A pivotal catalyst in the formation of rock & roll, Chuck Berry welded beat poet lyrics to revved up blues riffs and with his easy knack for spinning believable and universal narratives in his songs, all of which seemed to feature cars and motion. He sketched out a new kind of American music in the mid-'50s, and then almost single-handedly put the electric guitar at the center of it all. This ten-song set is probably too brief to be anything but a good truck stop purchase, but it does include some classic songs, including the iconic "Johnny B. Goode," the brilliant "No Particular Place to Go," the fluid and just slightly eerie "You Never Can Tell," and "Promised Land." There are more extensive single-disc sets on the market that include these songs and more, but what's here is all classic, and that means every last note of it. ~ Steve Leggett
