Chuck Berry - guitar, lead vocals,Fred Below - drums,Bo Diddley - guitar,Willie Dixon - bass,Jerome Green - maracas,Ebbie Hardy - drums Johnnie Johnson - piano,Lafayette Leake - piano,The Moonglows - backing vocals,George Smith - bass,Jaspar Thomas - drums

 

*Remastered, Limited edition coloured vinyl with free CD

 

*With Liner notes by renowned author and music journalist Max Decharne

 

*design by Sophie Lo

 

In July 1956, Chess Records issued what was arguably the hardest-hitting Chuck Berry LP of them all, Chuck Berry Is On Top. The man himself started the year appearing as both a performer and actor in the Hollywood feature film Go, Johnny, Go, which was named after a line in one of his own songs. The oldest song on the album was from May 1955, the newest from February 1959, but nine out of the twelve came from 1958, and indeed, any Chuck Berry fan who had been religiously buying each Chess 45 and EP would have owned every track already, except for the instrumental, Blues For Hawaiians. Nevertheless, viewed as a collection of songs it was one of the all-time great 1950s party LPs. Today what stands out is the sheer quantity of landmark hits contained here, many of which went on to become serious chart material a second time around in the hands of other artists. 

 

TRACKLISTING:  01. ALMOST GROWN 02. CAROL 03. MAYBELLENE 04. SWEET LITTLE ROCK & ROLLER 05. ANTHONY BOY 06. JOHNNY B. GOODE 07. LITTLE QUEENIE 08. JO JO GUNNE 09. ROLLOVER BEETHOVEN 10. AROUND & AROUND 11. HEY PEDRO 12. BLUES FOR HAWAIIANS