Chuck Berry Rockin' at the Hops / New Juke Box Hits

One of the most important pioneers of rock & roll, Chuck Berry combined blues, country, and a witty, defiant teen outlook into songs that have influenced virtually every-rock musician in his wake. Combined with sharp, rapid-fire lyrics full of sly insinuations about cars and girls, Berry laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll attitude. It's a shame that he is not universally recognized as one of the greatest rock lyricists and one of the genre's most innovative figures. In his best work recorded mostly in the mid- to late '50s, Berry matched some of the most resonant and witty lyrics in pop to music with a blues bottom and a country top, trademarking the results with his signature double'string guitar lick. He was really the first artist to exhibit many of the traits that would come to define the form. First, he featured his own electric guitar prominently in his music. He used the instrument to give his material a propulsive, driving rhythm underneath his vocals, and then used equally rhythmic lead parts to echo and accent his vocals. This presaged the overall importance of guitars and guitarists in the idiom. Next, Chuck exhibited the highest degree of musical integrity. Not only did he play guitar on all of his recordings, he wrote and sang all of his own material. The result is the most satisfying and consistent recorded canon of any of the early rockers. The largely forgotten yet outstanding LP Rockin' at the Hops was originally released by Chess Records in 1960. Berry cut a lot of material during this part of his career that has slipped under the radar. Here you will find rock & blues gems such as ''Bye Bye Johnny,'' ''Down the Road Apiece,'' ''Confessin' the Blues,'' ''Too Pooped to Pop,'' ''Let It Rock,'' and ''Childhood Sweetheart.'' It is a perfect album to delve a little deeper into Chuck Berry's superlative legacy. In addition to this original masterpiece, we have included the complete 1960 Chuck Berry LP New Juke Box Hits (containing such hits as ''Route 66,'' ''Sweet Sixteen,'' and ''Rip It Up,'' plus six bonus tracks (joyous B-sides from the same period, such as ''Our Little Rendezvous,'' and ''Go Go Go'').