Cheap Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock N' Roll (4 Disc) (DVD) (Taylor Hackford) Price
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Hackford's original film, now issued with a crisp, anamorphic transfer and digital sound, occupies Disc One. A parade of classics are heard during the climactic concert, performed by Berry and a superb band (led by Keith Richards and featuring guitarist Robert Cray and Johnny Johnson, Berry's original pianist, among others), with guest shots by Eric Clapton (smoking on the slow blues "Wee Wee Hours"), Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, and Julian Lennon (whose dad was an unabashed Berry fan). There are revealing offstage glimpses, too, like Berry confessing that he only took up music full-time because there was more money in it than in housepainting, or a weary, wasted Richards admitting that "I was mad to take the gig" but gamely standing up to his idol at every turn (watch for a memorable moment during the very first song of the concert, when Chuck attempts to change key in mid-tune and Keith sternly shakes him off).
The three discs of bonus features add a lot more to the portrait. Much of it is terrific: A nostalgic Berry poring over his scrapbook with Robbie Robertson of the Band; some lengthy rehearsal jams with Clapton, Richards, and James; hours (literally) of convivial conversation with Little Richard, Bo Diddley, and other rock pioneers. But if you're the type who can't turn away from car wrecks, don't miss "The Reluctant Movie Star," an hour-long "making of" documentary, for it's here that Hackford and the others who worked on the film tell their war stories. The Chuck Berry they know demanded to be paid every day, in cash, or he'd refuse to be filmed. He showed up for a dinner meeting at L.A.'s posh Le Dome with a bag of McDonald's takeout. And two days before the St. Louis concert, he announced that he was leaving town for a gig in Ohio, where he proceeded to blow out his voice--so his vocals all had to be overdubbed after the fact (an extra payday, natch). Hail! Hail! Rock n' Roll was already an entertaining two hours. But the various extra material, none of it seen before and all of it introduced by Hackford, makes this "ultimate collector's addition" a must-have. --Sam Graham
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | Taylor Hackford |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 09 October, 1987 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Image Entertainment |
| MPAA RATING: | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) |
| FEATURES: | Box set, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC |
| TYPE: | Adult Language, Affectionate, Arts & Entertainment, Biography, Color, Documentary, English, Gift Set, Music, Music Video - Pop/Rock, Performing Arts, Pop, Rock, Rock & Roll, Rock/Pop, Rousing, USA, United States of America, Upbeat |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| MPN: | D3156D |
| # OF MEDIA: | 4 |
| UPC: | 014381315622 |
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Customer Reviews of Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock N' Roll (4 Disc)
Simply Fantastic If you like Chuck Berry, or if you like Blues, of if you like R&R ... don't miss the opportunity to have this box. Fantastic ... thanks for Taylor Hackford to do this, and thank to Chuck Berry to exist ...
Hail, Hail Chuck Berry
Long ago, in the mists of time, I was listening to my radio when Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode came thundering across the airways. I have been a fan ever since and never looked back. As portrayed in Hail, Hail Rock and Roll neither did Chuck Berry. There may be continuing controversy about the roots of rock and rock-whether it derived from rhythm and blues, rock-a-billy, jazzed up country or all of them but as the tributes by later performers across the musician and racial spectrum that are dotted throughout this documentary testify to Chuck Berry was at the center of the storm.
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>This film is centered on preparations by the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, an ardent admirer, to put together a celebration for Berry's 60th birthday in his hometown of St. Louis. It also offers as background a glimpse into Chuck's work ethic, his engaging if prickly personality and his very individualistic slant on life. The concert itself is highlighted by the work of Berry and Richards along with guest spots by the likes of Linda Rhonstadt who blows away the house on Back in the U.S.A., Etta James, Julian Lennon and many others who in the past had covered his work. The additional discs give more detailed background on the making of the the original film and provide extra musical treats cut out of the film.
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>One does not unusually associate the old time black rock and rollers like Berry, Little Richard and Bo Didderly with politics, civil rights or black consciousness, as such. Thus, it was interesting to hear in some of the `talking head' sections interspersed throughout the documentary their take on what it was like to be black, talented, and many times poor and struggling in a world that had the discretionary income to listen to their music but who due to the hard segregation of the times faced insult, scorn and slick dealings from the white-dominated musical world that counted. The most poignant moment of the whole film is when Berry notes that the theater where his celebration was to occur had been off-limits to him as a youth and that just a short distance away from the site his forbears were sold into slavery. Now that is testimony to a very simple but elegant sense of political consciousness.
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Chuck Berry a great - and trouble
This concert was put on to celebrate Chuck Berry's 60th birthday in 1986 and the show itself is marvellous. There is a parade of special guests including Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Etta James, Julian Lennon and Linda Ronstadt. Not to mention Chuck Berry's longtime Piano player Johnny Johnson and a few other well known musicians (Chuck Lavell for example). The renditions of the Chuck Berry songs are great and virtually all the classics are performed. Keith Richards who was the musical director for the show, has the best moment in the concert when Chuck (in the middle of a song) says lets change key. Keith tells Chuck in no uncertain terms its not going to happen!
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>However what makes this film so special is what we learn about Chuck Berry the man, rather than the musician. Throughout the film stories are told, and confirmed by Chuck himself of his refusal to play a gig unless he is paid in cash. In fact he also refused to take part in any of the documentary scenes unless he was paid in cash each day. There are scenes with the film crew waiting on day 1 of the shoot and no Chuck because no cash! Theres a whole load of marvellous stories involving among others Bruce Springsteen (who with an early incarnation of the E Street band used to back Chuck) and Jerry Lee Lewis.
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>The bonus disc is equally good with a lot of great rehearsal material featuring most of the artists mentioned above. These were done with multiple cameras so the DVD has a multi-screen format and you can choose to watch all the views on a split screen or select one and focus on a particular musician.
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>Note there is also a 4 DVD version as well - worth considering!
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