| Rockit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Studio | Berry Park Studios, Wentzville, Missouri | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 35:37 | |||
| Label | Atco | |||
| Producer | Chuck Berry | |||
| Chuck Berry chronology | ||||
| ||||
Rockit is the nineteenth studio album by Chuck Berry, released in 1979 by Atco Records. It was his only release for the label, following Berry's departure in 1975 from Chess Records [1] and his last studio album for 38 years, until Chuck in 2017. [2]
The album cover depicted Berry's guitar in the image of the Millennium Falcon starship, from the 1977 film Star Wars . [3] According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the artwork bizarrely (and somewhat appealingly)" capitalized on "the post-Star Wars wave as it features Chuck's signature Gibson orbiting the Earth (which also nicely plays into the pun of the title, a pun so slight that it's possible to not realize it's a pun without the artwork)". [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
The New York Times wrote that "Berry finally steps out from behind his smiling entertainer's mask and talks about some of the problems he's encountered as a black performer." [6] Reviewing Rockit in 1979 for The Village Voice , Robert Christgau gave the album a B-plus grade and was surprised by its quality:
"The inventor of rock and roll hasn't made an album this listenable in fifteen years--no great new songs, but he's never written better throwaways (or covered 'Ozymandias,' either). Both Berry and Johnny Johnson--the piano half of his sound for a quarter of a century--have tricked up their styles without vitiating or cheapening them, and the result is a groove for all decades. Minor for sure, but what a surprise. [4]
Along with 1964's St. Louis to Liverpool , Christgau considered Rockit one of two full-length albums recorded by Berry in his lifetime that were "worthy of the name", a "groove" record "sharpened by two back-end songs skewering the racist society he'd striven so audaciously to integrate and enlighten". [7] Observer journalist Ron Hart named it among Berry's five best albums. [3]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Erlewine wrote that, despite conceding to contemporary music trends with a somewhat "bright and tight" production, Berry offered "three or four terrific songs and a bunch of enjoyable straight-ahead rockers that aren't quite as memorable but sure sound good as they play". [1]
All songs written by Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive with songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958). Writing lyrics that focused on teen life and consumerism, and developing a music style that included guitar solos and showmanship, Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music.
Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but is performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of African Americans of the first half of the twentieth century. Key features that distinguish Chicago blues from the earlier traditions, such as Delta blues, is the prominent use of electrified instruments, especially the electric guitar, and especially the use of electronic effects such as distortion and overdrive.
Katy Lied is the fourth studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released by ABC Records in March 1975; reissues have been released by MCA Records since ABC Records was acquired by MCA in 1979. It was the first album the group made after they stopped touring, as well as their first to feature backing vocals by Michael McDonald.
Black and Blue is a studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976 by Rolling Stones Records.
Warehouse: Songs and Stories is the sixth and final studio album by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, originally released by Warner Bros. Records as a double album on two vinyl LPs. The band dissolved following the tour in support of its release, in part due to disagreements between songwriters Bob Mould and Grant Hart over the latter's drug use. This album, along with Candy Apple Grey, showcases the increasing maturity of Mould and Hart's writing—a change which alienated some long-time fans. This album is also known for its battle between the two songwriters, with Mould famously telling Hart that he would never have more than half of the songs on a Hüsker Dü album.
Night Moves is the ninth studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bob Seger, and his first studio album to credit the Silver Bullet Band. The album was released by Capitol Records on October 22, 1976. Although the front cover only credits backing by the Silver Bullet Band, four of the nine songs on the album feature backing by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.
Dylan & the Dead is a collaborative live album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, released on February 6, 1989, by Columbia Records. The album consists of seven songs written and sung by Dylan, with the Grateful Dead providing accompaniment. The album was produced by Jerry Garcia and John Cutler.
Cool for Cats is the second studio album by the English new wave group Squeeze, released in 1979. Cool for Cats contains four UK hit singles, more than any other album the band has issued. The album peaked at number 45 in the UK Albums Chart, spending 11 weeks in that listing.
"Maybellene" is a rock and roll song by American artist Chuck Berry, adapted in part from the Western swing fiddle tune "Ida Red". Released in 1955, Berry’s song tells the story of a hot rod race and a broken romance, the lyrics describing a man driving a V8 Ford and chasing his unfaithful girlfriend in her Cadillac Coupe DeVille. It was released in July 1955 as a single by Chess Records, of Chicago, Illinois. Berry's first hit, "Maybellene" is considered a pioneering rock and roll song. Rolling Stone magazine wrote of it, "Rock & roll guitar starts here." The record was an early instance of the complete rock and roll package: youthful subject matter; a small, guitar-driven combo; clear diction; and an atmosphere of unrelenting excitement.
Love You Live is a double live album by the Rolling Stones, released in 1977. It is drawn from Tour of the Americas shows in the US in the summer of 1975, Tour of Europe shows in 1976 and performances from the El Mocambo nightclub concert venue in Toronto in 1977. It is the band's third official full-length live release and is dedicated to the memory of audio engineer Keith Harwood, who died in a car accident shortly before the album's release. It is also the band's first live album with Ronnie Wood.
Repeat When Necessary is the fifth album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. Produced by Edmunds, it was released in 1979 by Swan Song Records. It was recorded and released at the same time as Nick Lowe's Labour of Lust, and features the same lineup of musicians: Edmunds, Lowe, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams.
Born Again is the sixth studio album by American musician Randy Newman. The album was released in August 1979, to little sales and mostly positive reviews, which surprised Newman. Newman went on to say that Born Again was the strangest album that he had ever done. The album cover features Randy Newman in a business office, wearing face makeup, with dollar signs painted over his eyes, appearing to poke fun at the commercialization of rock music.
Tracks on Wax 4 is the fourth album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. The record was the first Edmunds solo effort to feature all four members of the band Rockpile: Edmunds, Billy Bremner, Nick Lowe, and Terry Williams.
Anthology is a two-disc compilation album by American rock and roll musician Chuck Berry released on July 27, 2000, by Chess Records. It duplicates in its entirety the previous anthology The Great Twenty-Eight ranked at No. 21 on the Rolling Stone 500 greatest all time albums list, as well as the entirety of the later Definitive Collection issued in 2006 as part of the Universal series. The album was later reissued and packaged in 2005 as part of the Universal Records Gold series, and simply retitled Gold. It charted at No. 110 in the UK Albums Chart.
Chuck Berry is the eighteenth studio album by Chuck Berry, released in 1975 by Chess Records. Some pressings of this album carry the title Chuck Berry '75. Berry's daughter, Ingrid, contributed backing vocals.
Future Shock is the thirty-fifth album by American jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, released in August 1983 by Columbia Records. It was his first release from his electro-funk era and an early example of instrumental hip hop. Participating musicians include bass guitarist Bill Laswell, guitarist Pete Cosey and drummer Sly Dunbar.
Bigger Than Both of Us is the fifth studio album by American pop rock duo Daryl Hall and John Oates. The album was released on September 8, 1976, by RCA Records and peaked at #13 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The album included the first of their six #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "Rich Girl" as well as the singles "Back Together Again" and "Do What You Want, Be What You Are". Hall & Oates released a song titled "Bigger Than Both of Us" on their Beauty on a Back Street album one year later. "Do What You Want, Be What You Are" was covered by The Dramatics in 1979.
Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance is the second solo album recorded by Ronnie Lane, one of the founders of Small Faces and Faces, after he left Faces to live on a farm in Wales. In homage to his perceived chances of commercial success, he named his band Slim Chance. Six of the thirteen songs on this album were originals written by Lane, the rest of Slim Chance, and Lane's wife, Kate Lambert; the remainder were covers, including a new version of the Faces track "Stone".
I've Got My Own Album to Do is the first solo album by English rock musician Ronnie Wood, released in September 1974. An all-star project recorded outside of his activities with the Faces, it reached number 27 on the UK's NME chart. The album title was thought to be a dig at Rod Stewart, who appeared to be more committed to his solo career than working with the Faces. Wood has said that the title originated from contributors such as George Harrison and Mick Jagger "nagging me to let them go home" and finish their own projects. The album was recorded at The Wick, Wood's house in Richmond, south-west London.
Chuck is the eponymous twentieth and final studio album by American rock and roll singer and guitarist Chuck Berry, released in June 2017. Berry died between the announcement of its recording on his 90th birthday in October 2016 and its release. It posthumously became his first UK Top 10 chart entry since 1977, debuting at No. 9. This is the first Berry studio album to be released in almost four decades. It was positively received by critics who considered it a return to form and a poignant last statement.
 | This 1970s rock album–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
