled that Berry dismissively laughed at him when he asked to license some unseen concert footage.

"Everything with Chuck Berry has to do with the dollar sign. But you know what? It's OK."

That's the basic sentiment of many who have dealt with Berry. He may be tyrannical, but if he had not written tunes like "Maybelline," "Johnnie B. Goode" and "Roll Over Beethoven," the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan might not have gone very far. (A call to his long-time booking agent was not returned.)

TOO MUCH MONKEY BUSINESS

Less enamored was producer Stephanie Bennett, who put the whole project together, and recalled in the documentary that she was rewarded with constant unwelcome advances from Berry, whom Hackford described as "a major sexual animal."

Such attention paled against the groping Bennett and Berry's girlfriend endured from horny inmates when Berry took the filmmakers to the prison where he did three years for armed robbery as a youth. The only way they could avert a riot was if Berry played for the captives, which he did. Hackford shot the priceless footage, but Berry took it from him and has refused to give it back. Only some still photos capture the event.

Perhaps worst of all, Berry refused to show up for filming each day until Bennett gave him a bag of cash, which is how he used to be paid for his slapdash concerts. She estimates that Berry cajoled upwards of $800,000 out of the production, a hefty sum given that the budget was $3 million. Hackford was forced to give up his director's fee in order to stem the tide of red ink but ended up with the DVD rights.

Berry's love of money yielded a key scene in the film but almost scuppered the birthday concert. Midway through rehearsals, he surprised the filmmakers by announcing plans to play a show in Columbus, Ohio. They followed him on the trek, showing how he travels alone, armed only with his guitar, a comb and a toothbrush, pockets his fee before playing a note, performs for the contracted duration, and flies straight home afterwards.

Unfortunately, he lost his voice after the gig and was barely able to sing during the birthday concerts a few days later. Most of the audio footage was overdubbed during post-production -- with Berry taking a fee for his time.

While the documentary does not paint Berry in a flattering light, Hackford -- a Peabody Award-winning TV journalist in an earlier life -- sees the DVD as a well-intentioned attempt to preserve for posterity "a really complicated, very complex individual.

"Nobody is ever gonna know what really goes on inside that head. No one's ever gonna do the entire picture of Chuck Berry because it's just too deep and dark."

Edith Grove Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Anyone else heard that the original lyrics for
> "Johnny B. Goode" were "a little colored boy,"
> replaced, of course, by "a little country boy?"

Dave Marsh says this in his book "The Heart of Rock & Soul" which lists what he considered to be the 1001 greatest rock & soul songs. "Johnny B Goode" is no.2 of the 1001 (behind "I Heard it Through The Grapevine"). No idea where Dave Marsh got his facts from.

Lots of Stones songs in the 1001, with Satisfaction at no. 6 the highest placed.

While a couple of you lucky bastards were at the
Lucinda Williams show, I was watching disc #3 of the
Hail, Hail DVD set.

If you don't see any other DVDs in that set,
and shame on you if you don't, you have to see #3.
Robbie Robertson's "interview" with Chuck, while
flipping through Chuck's scrapbook, provides great
insight for who Chuck Berry is.

Green Lady Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Edith Grove Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Anyone else heard that the original lyrics for
> > "Johnny B. Goode" were "a little colored boy,"
> > replaced, of course, by "a little country boy?"
>
> Dave Marsh says this in his book "The Heart of
> Rock & Soul" which lists what he considered to be
> the 1001 greatest rock & soul songs. "Johnny B
> Goode" is no.2 of the 1001 (behind "I Heard it
> Through The Grapevine"). No idea where Dave Marsh
> got his facts from.


He didnt unearth it, Its been a commonly repeated fact for decades. I assume the original source of the story was Berry himself.

Limbostone Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just ordered me some tix for the Lotto Arena gig
> in Antwerp on Nov. 15.
>
> The venue is brand new and holds about 7000.
>
> [www.lottoarena.be]
> ttoarena.jpg
>
> Must say ticketprices are not exactly in the local
> blues night category. The €40 puts you right up at
> the back roof; €50 back in the lower tier. The €80
> will get you the front rows and €60 is behind
> that.
>
> I opted some €60 seats today and still got row 11!
> With sales running for months, just 3 weeks to go
> and about 25 rows on the floor I suspect sales are
> very slow and I doubt it'll sell out (contrary to
> the Dutch gig in Tilburg).
>
> But me I'll have a rockin great hour anyway!

I have 1st row tickets for this concert

Hello!
December will see the release of a four cd box on Hip-O Select:
"The Complete '50s Chess Recordings"
This should come with some demos and alternate takes; Chess occasionally
sped up the tapes while mastering his singles to make him sound younger!

Rank Stranger Wrote:
Chess occasionally
> sped up the tapes while mastering his singles to
> make him sound younger!

That's right! Chuck talks about this on the #3 DVD
in the Hail, Hail DVD set. He was in his late twenties at that time. I suppose that would be "old"
if you are targeting a teenage audience.

Old joke:

In the 60's a Voyager spacecraft was sent out to space and eventually left our solar system. On it was a disc with information about human life and culture that included a recording of Johnny B. Goode. Decades later earth received its first signal from intelligent life in the universe. The message? "Send more Chuck Berry!"

This week "Wolfgang's Vault" has added another concert to its impressive rooster,
Chuck Berry with the Steve Miller Band from Dec. 1967:
[concerts.wolfgangsvault.com]