St. Louis to Liverpool
Encyclopedia
St. Louis to Liverpool is a rock and roll
album
by Chuck Berry
, released in 1964 on Chess Records
, catalogue 1488. It peaked at #124 on the Billboard album chart
.
. During his time in jail, emerging rock groups had found inspiration in his work. The Beach Boys
had based their #3 hit single
"Surfin' USA
" on his "Sweet Little Sixteen
," the Beatles
had included "Roll Over Beethoven
" on their second American album for Capitol Records
, and the debut single in the United Kingdom
by the Rolling Stones
was their cover of "Come On
" while they included Carol
" on their first American album.
Wishing to capitalize on his popularity during the British Invasion
, Berry and Chess Records
fashioned this album as an appeal to younger buyers. St. Louis to Liverpool includes four of the five charting singles he enjoyed in 1964, the final year he would have multiple records appearing on the Billboard Hot 100
: "No Particular Place to Go
;" "You Never Can Tell
;" "Promised Land
;" and the sequel to "Memphis, Tennessee
," "Little Marie." The additional eight tracks included the four b-sides
to those singles, an additional b-side from 1960 "Our Little Rendezvous," the 1958 holiday single "Merry Christmas Baby
," an instrumental outtake
from a 1950s session, and the recent instrumental "Liverpool Drive."
On April 13, 2004, the Chronicles division of the Universal Music Group
remastered the album for compact disc
with three bonus tracks as part of their 50th anniversary commemorative of Chess Records. In 2008, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
reissued the album again along with the compilation Chuck Berry Is on Top
on an Ultradisc II Gold compact disc.
Single
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, released in 1964 on Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
, catalogue 1488. It peaked at #124 on the Billboard album chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
Content
On October 18, 1963, Berry was released from prison after having spent 20 months incarcerated owing to conviction on a charge under the Mann ActMann Act
The White-Slave Traffic Act, better known as the Mann Act, is a United States law, passed June 25, 1910 . It is named after Congressman James Robert Mann, and in its original form prohibited white slavery and the interstate transport of females for “immoral purposes”...
. During his time in jail, emerging rock groups had found inspiration in his work. The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
had based their #3 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Surfin' USA
Surfin' USA (song)
"Surfin' USA" is a song with lyrics written by Brian Wilson for The Beach Boys, set to the melody from Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen". Berry received co-writing credit for composing the song after litigating. "Surfin' USA" was recorded by The Beach Boys and released as a single on March 4,...
" on his "Sweet Little Sixteen
Sweet Little Sixteen
"Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and originally performed by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. It reached number two on the American charts, Berry's highest position ever on the charts, with the exception of the suggestive number one hit "My...
," the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
had included "Roll Over Beethoven
Roll Over Beethoven
"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 hit single by Chuck Berry originally released on Chess Records, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to replace classical music...
" on their second American album for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, and the debut single in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
was their cover of "Come On
Come On (Chuck Berry song)
"Come On" is a song written and first released by Chuck Berry in 1961. The Rolling Stones released a version as their debut single in 1963.According to the liner notes from the Berry compilation album The Great Twenty-Eight, the performers on the record were as follows:* Chuck Berry: Guitars and...
" while they included Carol
Carol (song)
"Carol" is a song written by Chuck Berry, first released by Chuck Berry in 1958. It was later covered by The Beatles for a live BBC performance during 1963, this version was released on the 1994 compilation album Live at the BBC. It was also recorded by The Rolling Stones and released on their...
" on their first American album.
Wishing to capitalize on his popularity during the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
, Berry and Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
fashioned this album as an appeal to younger buyers. St. Louis to Liverpool includes four of the five charting singles he enjoyed in 1964, the final year he would have multiple records appearing on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
: "No Particular Place to Go
No Particular Place To Go
"No Particular Place to Go" is a song by American rock and roll icon Chuck Berry, released as a single by Chess Records in May 1964 and was released on the album St...
;" "You Never Can Tell
You Never Can Tell (song)
"You Never Can Tell" also occasionally referred to as "C'est La Vie" is a rock and roll song by Chuck Berry. It was composed while he was in prison for intent to commit a sex crime. The song was originally released in 1964 on the album St...
;" "Promised Land
Promised Land (song)
"Promised Land" is a song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball", an American folk song. The song was first recorded in this version by Chuck Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in 1965, it was Berry's first single issued following his prison term...
;" and the sequel to "Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee (song)
"Memphis, Tennessee" is a song by rock & roll singer-songwriter Chuck Berry. It is sometimes shortened to "Memphis". In the UK, the song charted at #6 in 1963, at the same time Decca Records issued a cover version in the UK by Dave Berry and the Cruisers, who came from Sheffield, Yorkshire...
," "Little Marie." The additional eight tracks included the four b-sides
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
to those singles, an additional b-side from 1960 "Our Little Rendezvous," the 1958 holiday single "Merry Christmas Baby
Merry Christmas Baby
"Merry Christmas Baby" is an R & B Christmas standard written by Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore. It has been covered by many artists including Otis Redding, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Hanson. The original 1947 version by Johnny Moore's Three Trailblazers "Merry Christmas Baby" is an R...
," an instrumental outtake
Outtake
An outtake is a portion of a work that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DVD reissues of many albums and films as bonus tracks or features, in film often, but not...
from a 1950s session, and the recent instrumental "Liverpool Drive."
On April 13, 2004, the Chronicles division of the Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
remastered the album for compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
with three bonus tracks as part of their 50th anniversary commemorative of Chess Records. In 2008, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is a company known as an innovator in the production of audiophile-quality sound recordings. All releases are advertised as being produced from the first-generation analog master recordings, and using proprietary technology, which MFSL claims allows for improved sound...
reissued the album again along with the compilation Chuck Berry Is on Top
Chuck Berry Is on Top
Chuck Berry Is on Top is a compilation album by rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry, released in July 1959 on Chess Records. The album consists of some of his single releases up to that point, along with one new track "Blues for Hawaiians". In his review of the album on Allmusic, Cub Koda describes...
on an Ultradisc II Gold compact disc.
Side one
- "Little Marie" — 2:37
- "Our Little Rendezvous" — 2:03
- "No Particular Place to GoNo Particular Place To Go"No Particular Place to Go" is a song by American rock and roll icon Chuck Berry, released as a single by Chess Records in May 1964 and was released on the album St...
" — 2:44 - "You Two" — 2:11
- "Promised LandPromised Land (song)"Promised Land" is a song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball", an American folk song. The song was first recorded in this version by Chuck Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in 1965, it was Berry's first single issued following his prison term...
" — 2:24 - "You Never Can TellYou Never Can Tell (song)"You Never Can Tell" also occasionally referred to as "C'est La Vie" is a rock and roll song by Chuck Berry. It was composed while he was in prison for intent to commit a sex crime. The song was originally released in 1964 on the album St...
" — 2:43
Side two
- "Go Bobby Soxer" — 2:59
- "Things I Used to Do" (Eddie JonesGuitar SlimEddie Jones , better known as Guitar Slim, was a New Orleans blues guitarist, from the 1940s and 1950s, best known for the million-selling song, produced by Johnny Vincent at Specialty Records, "The Things That I Used to Do"...
) — 2:42 - "Liverpool Drive" — 2:56
- "Night Beat" — 2:46
- "Merry Christmas BabyMerry Christmas Baby"Merry Christmas Baby" is an R & B Christmas standard written by Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore. It has been covered by many artists including Otis Redding, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Hanson. The original 1947 version by Johnny Moore's Three Trailblazers "Merry Christmas Baby" is an R...
" (Lou Baxter, Johnny MooreJohnny Moore (musician)Johnny Moore was an American rhythm and blues singer with The Drifters.Born John Alfred Moore in Selma, Alabama, United States, he began as lead of the Cleveland based group, The Hornets, before being discovered by The Drifters. He joined the group as lead vocalist, in New York in 1955, at age 21...
) — 3:14 - "Brenda LeeBrenda LeeBrenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
" — 2:15
2004 bonus tracks
- "Fraulein" — 2:51
- "O Rangutang" — 3:02
- "The Little Girl From Central" — 2:39
Personnel
- Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
— vocals, guitars - Matt "Guitar" MurphyMatt Murphy (blues guitarist)Matt "Guitar" Murphy is an American blues guitarist.-Life and career:Matt Murphy was born in Sunflower, Mississippi, United States, and was educated in Memphis, where his father worked at the Peabody Hotel...
— electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
on "Our Little Rendezvous" - Johnnie JohnsonJohnnie Johnson (musician)Johnnie Johnson was an American pianist and blues musician. His work with Chuck Berry led to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.-Career:...
— pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on "Our Little Rendezvous," "You Never Can Tell," "Things I Used to Do," "Merry Christmas Baby," "Fraulein," O Rangutang," and "The Little Girl from Central" - Lafayette LeakeLafayette LeakeLafayette Leake was a blues and jazz pianist, organist, vocalist and composer who played for Chess Records as a session musician, and as a member of the Big Three Trio, during the formative years of Chicago blues. He played piano on many of Chuck Berry's recordings.-Biography:Leake was born in...
— piano on "Promised Land," "Night Beat," and "Brenda Lee" - Paul Williams — piano on "No Particular Place to Go," "You Two," and "Liverpool Drive"
- Willie DixonWillie DixonWilliam James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
— bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on "Our Little Rendezvous," "Promised Land," "Night Beat," "Merry Christmas Baby," and "Brenda Lee" - Odie PayneOdie PayneOdie Payne was an American Chicago blues drummer. Over his long career Payne worked with a range of musicians including Sonny Boy Williamson II, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Little Johnny Jones, Tampa Red, Otis Rush, Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Little Brother Montgomery, Memphis...
— drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Fred BelowFred BelowFred Below was a leading blues drummer, best known for his innovative work with Little Walter and Chess Records in the 1950s. Nobody laid more of the Chicago blues rhythmic foundations, particularly its archetypal backbeat, than Fred Below.-Career:He was born in Chicago, and started playing drums...
— drums on "Night Beat" and "Merry Christmas Baby" - Ebby Hardy or Jaspar Thomas — drums on "Our Little Rendezvous"
- Leroy C. Davis — tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
on "Our Little Rendezvous," "You Never Can Tell," "Fraulein," and "O Rangutang" - James Robinson — tenor saxophone on on "You Never Can Tell," "Fraulein," and "O Rangutang"
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop Albums |
124 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Little Marie" | Billboard Black Singles | 54 |
| 1964 | "No Particular Place to Go" | Billboard Black Singles | 10 |
| 1964 | "You Never Can Tell" | Billboard Black Singles | 14 |
| 1965 | "Promised Land" | Billboard Black Singles | 41 |