Berry Is on Top

Berry Is on Top is the third studio album by rock and roll artist Chuck Berry, released in July 1959 on Chess Records, catalogue LP 1435. With the exception of one track, "Blues for Hawaiians", all selections had been previously released on 45 rpm singles,^[1] several of which were double-sided and charted twice. In his review of the album for AllMusic, Cub Koda described it as "almost a mini-greatest-hits package in and of itself" and the most perfectly realized collection of Berry's career.^[2] In 2008, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissued the album with St. Louis to Liverpool on an Ultradisc II Gold compact disc. In 2012, Hoodoo reissued the album with One Dozen Berrys on the same CD.

Berry Is on Top
Studio album by Chuck Berry
Released	July 1959 (1959-07)[1]
Recorded	May 21, 1955–1959, Chicago, Illinois
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	30:25
Label	Chess LP–1435[1]
Producer	Leonard Chess, Phil Chess
Chuck Berry chronology
One Dozen Berrys (1958) Berry Is on Top (1959) Rockin' at the Hops (1960)
Singles from Berry Is On Top
"Maybellene" Released: July 1955 "Johnny B. Goode" / "Around and Around" Released: March 31, 1958 "Carol"/"Hey Pedro" Released: August 1958 "Sweet Little Rock & Roller"/"Jo Jo Gunne" Released: October 1958 "Anthony Boy" Released: January 1959 "Almost Grown" / "Little Queenie" Released: March 1959

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[4]

Track listing

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Almost Grown"	2:21
2.	"Carol"	2:48
3.	"Maybellene"	2:23
4.	"Sweet Little Rock & Roller"	2:22
5.	"Anthony Boy"	1:54
6.	"Johnny B. Goode"	2:41

All tracks are written by Chuck Berry

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Little Queenie"	2:43
2.	"Jo Jo Gunne"	2:47
3.	"Roll Over Beethoven"	2:24
4.	"Around and Around"	2:42
5.	"Hey Pedro"	1:57
6.	"Blues for Hawaiians"	3:23
Total length:		30:25

Personnel

• Chuck Berry – vocals, guitars
• Johnnie Johnson, Lafayette Leake – piano
• Willie Dixon – double bass
• George Smith – bass
• Fred Below, Ebbie Hardy, Jaspar Thomas – drums
• Jerome Green – maracas
• The Moonglows – backing vocals
• Bob Bushnell – bass on "Around and Around"^[5]

Charting history

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year	Single	Chart	Position[6]
1955	"Maybellene"	Billboard Top 100	5
1956	"Roll Over Beethoven"	Billboard Top 100	29
1958	"Johnny B. Goode"	Billboard Top 100	8
1958	"Carol"	Billboard Hot 100	18
1958	"Jo Jo Gunne"	Billboard Hot 100	83
1958	"Sweet Little Rock & Roller"	Billboard Hot 100	47
1959	"Anthony Boy"	Billboard Hot 100	60
1959	"Almost Grown"	Billboard Hot 100	32
1959	"Little Queenie"	Billboard Hot 100	80

References

1. Rudolph, Dietmar. "A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry: The Chess Era (1955–1966)". Retrieved 2009-09-03.
2. Cub Koda. "Chuck Berry Is on Top > Overview". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
3. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 568.
4. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 54–55.
5. "The Chuck Berry Database — Details For Song: Around And Around — Chuck Berry Collector's Guide". www.crlf.de.
6. "Billboard Hot 100 - Chuck Berry". Retrieved October 27, 2017.

External links

• Berry Is on Top at Discogs (list of releases)