Bear Family to issue Chuck Berry and other Chess artists box set(s)?

Yes!

 

Yes, for the Chuck Berry set it is a good price.

 

I'm interested in the Slim Harpo set. What did you find bad about it? Sound? Thanks for any info.

 

See this thread:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/slim-harpo-box-on-bear-family.425685/

and these posts:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/slim-harpo-box-on-bear-family.425685/#post-13129978
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/slim-harpo-box-on-bear-family.425685/#post-13131128

 

Agreed with everything in this post, including the comment about the cracks-mine are cracked, too. Discs are ripping with 6/6 confidence in accuraterip/xld, but still, there are cracks in the hubs...

 

For anyone on the fence about the Chuck Berry set: don't hesitate, you'll love it.

 

3 years late and I'm finally getting into CB's music.
Got this coming...



I know I'm a little late to the CB party.

Darryl

 

That's a great start, and for many, it's all that's needed. Until you get hooked of course!

 

It was my first Chuck Berry CD 25 years ago and I still have it. (But I did buy the box set last year). One track of note that I like is I Want to Be Your Driver. It's clearly Chuck Berry, but it may be the most driving song he did. Enjoy!

 

Hip-O Select did a decent job with their now out-of-print box sets, although there were several inexcusable omissions. The Chuck Berry comprehensive Bear Family Records box set rectifies such issues and keeps the entirety of his output in print. The live material in itself is worth the price of admission.

 

It's a monster of a set.

 

It should be - Chuck Berry was a monster of an artist!

 

How's the sound on this set?



Darryl

 

I'll have to double check the liner notes on my copy, but I'm fairly certain it was mastered by the late Jurgen Crasser. The projects he worked on tended to be brighter than your typical Bear Family release, which was a disappointment to many. Fortunately, the box set rectifies such issues.

 

There are a few posts (with links) to sites that discuss the differences between the Bear set and the Hip-O releases.

Has anyone put together a comprohensive list that gathers the tracks that are exclusive to the three Hip-O Chuck Berry box sets when compared to the Bear Family box?

Thanks!

 

The Bear set for Chuck is simply awesome all the way around. The sound is pretty much the same as Hip-O but the packaging, books, liner notes are all just incredible.
I think a couple alternates only are missing from the Bear box - but would be curious also if anyone else did a comprehensive check.

The Slim Harpo is pure heartbreak - the sound is just atrocious - very thin, like a transistor radio. The book and packaging is very nice and I think worth the money alone, but I will definitely be playing the prior compilations instead - "Hip Shakin" 2 CD set has the best sound and song selection and "The Scratch Vol 1" has the essential outtakes. The Bear box has some exclusive tracks but I doubt I will listen to them very often due to the poor sound.

 

Here's my list, additions and corrections welcomed.

Chess studio recordings on Hip-O boxes but not on the Bear Family box:

Complete '50s Chess Recordings:
· Rock and Roll Music alternate take
· Sweet Little Sixteen takes 3 and 11 and sped up version of the master take 14
· Night Beat take 3
· Time Was [slow version] take 4
· Reelin' and Rockin' takes 1, 7, and 8A
· Johnny B. Goode take 2/3
· Around and Around takes 2 and 3
· Ingo overdub take 3
· Beautiful Delilah take 15/16
· 21 take 14
· Sweet Little Rock and Roller take 5
· Merry Christmas Baby take 16
· Little Queenie take 8
· Do You Love Me alternate take
· Almost Grown takes 14 and 28
· Blue On Blue take 3
· Betty Jean takes 14 and 17
· Childhood Sweetheart alternate take
· I Just Want To Make Love To You take 3
· Broken Arrow take 21
· Let It Rock alternate mix
· Too Pooped to Pop take 4A

Complete Chess Recordings 1960-1966:
· Go Go Go alternate take

Complete Chess Recordings 1969-1974:
· None

On the Bear Family box but not on the Hip-O boxes:

· Fast B 6 [instrumental]
· Diploma For Two [stereo]
· I'm Talking About You [stereo]
· Go Go Go [stereo]
· Brown Eyed Handsome Man [stereo]
· I'm in the Twilight Zone
· Rangutang [faded]
· Chuck's Beat [edited]
· Bo's Beat [edited]
· Jamaica Farewell alternate take
· Ain't That Just Like A Woman [stereo]
· Bio [single edit]

Not on the Hip-O or Bear Family boxes:

· Sweet Little Sixteen take 8 on Rock 'n' Roll Rarities, Chess 2CH-92521, courtesy of our host
· La Juanda (Chess EP 5119) on Chuck Berry's Golden Decade, Vol. 2, Chess 2CH-60023
· Johnny B. Goode take 1 on Rock 'n' Roll Rarities
· Anthony Boy take 6A on Berry is On Top/St. Louis to Liverpool, Mobile Fidelity UDCD-776
· Nadine in stereo in Rock 'n' Roll Rarities
· The Little Girl From Central (The Girl From Central High) in mono on You Never Can Tell, Pye International NPL-28039
· Big Ben (Blues) in mono on You Never Can Tell
· The Promised Land in stereo on Rock 'n' Roll Rarities
· No Particular Place to Go in stereo on Rock 'n' Roll Rarities
· Little Marie in stereo on Rock 'n' Roll Rarities
· I Want to Be Your Driver in stereo on Rock 'n' Roll Rarities

 

Exactly what I was looking, and hoping, for. I appreciate you sharing all of this info -- thanks!

I was listening to the Bear Box this past weekend and just loved it -- especially some of the instrumentals from the first two discs. Excellent stuff.

If it's possible, I'd say old Chuck is under appreciated. I wonder if he's ever commented on the lack of studio material post 1979? Although he doesn't seem to be the easiest person to collaborate with...I'm surprised that he didn't couple up with a producer/artist (outside of the Hail Hail movie project) for a revival in the '80s. I'm not sure Chuck would have been too open to anyone else's opinion.

 

In your section for items that are not on the HIP-O or Bear Family sets, you have "Sweet Little Sixteen" (take 8) as noted from the album version of Rock 'n' Roll Rarities. Does the take on the album differ from the version found on the CD?

Same goes for "Johnny B. Goode" -- is that an album version only. Amazon has the CD version listed as the "Rock 'n' Roll Rarities" version and I have no idea what that is supposed to mean!

It looks as if the rest of the tracks noted as being from the rarities release are all available on CD as well. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks!

 

The differences and take numbers of the tracks (and which one appears on those compilations) are listed in the detailed discography in the Bear Family set (there's a slightly updated one in the second edition of the book…).
(That discography also shows that the list posted above is not 100% correct…)

 

Thanks -- I'll check out the book that came with the box. I wasn't aware that there was an updated version or a second edition of the book...must have missed that!

 

I referred to Fred Rothwell's May 2014 discography and didn't have the opportunity to cross-check against updates in the Bear Family discography (mine may be the first edition anyway). Corrections are welcomed to develop a list that is 100% accurate.

As for the contents of Rock and Roll Rarities, our host Steve Hoffman is best qualified to answer those questions. He can surely share insights that are not available elsewhere.

 

I understand the need for new editions of books but Bear Family should post any changes on line for download so we can keep our copies as up to date as possible. I can't afford to buy multiple copies just to get the new edition of the book.

This shouldn't be that big a deal. Maybe just post the pages with changes. This could also work in BFs favor because others could see how nice the books are without giving the entire book away.


Also, I hate to hear how bad the Slim Harpo box sounds. I wanted to get it but will now wait until I can sample it myself. I am disappointed because I had waited to get it and then the bad news. How can this pass inspection and be released if there is a problem? Shouldn't multiple people pass on it before release? Just wondering.

 

I got this as a gift this past Christmas and it is awesome. I have had the Chess box since it was released and I was always pretty happy with the sound. This is another animal altogether. It sounds fabulous!

 

So is the Bear Family box an improvement soundwise of the Hip O Select sets?