Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Anyone spotting this album beware. It is not a compilation of hits, but consists of all-"new" (mid-'60s) recordings by Chuck Berry of his classic Chess hits for his then-new label, Mercury, with one new song added. The re-recordings wouldn't be a problem, except that Berry and whoever produced this record decided to update his sound, not only mixing it in stereo but also replacing the upright bass on the original hits with much flashier electric bass (played by Forrest Frierson) that screws up the solid rhythm section that's essential for any of this material to work. The addition of a saxophone, courtesy of Carey Enlow, is only a distraction on "Rock & Roll Music," and Berry's efforts at embellishing the lead guitar parts on "Memphis," "Maybellene" (where Johnnie Johnson makes the regrettable decision to play an organ), "Around and Around," and "Roll Over Beethoven" add nothing to the originals and are often downright annoying. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" almost works in its more laid-back incarnation here, until the band seems to let the beat go completely for a moment. "School Days" also sort of works as a studio recording of the way he was doing it on-stage, and "Reelin' and Rockin'" is the one track that's 100-percent what it should be, dirtier than the Chess original and the one place where, stylistically, Berry transcends his original work. In one instance, "Back in the U.S.A.," he would have had another passable track but for his gratuitous addition of lots of unenthusiastic "yeah yeah yeah yeah"s between the verses. And based on nearly half the tracks here, one might also add that Berry even seems on this record to have lost any knack for knowing how to end a song. Finally, the one new composition, "Club Nitty Gritty," doesn't measure up to the least of the classics alongside which it appears, and whatever worth the album might've had is compromised by the stereo mastering, the excessively clean sound, and the echo that drenches Berry's voice. Except for the implicitly salacious "Reelin' and Rockin'" (which would sound dirty even if sung by a choir of nuns), nothing here approaches the in-your-face raunchiness of Berry's classic Chess sides. Golden Hits was a lousy inaugural effort for his new label.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Alan Freed, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist - Russel D. Fratto, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Chuck Berry, Producer, Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, MainArtist, StudioPersonnel, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
Anyone spotting this album beware. It is not a compilation of hits, but consists of all-"new" (mid-'60s) recordings by Chuck Berry of his classic Chess hits for his then-new label, Mercury, with one new song added. The re-recordings wouldn't be a problem, except that Berry and whoever produced this record decided to update his sound, not only mixing it in stereo but also replacing the upright bass on the original hits with much flashier electric bass (played by Forrest Frierson) that screws up the solid rhythm section that's essential for any of this material to work. The addition of a saxophone, courtesy of Carey Enlow, is only a distraction on "Rock & Roll Music," and Berry's efforts at embellishing the lead guitar parts on "Memphis," "Maybellene" (where Johnnie Johnson makes the regrettable decision to play an organ), "Around and Around," and "Roll Over Beethoven" add nothing to the originals and are often downright annoying. "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" almost works in its more laid-back incarnation here, until the band seems to let the beat go completely for a moment. "School Days" also sort of works as a studio recording of the way he was doing it on-stage, and "Reelin' and Rockin'" is the one track that's 100-percent what it should be, dirtier than the Chess original and the one place where, stylistically, Berry transcends his original work. In one instance, "Back in the U.S.A.," he would have had another passable track but for his gratuitous addition of lots of unenthusiastic "yeah yeah yeah yeah"s between the verses. And based on nearly half the tracks here, one might also add that Berry even seems on this record to have lost any knack for knowing how to end a song. Finally, the one new composition, "Club Nitty Gritty," doesn't measure up to the least of the classics alongside which it appears, and whatever worth the album might've had is compromised by the stereo mastering, the excessively clean sound, and the echo that drenches Berry's voice. Except for the implicitly salacious "Reelin' and Rockin'" (which would sound dirty even if sung by a choir of nuns), nothing here approaches the in-your-face raunchiness of Berry's classic Chess sides. Golden Hits was a lousy inaugural effort for his new label.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 15 track(s)
- Total length: 00:36:46
- Main artists: Chuck Berry
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Island Mercury
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 1967 The Island Def Jam Music Group ℗ 1967 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.