Review of Chuck Berry: Rock and Roll Music

Introduction

Flash back to 1985 and Michael J. Fox was prancing about the stage as Marty McFly in Robert Zemeckis` Back To The Future, clearly influenced by Chuck Berry, the American rock musician. As well as singing "Johnny B. Goode", one of Berry`s more famous tracks, Fox/McFly was doing some of the singer`s trademark stage moves. This was an indication of just how popular Berry was - up there with the likes of Jimi Hendrix.

Flash forward to 2003, and I have a DVD in my hands: Chuck Berry - Rock and Roll Music, a recording from one of his gigs where he performed eleven of his tracks (a notable absentee is "You Never Can Tell", which was immortalised in Pulp Fiction).

Video

1.33:1 Standard. This was shot on what appears to be low-quality stock - both from the ratio of the picture and also because the visuals are fairly fuzzy and blurred throughout, and show no crispness that modern DVD releases possess. Granted, the palette is used fairly well, but the definition and clarity levels leave a lot to be desired. Showing its age in a big way.

Just like Fox did in Back To The Future, the man himself performs some fairly amusing moves on stage. Music discs such as this don`t rely on their visuals, but something to look at always helps, and two things are clear from watching this title: one, Berry himself is enjoying playing; two, the crowd are very much enjoying themselves (however, considering they are all a bunch of hippies, the question is, are they really enjoying themselves or just drugged up on dope and therefore enjoying everything and anything thrown at them?!).

Audio

Dolby Digital 5.1 (English). This was originally recorded in stereo, so it has had to be remastered for a surround sound mix. Thankfully, the job has been done fairly well, with the soundstage big and bold, although the definition between the front and rear speakers isn`t that good, giving the impression of one sound channel all around you. The subwoofer is hardly used either, so overall, whilst this is better than no 5.1 soundtrack, it could have certainly been a bit better.

The tracks performed are all rather dull and repetitive, with the exception of two: "Johnny B. Goode" and "Maybellene". The problem with the others is that they consist of guitar riffs and not a lot else, and are a far cry from other songs of their era. Two songs for the price of eleven then...

Features

Extras? What extras? Absolutely zilch. Nothing. Sod all. Get the picture?

The menus are animated slightly with an animation before the text appears - no background music though. They are easy to navigate (this could be because they comprise of just one menu screen...).

Conclusion

Worthwhile for fans of Chuck Berry, but not so for people who aren`t die-hard followers of the singer. In my opinion he has done three good songs: one of which isn`t even on this DVD, so really, for the price, it just ain`t economic.

The disc itself has been put together rather poorly - it seems amazing that they bothered to give us a surround sound mix. The visuals are poor to average throughout, and the extras are non-existent (so why the one mark I hear you ask, and um, we do get to choose the song we want...).

If less than a fiver, and you`re short of drinks coasters and want a free Amaray case thrown in, go for it, unless of course you like Mr Berry. In that case, buy it, again cheaply, and hope for another release, a release that was put together in more than a couple of hours.