''New Juke Box Hits'' is the fifth studio album by
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
pioneer
Chuck Berry, released in March 1961 by
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...
. Unlike his previous four LPs, only two songs, "Little Star" backed with "I'm Talking About You", had been previously released on a
45 rpm single
In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...
.
The album was recorded and released while Berry was in the midst of legal difficulties, which led to his imprisonment in 1962. The adverse publicity from these legal problems affected sales of his records, and the previous single failed to reach the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
chart.
Berry did not release
another album of songs for over three years.
Legacy
William Ruhlmann in a retrospective review for AllMusic, feels that the distractions of his legal problems inhibited Berry, so the songs on this album compare unfavourably with his earlier albums.
[
]
Track listing
All tracks composed by Chuck Berry except as noted.
Side one
# "I'm Talking About You" – 1:46
# "Diploma for Two" – 2:28
# "Thirteen Question Method" – 2:12
# "Away from You" – 2:38
# "Don't You Lie to Me
"Don't You Lie to Me" (sometimes called "I Get Evil") is a song recorded by Tampa Red in 1940. It became popular with blues artists, leading it to become a blues standard.
The song was also interpreted by rock and roll pioneers Fats Domino and C ...
" (Hudson Whittaker
Hudson Whittaker (born Hudson Woodbridge; January 8, 1903March 19, 1981), known as Tampa Red, was a Chicago blues musician.
His distinctive single-string slide guitar style, songwriting and bottleneck technique influenced other Chicago blues gu ...
) – 2:02
# "The Way It Was Before" – 2:52
Side two
# "Little Star" – 2:45
# "Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
" ( Bobby Troup) – 2:45
# "Sweet Sixteen" (Joe Josea
The Bihari brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American businessmen of Hungarian Jewish origins. They were the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries, such as Meteor Records, based in Memphis. The Bihari brothers we ...
, B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...
) – 2:45
# "Run Around" – 2:31
# "Stop and Listen" – 2:26
# " Rip It Up" (John Marascalco
John S. Marascalco (March 27, 1931 – July 5, 2020) was an American songwriter most noted for the songs he wrote for Little Richard. He was born in Grenada, Mississippi and died in Los Angeles, California.
Career
Marascalco co-wrote several of ...
, Robert Blackwell) – 1:57
Personnel
* Chuck Berry – vocals, guitars
* Johnnie Johnson – piano
* Reggie Boyd – bass
* Fred Below, Jaspar Thomas – drums
* Leroy C. Davis – tenor saxophone
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Chuck Berry albums
1961 albums
Chess Records albums
Albums produced by Leonard Chess
Albums produced by Phil Chess