A double-disc set that rounds up both sides of all the classic singles Chuck Berry released prior to his imprisonment in 1962, this collection does miss some great Chess sides from his first stint at the label - all the dynamite 1964 singles (“Promised Land,” “Nadine,” “No Particular Place to Go,” “You Never Can Tell”) are naturally absent - but it’s a terrific portrait of Chuck’s great initial explosion.
The momentum is palpable: four singles in, he's gone from "Maybelline" to "Roll Over Beethoven" and from there the classics pile up. The format allows for some oddities here -- "Vacation Time," "Hey Pedro," "La Jaunda," and "Childhood Sweetheart" usually don't show up on Chuck comps -- but it also gives space to "Worried Life Blues," "Deep Feeling," and "Jaguar and Thunderbird," along with all the expected classics, making this a really nice double-disc set of Berry's prime.
Tracklist:
CD1
01. Maybelline (Chess 1604A, Jul. 1955) 2:19
02. Wee Wee Hours (Chess 1604B, Jul. 1955) 3:02
03. Thirty Days (To Come Back Home) (Chess 1610A, Sep. 1955) 2:22
04. Together (We Will Always Be) (Chess 1610B, Sep. 1955) 2:34
05. No Money Down (Chess 1615A, Dec. 1955) 2:56
06. The Downbound Train (Chess 1615B, Dec. 1955) 2:48
07. Roll Over Beethoven (Chess 1626A, Apr. 1956) 2:22
08. Drifting Heart (Chess 1626B, Apr. 1956) 2:47
09. Brown Eyed Handsome Man (Chess 1635A, Sep. 1956) 2:15
10. Too Much Monkey Business (Chess 1635B, Sep. 1956) 2:53
11. You Can’t Catch Me (Chess 1645A, Nov. 1956) 2:41
12. Havana Moon (Chess (1645B, Nov. 1956) 3:06
13. School Day (Ring Ring Goes The Bell) (Chess 1653A, Mar. 1957) 2:39
14. Oh Baby Doll (Chess 1664A, Jun. 1957) 2:17
15. Deep Feeling (Chess 1653B, Mar. 1957) 2:36
16. Lajuanda (Chess 1664B. Jun. 1957) 3:10
17. Rock And Roll Music (Chess 1671A, Sep. 1957) 2:29
18. Blue Feeling (Chess 1671B, Sep. 1957) 2:59
19. Sweet Little Sixteen (Chess 1683A, Jan. 1958) 3:00
20. Reelin’ And Rockin’ (Chess 1683B, Jan. 1958) 3:13
21. Johnny B. Goode (Chess 1691A, Mar. 1958) 2:37
22. Around And Around (Chess 1691B, Mar. 1958) 2:41
23. Beautiful Delilah (Chess 1697A, Jul. 1958) 2:09
24. Vacation Time (Chess 1697B, Jul. 1958) 2:45
25. Carol (Chess 1700A, Aug. 1958) 2:46
CD2
01. Hey Pedro (Chess 1700B, Aug. 1958) 1:52
02. Sweet Little Rock And Roller (Chess 1709A, Oct. 1958) 2:19
03. Jo Jo Gun (Chess 1709B, Oct. 1958) 2:43
04. Run Rudolph Run (Chess 1714A, Nov. 1958) 2:42
05. Merry Christmas Baby (Chess 1714B, Nov. 1958) 3:11
06. Anthony Boy (Chess 1716A, Jan. 1959) 1:49
07. That’s My Desire (Chess 1716B, Jan. 1959) 2:10
08. Almost (Chess 1722A, Mar. 1959) 2:18
09. Little Queenie (Chess 1722A, Mar. 1959) 2:39
10. Back In The U.S.A. (Chess 1729A, Jun. 1959) 2:25
11. Memphis, Tennessee (Chess 1729B, Jun. 1959) 2:09
12. Broken Arrow (Chess 1737A, Sep. 1959) 2:19
13. Childhood Sweetheart (Chess 1737B, Sep. 1959) 2:42
14. Let It Rock (Chess 1747A, Jan. 1960) 1:43
15. Too Pooped To Pop (Chess 1747B, Jan. 1960) 2:32
16. Bye Bye Johnny (Chess 1754A, Apr. 1960) 2:04
17. Worried Life Blues (Chess 1754B, Apr. 1960) 2:08
18. I Got To Find My Baby (Chess 1763A, Aug. 1960) 2:13
19. Mad Lad (Chess 1763B, Aug. 1960) 2:08
20. Jaguar And Thunderbird (Chess 1767A, Nov. 1960) 1:48
21. Our Little Rendezvous (Chess 1767B, Nov. 1960) 1:58
22. I’m Talking About You (Chess 1779A, Dec. 1960) 1:48
23. Little Star (Chess 1779B, Dec. 1960) 2:45
24. Come On (Chess 1799A, Sep. 1961) 1:47
25. Go-Go-Go (Chess 1799B, Sep. 1961) 2:32
