Starring Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Johnnie Johnston
Directed by Taylor Hackford
Music and Lyrics by Chuck Berry and others
This year, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by honoring another musical pioneer from the dawn of the Civil Rights Era. Chuck Berry had his strongest successes from 1955 through 1964 as one of the pioneers of R&B and early rock. He was overshadowed by the British Invasion and hard rock in the later 60's, even as the Beatles covered "Roll Over Beethoven," but would have one more moment in the sun with the novelty hit "My Ding-a-Ling" in the 70's. By the 1980's, Berry in particular and early rock in particular were getting a reassessment as his songs turned up on TV and on oldies stations and his albums were re-released on vinyl and on CD. We learn just how influential and popular his music was in this documentary honoring his 60th birthday. Let's begin with testimony from no less than John Lennon as we see an array of stars explaining Berry's influence on their music and find out...
The Story: We see rehearsal for two dynamic concerts at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri honoring Berry's 60th birthday and featuring an array of stars singing his music. Before and between scenes of the concert, Berry discusses his life and career, talking about his beginnings as the house band at the Cosmopolitan Club in St. Louis and
The Song and Dance: First of all, I'm glad the Fox Theater still exists in St. Louis, because it's a gorgeous palace with incredible architecture. It's the perfect backdrop for the two electric concerts that showcase Berry at his rollicking, dynamic best. We even get a wide array of stars of the time singing with him, everyone from Linda Ronstadt to John Lennon's son Julian. I like how honest the documentary is, showing that yes, Barry had trouble in the 50's and 60's with racism and whites who didn't really understand his sound covering his music, but the fact that, well, he wasn't always the most pleasant person. In fact, we see in the rehearsals that he could be downright controlling...but he's dynamic onstage, playing likely as well as he ever did.
The Numbers: We open with interviews and a dynamic "Mabellene" between four rehearsal numbers at Berry's home and at the Cosmopolitan Club, "Come On," "Carol," "It Don't Take But a Few Minutes," and a brief take on the standard "I'm Through With Love." We see how hard he pushes his band and hear his arguments with Richards in particular on "Carol" and "It Don't Take."
"Roll Over Beethoven" featuring blues guitarist Robert Cray opens the first concert. After "Almost Grown," Linda Ronstadt, who recorded a cover of "Back In the USA" in 1978, joins up for a rollicking duet. Berry tears into "Sweet Little Sixteen," "No Money Down," and "Nadine." Julian Lennon looks a little out of place for "Johnny B. Goode," but he does well enough with the duet and looks pretty good in the 50's-style suit. After "Memphis, Tennesee" and "Little Queenie," Cray returns to put his own stamp on "Brown Eyed Handsome Man." We hear testimonies from Little Richard between "Too Much Money Business" and "No Particular Place to Go."
Eric Clapton takes the stage for "Wee Wee Hours." He sticks around for "Rock and Roll Music" as Etta James comes in for a duet. The big finale is the song that provided the film's title. Guitarist Joe Walsh joins Berry, Richards, Cray, and Clapton here.
Trivia: Berry had overworked his voice singing at an outdoor concert shortly before shooting began on this film and had to be dubbed at the concert scenes.
What I Don't Like: First of all, Universal needs to take a crack at restoring this. The copy currently at Amazon Prime seems a bit on the grainy side, especially in the rehearsals. Second, I kind of wish there'd been more focus on Berry himself and less on stars of the time gushing about how he influenced their music. Berry may have been, to be blunt, a jerk, but he was a fascinating one, and it really is interesting to hear his take on his music and how he got started.
The Big Finale: I remember this turning up on cable fairly frequently in the late 80's when I was a kid, and I'm finally glad I got around to seeing it. If you have any interest in Chuck Barry, his music, or the early history of rock, you'll want to ride along in your own automobile and give this take on his life and songs a look.
Home Media: The discs currently seem to be hard to find. Your best best for this would be streaming.
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