Berry Is on Top
| Berry Is on Top | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1959[1] | |||
| Recorded | May 21, 1955–1959, Chicago, Illinois | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 30:25 | |||
| Label | Chess LP–1435[1] | |||
| Producer | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess | |||
| Chuck Berry chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Berry Is On Top | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Berry Is on Top is the third studio album by rock and roll artist Chuck Berry, released in July 1959 on Chess Records, catalogue LP 1435. With the exception of one track, "Blues for Hawaiians", all selections had been previously released on 45 rpm singles,[1] several of which were double-sided and charted twice. In his review of the album for AllMusic, Cub Koda described it as "almost a mini-greatest-hits package in and of itself" and the most perfectly realized collection of Berry's career.[2] In 2008, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissued the album with St. Louis to Liverpool on an Ultradisc II Gold compact disc. In 2012, Hoodoo reissued the album with One Dozen Berrys on the same CD.
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Chuck Berry
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Almost Grown" | 2:21 |
| 2. | "Carol" | 2:48 |
| 3. | "Maybellene" | 2:23 |
| 4. | "Sweet Little Rock & Roller" | 2:22 |
| 5. | "Anthony Boy" | 1:54 |
| 6. | "Johnny B. Goode" | 2:41 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Queenie" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Jo Jo Gunne" | 2:47 |
| 3. | "Roll Over Beethoven" | 2:24 |
| 4. | "Around and Around" | 2:42 |
| 5. | "Hey Pedro" | 1:57 |
| 6. | "Blues for Hawaiians" | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 30:25 | |
Personnel
[edit]- Chuck Berry – vocals, guitars
- Johnnie Johnson, Lafayette Leake – piano
- Willie Dixon – double bass
- George Smith – bass
- Fred Below, Ebbie Hardy, Jaspar Thomas – drums
- Jerome Green – maracas
- The Moonglows – backing vocals
- Bob Bushnell – bass on "Around and Around"[5]
Charting history
[edit]Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position[6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | "Maybellene" | Billboard Top 100 | 5 |
| 1956 | "Roll Over Beethoven" | Billboard Top 100 | 29 |
| 1958 | "Johnny B. Goode" | Billboard Top 100 | 8 |
| 1958 | "Carol" | Billboard Hot 100 | 18 |
| 1958 | "Jo Jo Gunne" | Billboard Hot 100 | 83 |
| 1958 | "Sweet Little Rock & Roller" | Billboard Hot 100 | 47 |
| 1959 | "Anthony Boy" | Billboard Hot 100 | 60 |
| 1959 | "Almost Grown" | Billboard Hot 100 | 32 |
| 1959 | "Little Queenie" | Billboard Hot 100 | 80 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Rudolph, Dietmar. "A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry: The Chess Era (1955–1966)". Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ^ a b Cub Koda. "Chuck Berry Is on Top > Overview". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 568.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 54–55.
- ^ "The Chuck Berry Database — Details For Song: Around And Around — Chuck Berry Collector's Guide". www.crlf.de.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 - Chuck Berry". Retrieved October 27, 2017.
External links
[edit]- Berry Is on Top at Discogs (list of releases)
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