Name(s): Berry Is on Top
Artist(s): Chuck Berry
Release Date(s): July 1959

Chuck Berry is unarguably a milestone universal presence in the history and development of rock music, but let’s be honest about judging this one particular album. Berry Is on Top comes from an era of rock music where the vast majority of rock albums were just vehicles for one or two great singles. This is Berry Is on Top‘s intention right from the get-go, as with the exception of one song it’s a compilation of previously released material pulled together by business suits still looking to see how far they can take their success and profit.

You know the singles here already, because they’re what directed you to this little album in the first place. “Johnny B. Goode” was/is an immediate classic whose appeal passes all generation boundaries and will probably always continue to do so. A more zealous fan would even call it the first punk rock song for how uptempo it is, but I wouldn’t go that far. It simply both sums up and defines this entire era of rock and roll under three minutes. It’s one of the very few songs in music history to contain within in it an entire sound and movement, and that’s why it’s retained its power over the decades.

As for “Roll Over Beethoven…” well, to be honest, the original “Roll Over Beethoven” has never done that much for me. I’d take a few songs here over it, albeit just barely. I’ve preferred every cover I’ve ever heard of the song.

The rest is a fun albeit forgettable grab bag of typical early R&B rockers. For example, “Jo Jo Gun” is partly just a redone “Johnny B. Goode,” and the rest blur together even more with only the Latin-tinged “Hey Pedro” and instrumental original “Blues for Hawaiians” standing out (but still not being “stand-outs”). The riffs don’t remain in your head like that of “Johnny B. Goode,” with many just being weaker variations of each other, and the rhythms repeat themselves and tire you out.

But never mind those timeworn faults, because the timeless hip-shaking racket of Berry Is on Top is enough to give you nostalgia for an age gone past—even one you may have never lived in. Chuck Berry is the greatest mediator of the ’50s.