It’s hard for me to induct Chuck Berry, because I lifted every lick he ever played!
I nicked the title on the artwork, Keef-style, from XYZ, but opted for the Reelin’ & Rockin’ title for reasons expressed below. Thanks also to Marc for the inspiration on the Mott.
Although it is not alt-dj necessarily, I have decided to post this, my own take on a Chuck Berry Tribute, under the Gutbucket Brothers Brand.
I know that AOTM has just got to have about half a million Chuck mixes, but we have pure motives.
Funky saw Chuck last month at Blueberry Hill here on the Delmar Loop in St. Louis. My dad and a friend and I just went to see the Man, also in the appropriately-named Duck Room, so I feel like shared credit is appropriate in this case.
I would describe the performance as cathartic, to say the least.
I had seen Chuck for the first time when he was still with Johnnie Johnson at the Blue Note in Columbia. I was with the Wad and since we were able to sit in the gimp section, we were right up front. Chuck even fired off a tune pointing his axe at Steve.
But he was never so animated as he was this past Friday night.
Between the duckwalk, the clowning, the solos, the broken strings, his son Charles Berry Jr. putting in some nice fills for the old man, ending it with a 10 minute jam on a ribald version of Reelin' & Rockin' that culminated with 40 gals all colors, ages, shapes and sizes (though befitting Chuck, there were a majority of young white women) boogieing on stage for him. As the chickadees cleared out of the way, Chuck moseyed off stage, still jamming, to finish his solo out in a chair in his dressing room.
Beautiful Delilah, indeed!
After Chuck was gone, his son stepped up to thank the crowd and the band. A guy yelled out “He’s the Real King” and Charles nodded in agreement.
I agree as well, but Promised Land is the perfect melding of the minds with Elvis’ cover here, which is not only the best-realized Chuck cover, but the most powerful Elvis song, period (to quote Rafael Palmiero and IMnotsoHO).
I also couldn’t help adding a couple redneck flourishes and other doowad touches.
Disk 1
1. Chuck Berry – Brown Eyed Handsome Man
2. Chuck Berry with Keith Richards – Around & Around
3. T-Bone Walker – Papa Ain’t Salty
4. Chuck Berry – Sweet Little Sixteen
5. The Beach Boys – Surfin’ U.S.A.
6. The Beatles – Rock & Roll Music
7. Chuck Berry – Little Queenie
8. T. Rex – Bang a Gong (Get It On)
9. David Bowie – Almost Grown
10. The Rolling Stones Ya Ya’s – Little Queenie
11. The Bottle Rockets – Come On
12. The Beatles – Come Together
13. Chuck Berry – You Can’t Catch Me
14. Buddy Holly – Brown Eyed Handsome Man
15. Chuck Berry – Too Much Monkey Business
16. Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues
17. Elvis Costello & the Attractions – Pump It Up
18. Mott the Hoople – Walkin’ With a Mountain
19. The Sex Pistols – Johnny B. Goode (excerpt)
20. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Johnny B. Goode
21. Paul Revere & the Raiders – Maybellene
22. MC5 – Back in the USA
23. Elvis Presley – Promised Land
24. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Travelin’ Band
25. The Rolling Stones – Carol
26. Rod Stewart – Sweet Little Rock n’ Roller
Disk 2
1. Chuck Berry – Downbound Train
2. Louis Jordan – Choo Choo Ch’Boogie
3. Chuck Berry – You Never Can Tell
4. Chuck Berry – Reelin’ and Rockin’
5. John Lennon – You Can’t Catch Me
6. Chuck Berry – No Money Down
7. Bruce Springsteen – Open All Night
8. Chuck Berry – Wee Wee Hours
9. Jerry Lee Lewis & Ringo Starr – Sweet Little Sixteen
10. Chuck Berry – Almost Grown
11. John Prine – You Never Can Tell
12. Steve Earle – Guitar Town
13. Chuck Berry – Nadine (Is It You?)
14. Chuck Berry – Carol
15. Chuck Berry – Rock & Roll Music
16. Carlos Santana – Havana Moon
17. Chuck Berry – Havana Moon
18. Louis Jordan – Boogie Woogie Blue Plate
19. Chuck Berry – No Particular Place To Go
20. Chuck Berry – Promised Land
21. Chuck Berry – Memphis
22. Chuck Berry – Around and Around
23. Bob Segar & the Silver Bullet Band – C’est La Vie
24. Waylon Jennings – Brown Eyed Handsome Man
25. Chuck Berry with Keith Richards – Sweet Little Sixteen
26. Chuck Berry – Back in the USA
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