St. Louis to Liverpool

by Chuck Berry

Product Description:

Personnel: Chuck Berry (vocals, guitar); Matt Murphy (guitar); James Robinson, L.C. Davis (tenor saxophone); Lafayette Leake, Paul Williams, Johnnie Johnson (piano); Willie Dixon (bass); Fred Below, Jaspar Thomas,

Ebby Hardy, Odie Payne (drums).

Principally recorded at Chess Studios, Chicago, Illinois in 1964. Originally released on Chess (1488). Includes liner notes by Bud Scoppa, Marshall Paul.

This is part of "Rock 'N' Roll 50th Anniversary" series.

The release of 1964's ST. LOUIS TO LIVERPOOL, recorded shortly after Chuck Berry's release from prison, found the seminal rock & roller riding high on a resurgence of popularity thanks to the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and other British acts who had discovered and reinterpreted Berry's music. The digitally remastered sound on this 2004 reissue is excellent, and the albu--which features Berry's genre-defining guitar leads, sly vocals, exceptional songwriting, and the backing of guests such as Willie Dixon and Matt Murph--is one of his finest.

Though the record was released at the tail end of Berry's streak of self-penned hits, the disc still throws out classics left and right. It's hard to imagine the rock canon without "Little Marie," "No Particular Place to Go," and "You Never Can Tell." But even the non-hits here--"Brenda Lee" and the midtempo groove of "You Two," for example--shine, a rarity in the days of early-'60s, filler-filled LPs. Bonus tracks and exemplary Chess production make ST. LOUIS TO LIVERPOOL an essential rock & roll recording.