Chuck Berry - Birthday Berrys [10-inch]

Birthday Berrys marks what would have been Chuck Berry's 100th birthday with a compact 10-inch collection that looks at the father of rock and roll through the music that fed him.

Instead of lining up the obvious hits, this twelve-track set gathers songs that show how Berry pulled together everything he heard growing up in St. Louis: jump blues, urban blues, Latin rhythms and old trickster tales, all welded to that famous guitar. Several of these sides have rarely been compiled, which makes it a fresh listen even for fans who think they know the catalogue inside out.

Down The Road Apiece, a boogie made famous by Amos Milburn, shows Berry tipping his hat to the 1940s rhythm and blues he adored. I Got To Find My Baby digs into classic city blues, while Back In The U.S.A. bursts with the cheeky patriotism and pinpoint wordplay that made him a lyricist as much as a guitar hero. Almost Grown and Jo Jo Gunne add more of his witty storytelling, all riding on that rolling Chess Records backbeat.

It is a birthday card in vinyl form, small in size and big on character. For rock and roll lovers, this is a smart way to hear the roots and the branches in one sitting.