Just posted at Hip-O Select:
Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode His Complete ’50s Chess Recordings
RELEASE DATE: December 21st 2007
CD Edition limited to 5000 non-numbered limitied edition copies.
Price: $69.98


Chuck Berry’s legendary breakthrough 1950s Chess recordings has gotten their first thorough presentation anywhere via a 4-CD, 103-song box set on Chess/Hip-O Select Records. These are the groundbreaking recordings by the first poet laureate of rock ’n’ roll that set the tone lyrically and musically for all that came after. To paraphrase John Lennon, if they didn’t call it rock ’n’ roll, they’d call it Chuck Berry music, and this remarkable new set shows why. Digitally remastered from the original Chess masters, the collection features not only such oft-covered classics as “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Rock And Roll Music,” “Memphis,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Carol,” and “Little Queenie,” but it also shows the evolution of the artist and his songs, while presenting a surfeit of rarities, including 16 previously unreleased tracks.
With the exception of two live recordings, all of these tracks were recorded at Chess Studios from May 21, 1955, through a massive late July 1959 session, which culminated in the only time Berry played session lead guitar for an artist other than himself: two tracks by a studio group called the Ecuadors, who, according to Harvey Fuqua, really were the Moonglows (which included Marvin Gaye) and Etta James. Other rarities on the set, aside from the unreleased tracks, include a pair of live versions of “Maybellene” and “Roll Over Beethoven” Chuck recorded for Alan Freed’s 1956 New York “Camel Rock ’n’ Roll Dance Party” album, all of the original masters overdubbed for the fake On Stage Chess album, and a number of recordings making their U.S. CD debut.
The unreleased recordings include take 3 of “Sweet Little Sixteen,” which is one of five versions of the song that tells the story of its recording—from its demonstration record to two rejected (and intriguingly different) session takes to the original master to the sped-up master finally released by Chess. There are also unreleased alternate takes at different tempos than those released, some with different lyrics, and one (for “Broken Arrow”) which features Chuck Berry instructing his backup singers in their parts. And, finally, there is a pair of previously unreleased 11 minutes-plus in-studio jams featuring Chuck with pianist Johnnie Johnson, bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Jasper Thomas – a blues called “Long Slow Jam” and a rocker called, suitably, “Long Fast Jam” from 1958.
All of this remarkable music is elaborated on by tidbits of studio dialog, complete session by session credits, a ’50s Chuck Berry singles discography, period photos, and comprehensive liner notes by Chuck Berry’s discographer/biographer Fred Rothwell, author of Long Distance Information: Chuck Berry’s Recorded Legacy, who also compiled the set with Universal’s reissue producer Andy McKaie.
Disc 1
1. Maybellene
2. Wee Wee Hours
3. Thirty Days (To Come Back Home)
4. Together (We Will Always Be)
5. You Can’t Catch Me
6. Rolli Polli (instrumental)
7. Down Bound Train
8. Berry Pickin’ (instrumental)
9. No Money Down
10. I’ve Changed
11. Drifting Heart
12. Brown Eyed Handsome Man
13. Roll Over Beethoven
14. Too Much Monkey Business
15. Maybellene (live)
16. Roll Over Beethoven (live)
17. Havana Moon
18. Rock And Roll Music (demo)
19. Untitled Instrumental
20. Deep Feeling (instrumental)
21. School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)
22. Low Feeling (instrumental)
23. La Jaunda (Espanol)
24. Blue Feeling (instrumental)
25. How You’ve Changed
26. Oh Baby Doll

Disc 2
1. Rock And Roll Music (alternate)
2. Rock And Roll Music
3. 13 Question Method (early version)
4. How High The Moon (instrumental)
5. Sweet Little Sixteen (demo)
6. Sweet Little Sixteen (take 3)
7. Sweet Little Sixteen (take 11)
8. Sweet Little Sixteen (original master)
9. Sweet Little Sixteen (sped up originally released version)
10. Rock At The Philharmonic (instrumental)
11. Guitar Boogie (instrumental)
12. Night Beat (take 3) (instrumental)
13. Night Beat (instrumental)
14. Time Was (slow version, take 4)
15. Time Was (slow version)
16. Reelin’ And Rockin’ (take 1)
17. Reelin’ And Rockin’ (takes 7/8)
18. Reelin’ And Rockin’
19. Chuckwalk (instrumental)
20. Johnny B. Goode (alt. take 2/3)
21. Johnny B. Goode
22. Around And Around (overdub take 2)
23. Around And Around (overdub take 3)
24. Around And Around
25. Ingo (overdub take 3) (instrumental)
26. Ingo (instrumental)

Disc 3
1. It Don’t Take But A Few Minutes
2. Blues For Hawaiians (instrumental)
3. Beautiful Delilah (alternate takes 15/16)
4. Beautiful Delilah (take 6)
5. 21 Blues
6. 21
7. 21 (take 14)
8. Vacation Time
9. Oh Yeah
10. Hey Pedro
11. Time Was (fast version)
12. House Of Blue Lights
13. Carol
14. Jo Jo Gunne
15. Memphis Tennessee
16. Anthony Boy
17. Sweet Little Rock ‘n’ Roller (alternate take 5)
18. Sweet Little Rock ‘n’ Roller (take 11A)
19. Long Fast Jam (instrumental)
20. Long Slow Jam (instrumental)
21. Merry Christmas Baby
22. Merry Christmas Baby (alternate)
23. Run Rudolph Run

Disc 4
1. Little Queenie (take 8)
2. Little Queenie
3. That’s My Desire
4. Do You Love Me (alternate)
5. Do You Love Me
6. Almost Grown (take 14)
7. Almost Grown (take 28)
8. Almost Grown
9. Back In The U.S.A.
10. Blue On Blue (alternate a/k/a Upchuck) (instrumental)
11. Blue On Blue (instrumental)
12. Betty Jean (alternate take 14)
13. Betty Jean (alternate take 17)
14. Betty Jean
15. County Line
16. Childhood Sweetheart (alternate)
17. Childhood Sweetheart
18. One O’Clock Jump (instrumental)
19. I Just Want To Make Love To You (take 3)
20. I Just Want To Make Love To You
21. Broken Arrow (take 21)
22. Broken Arrow
23. Let It Rock (alternate mix)
24. Let It Rock
25. Too Pooped To Pop (take 4A)
26. Too Pooped To Pop
27. Ecuadors - Say You’ll Be Mine
28. Ecuadors - Let Me Sleep Woman

Thanks for the info, DRaftervoi.

I hate to come on like a wet blanket, but my brief initial joy disappeared when I noticed that this will be limited to a limited run of 5000 copies. Am I misinterpreting this, or will this box set actually be limited to 5000 copies, and then disappear? If not, and this is indeed the case, then why bother?

It's what Hip-o select does; similar to Rhino hand made & Mosaic jazz.

Okay, as the late Tom Snyder used to say: "Fair enough."

Yeah, Hip-O Select does limited editions and markets primarily online, (although I've seen their new product in the Amoeba store in San Francisco). They generally put out enough copies so that they don't sell out in a rush; most of their product is easy to get if you order within a few weeks or months of the release date. In this case, I ordered immediately because I only have "The Great Twenty Eight" collection, and this appears to be remastered.

Thanks for the heads up - placed my order - it says backordered????

A long time ago Chess put out a double vinyl LP - CB's Golden Decade - it sold for less than any "new" single LP - it is still IMO - the GREATEST "best of/golden hit/etc" collection ever.

I got all 3 golden decade sets, plus the Chess CD box of years past - this looks like the best vault package (non-Zappa) of the year.

I have Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 of the "Golden Decade" series on vinyl....that Vol. 1 is one of the oldest records in my collection, I must have bought that during my freshman year in high school back in '71. I guess this set will completely supercede that, but I'll probably hang on to it for the personal nostalgia value.

Did anyone else order this?

I preordered - the status of my order is backordered yet it shows in stock.

?????

Maybe all preorders are "backordered" until shipment and wth the holiday the status wasn't updated?

I ordered mine on 12/24 and just got it today, three days later... surprisingly fast service.

Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but I'm disappointed with the packaging. It's a digipak-type, with a string-loop closure, like you have on the back of some envelopes.

Everything is oriented vertically... the album covers behind the CDs, and even the booklet (instead of left- and right- hand pages, you have top and bottom pages). The booklet itself is 24 pages, with an annoying background design that makes the text slightly difficult to read. Why do they have to do things like this?

Speaking strictly from a packaging standpoint, it's not worth anywhere near $84.02 ($69.98 + $6.04 tax + $8.00 postage and handling). However, keep in mind I haven't actually played it yet - and, of course, while the packaging is important, it's all about the music, so we'll see how that works out.

A question for you - what shipping option did you choose?
I ordered mine 12/19/07 and just got notified that it shipped today (12/27/07).
It had been listed as backordered.

The important question is how does it sound? I wonder why they just did the recordings from the 50's. His Chess sessions continued into the early 60's. Could this mean a second set? Let's hope so.

Does anyone have any insight into this?

Sound quality is pretty good... I'm no audiophile, but I think you'll be pleased. The two live tracks sound somewhat muffled in comparison to the rest of the set, but they're still very listenable.

My understanding is that the Berry and Diddley sets are suppose to do the 50's 60's and 70's (3 sets each total).

Now that would really be something! Especially since I missed Charly's complete Diddley Chess box years ago.

Got mine today - aside from the GREAT music - I have two comments.

1.) The answer to my question seems to be at the end of the notes in the booklet " As the fifties rolled over, Chuck Berry wasn't finished by a long chalk; more fame and fortune was to follow in the sixties and beyond, but that is another chapter yet to come".

2.) The packaging - it has to be the worst for a large set since MOFO (Freak Out) - F Zappa. The box closes like a clasp on a large folder. A tiny string is wound around two circular tabs. Upon opening my set, one of those tabs is already bent. The package is flimsy and is not made for a lot of wear and tear.

That said - bring on the other two sets ASAP!

The box set is going into general release on February 19, 2008:



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012IWJAS/?tag=imwan-20