Maybellene is more of a history lesson that a song for me, and features a strong hillbilly influence. The highlight is the lyrics, proving that a rock'n'roll song can't go wrong with a story about cars... especially when it involves chasing down the girl in a Cadillac!
Proving that rock music has been sticking it to The Man since the beginning is Roll Over Beethoven. While it's just a fun, catchy song these days, back in the 1950s, denouncing classical music must have raised some conservative eyebrows. Somehow this rebellion make the song timeless for me, sure the technology sounds very dated, but it remains a cracker of a rock'n'roll song.
Speaking of technology, the sound is... ahem... "vintage" at best. It does improve as the album moves to more recent songs, but generally the vocals are distorted, the bassline is barely heard and the guitar is very thin. I realise that ripping on songs recorded in the 1950s is a bit rough, but I don't think the age should excuse stuff like distorted vocals, weird echoes and silly stereo placement.
School Days feels more like a sped-up blues, and doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe this is a failing on my part though, that I can't appreciate a song if it doesn't have a catchy singalong chorus?! Back in the USA is more clear cut- the mintrel-boy backing vocals are a deal-breaker for me.
The wonderful interplay of the guitar, piano and bassline is used to perfection in Little Queenie. Somehow the lyrics don't resonate with me, but the groove makes it a good song nonetheless. This is proved by Sweet Little Rock'n'roller, which is elevated into the stratosphere with just a few small changes. The brilliant lyrics invoke strong images out of the movie American Graffiti, in particular my favourite phrase is:
Ten thousand eyes were watching them leave the floor
Five thousand tongues were screaming "more, more"
Sweet Little Sixteen also successfully rides this formula, although I do find that most of the song lacks the frenetic energy that makes Chuck Berry great. Somehow it feels a bit too "cruisy". Although it does make for great contrast, as the song kicks up a gear brilliantly for the chorus.
As much as I enjoy the three aforementioned songs, the elephant in the room is their lyrics represent adults fawning at teenage girls. This is a really disgusting part of rock'n'roll's "bad boy" image, and these days an awkward element of otherwise fantastic songs.
Interestingly, the sound of Promised Land is more modern, mainly due to the crisp recording of the drums (as opposed to sounding like they're in a room across the hall!). Unfortunately, this means they often drown out the wonderful guitar and piano parts, which I would much prefer to hear. And in another example of newer not necessarily being better, tales of plane trips aren't nearly as evocative as stories about interstate train trips or hotted-up cars!
As a young child, Rock'n'roll Music was one of my favourite songs (I am so lucky that my parents otherwise daggy music collection included some Chuck Berry and Bill Haley). These days, though, I find this song too self-referential and twee. On the other hand, No Particular Place to Go is very impressive that it can maintain a great groove, despite being so stop-start. And the chorus of Nadine provides wonderful contrast to the usual Chuck Berry style.
The French influence of You Never Can Tell is a masterstroke, with the crackly piano blending perfectly with the rhythm'n'blues horn lines. The lyrics are brilliant in that the events they describe are nothing special, yet the story is absolutely captivating.
For me, the "ultimate" Chuck Berry is Johnny B. Goode. The usual ingredients of brilliant guitar, piano and bassline are all present, and the song ticks along with great energy for the verses. But then it absolutely explodes for the chorus, like the frenetic call of a crazy man egging on someone who is even crazier! This is primal rock'n'roll at its mad best.
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