ALBUMS:The Great Twenty-Eight (1982), The London Chuck Berry Sessions. (1972).
MVC Rating: Great 28 5.0/$$$$; London Sessions 3.0/ $$$
What I have here are two Chuck Berry albums. One is his worst. And the other is his best.
The worst: ‘The London Chuck Berry Sessions’ features the song: ‘My Ding-a-Ling.’
My what?
My Ding-a-Ling
No, not mine. It’s his …bad little sing-along, ding-a-ling song and he has to live with it or would be had he not died earlier this year. RIP.
For the good stuff, we go to the ‘Great Twenty-Eight’, a two-record compilation of the best songs from the man they say invented Rock ‘n Roll.
“The Great Twenty-Eight” has classics, ‘Maybellene,’’Brown-Eyed Handsome Man,’ ‘Roll Over Beethoven,’ ‘Johnny B. Goode,’ and ‘Sweet Little Sixteen,’’
Rock stars around the world have stolen Berry’s guitar riffs. Guitarist Keith Richards alone has a loaded rap sheet of lifted Berry riffs throughout the Rolling Stones’ catalog.
‘My Ding-A-Ling’ is not one of those sampled songs.
Funny, or not so funny, is that of all of these great songs Berry wrote and performed, “My Ding-a-Ling,’ a 1972 novelty tune (a cover at that), was his only No.1 hit.
Seriously makes you question the wisdom of folks in the USA. The rest of London was mediocre live music.
Maybe, just, maybe “My Ding-a-Ling’ could been nominated along with ‘Bread Butter” and “How Do you Do” as one of the best worst songs of all time. But alas, that contest is over.
So, I’m sticking to the Great Twenty-Eight.
All songs on it are, indeed, great. ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’ a subtle rock commentary on racism, is one of my favorites.
Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.