Chuck Berry Forgotten By HMV?
- By Glen Alan
- Published 04/2/2009
Glen Alan
Glen Alan is a professional musician, songwriter, producer and founder of Find A Way which is a Toronto based music school, recording studio, music store and event service provider. Glen has been an active as both a musician and educator in the Toronto scene for over 10 years. He has been featured on CBC Radio, City TV and has performed at Sky Dome, The Toronto Center for the Performing Arts and Markham Theatre. Find A Way was founded in 1996 and is a member of Green Enterprise Toronto, The Danforth BNI Chapter and is participating merchant of the Toronto Dollar Program.
In late 2008 I purchased Ultimate Collector's Edition of Taylor Hackford's Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll from HMV and enjoyed every minute of it. After thinking back to a recent conversation about Chuck Berry with a recording client at Find A Way Studios I suddenly decided to swing by their store to get an album or 2 of Chuck's songs after finishing teaching. I got there just in time before the HMV superstore (located at Yonge and Dundas) closed and directly headed up to the 2nd level Rock and Roll Section where I was horrified to discover only 1 Chuck Berry CD, a greatest hits at that, in their entire store! The Chuck Berry section was so minimal you might have fitted 3-5 CDs in it at the most. The CD, part of the Universal Music's Green Series titled "The Best Of Chuck Berry", contained about 15 of Chuck's greatest hits and cost $12.99. Noticeably absent from the compilation were songs like "Sweet Little Sixteen, Too Much Monkey Business and Nadine (Is That You?) but Universal managed to include "My Ding-A-Ling" Chuck's live rendition of the raunchy show tune staple that served up Berry's only #1 hit of his career in 1972.
I asked the staff why they had such a poor selection of the artist who was basically one of the founding figures of Rock and Roll. They replied that some CDs were on order (who knows for how long) but that didn't help solve my dilemma. Although I could see a few of the staff were as concerned as I was, most didn't even grasp the significance of this. Maybe they didn't even know who Chuck Berry was.
Leaving HMV I headed directly to Sonic Boom where they had a selection of about 7 different Chuck Berry CDs. I was rewarded for my efforts and got a reasonably priced CD for $15.99 - The Definitive Collection of Chuck Berry from Chess Records that had 30 great Chuck Berry tracks. Why Universal would publish a greatest hits without "Sweet Little Sixteen" is beyond me. For 3 dollars more I had a brand new CD with double the amount of tracks and was a more fitting tribute this founding and contraversial figure of Rock and Roll. Furthermore I would have had to buy 2 Universal Green Series CDs to equal the amount of tracks on the Chess Records release. Although Universal's Green Series packaging is "made with of 100% recycled materials, using vegetable based inks for maximum environmental consideration" aren't they missing a very important point? Wouldn't have it made more environmental sense to include 30 tracks like the Chess Record recording? Nice try Universal but we can smell greenwashing a mile away. Although I applaud Universal for the sticker prominently placed on the shrink-wrap of their 15 track Green Series Chuck Berry Greatest Hits CD "A portion of the sale of this CD goes to The David Suzuki Foundation" I'm curious to know what that portion is.
Whether HMV is in trouble and only stocking items which they think will sell, it's a sad state of affairs when a music genius such as Chuck Berry is so under represented in one of the most hi-profile CD retail stores in Toronto.
I asked the staff why they had such a poor selection of the artist who was basically one of the founding figures of Rock and Roll. They replied that some CDs were on order (who knows for how long) but that didn't help solve my dilemma. Although I could see a few of the staff were as concerned as I was, most didn't even grasp the significance of this. Maybe they didn't even know who Chuck Berry was.
Leaving HMV I headed directly to Sonic Boom where they had a selection of about 7 different Chuck Berry CDs. I was rewarded for my efforts and got a reasonably priced CD for $15.99 - The Definitive Collection of Chuck Berry from Chess Records that had 30 great Chuck Berry tracks. Why Universal would publish a greatest hits without "Sweet Little Sixteen" is beyond me. For 3 dollars more I had a brand new CD with double the amount of tracks and was a more fitting tribute this founding and contraversial figure of Rock and Roll. Furthermore I would have had to buy 2 Universal Green Series CDs to equal the amount of tracks on the Chess Records release. Although Universal's Green Series packaging is "made with of 100% recycled materials, using vegetable based inks for maximum environmental consideration" aren't they missing a very important point? Wouldn't have it made more environmental sense to include 30 tracks like the Chess Record recording? Nice try Universal but we can smell greenwashing a mile away. Although I applaud Universal for the sticker prominently placed on the shrink-wrap of their 15 track Green Series Chuck Berry Greatest Hits CD "A portion of the sale of this CD goes to The David Suzuki Foundation" I'm curious to know what that portion is.
Whether HMV is in trouble and only stocking items which they think will sell, it's a sad state of affairs when a music genius such as Chuck Berry is so under represented in one of the most hi-profile CD retail stores in Toronto.
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6 Responses to "Chuck Berry Forgotten By HMV?" 
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said this on 04 Apr 2009 5:39:07 PM EDT
it is sad that there is not more selection at hmv for one of the founders of rock. sonic boom hardly ever disappoints..
doing some research on the album, he spent most of his career on chess, then moved to mercury (universal) for a few years and re-recorded a bunch of his chess hits for them... that might explain the shorter and less complete album?
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said this on 04 Apr 2009 9:56:03 PM EDT
If Chess wasn't owned by Universal that would probably be a good reason but they are. In the mid-80's the Chess master recordings acquired by MCA Records when All Platinum fell into financial difficulties. MCA Records was later merged into Universal Music imprint Geffen Records. In 2000 Universal began releasing comprehensive box sets of Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry.
Universal's "Best of Chuck Berry" Green Series CD was issued April 29th 2008. Surely that would have given Universal music enough time to add the additional songs if they so desired on their Green Series CD.
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said this on 14 Apr 2009 12:42:45 AM EDT
Gem, I miss Sam The Record Man too but the Toronto flagship store went out of business in 2007. The problem is people aren't buying CDs.
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said this on 13 Apr 2009 6:50:15 PM EDT
Glen
great article
you will not be to friend with HMV: They will not be around for long anyway.
It also shows the interest that big CD companies have in the real art: rather in money making.
Which does not make sense anyway since they are going bankrupt no matter what.
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said this on 14 Apr 2009 12:39:08 AM EDT
Daniel, Thanks for your reply but I haven't turned my back on HMV - at least not yet. I was just really floored that Chuck Berry was so under represented in their Dundas main superstore. True, I might probably head somewhere else for Chuck Berry recordings next time but I am still prepared to give HMV another chance. However if we don't speak up nothing changes and I felt this was important and I think there is probably someone higher up at HMV that would care a great deal about this and would do something.
To be fair to HMV I did buy the Ultimate Collector's Edition of Taylor Hackford's Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll from them and this did deepen my musical appreciation for the significance of Chuck's Music. I sincerely hope stores like HMV do not go under nor do I want wish the same fate upon Universal. I think both companies need to think a little harder about the ethics behind what they are doing and it can't be all about money. I feel they need to absolutely sincere about saving the planet or fostering music appreciation and not looking at things solely from a balance sheet perspective. I am convinced that this is part of the whole reason the music industry is in real trouble now.
The "Music Industry" has become too commercial and its time to find its soul again. I also believe it is important as in any art; and I look at popular music as an art form, to honour the those that laid the foundations of the music we play today. Chuck certainly wasn't an easy guy to get along with personally but his music is still being played 50 years after it was recorded which I'm afraid won't be true of much of the music that we hear today.
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