Smart Moves in Reissue of Chess Originals

“What do the Rolling Stones . . . Jerry Lee Lewis . . . Peggy Lee . . . Led Zeppelin and Sam Cooke have in common--besides a collective mountain of hit records?”

That’s the question raised by Bill Dahl at the beginning of his liner notes to the latest in MCA’s excellent series of Chess Records reissues, and you’ll probably be delighted with the two-disc package regardless of whether you know the answer.

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**** Various Artists, “The Chess Blues-Rock Songbook: The Classic Originals,” MCA/Chess.

There’s no better guarantee of quality on a reissue than the label names Sun or Chess, arguably the two most influential of the many independent record labels during the early days of rock, and this collection again serves as a winning testimony to Chess’ legacy.

The album focuses on 36 songs that were recorded in the ‘50s and ‘60s by such Chess artists as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, and then subsequently recorded by other pop and rock figures, including the four cited in Dahl’s question.

Even if you aren’t familiar with the various cover versions of these recordings, the 36 tracks offer a richly appealing display of the range of artists who recorded for the Chicago-based label. But it’s even more fun listening to these original versions if you know some of the other treatments of the songs.

Some of the songs have been redone often. Muddy Waters’ 1954 version of Willie Dixon’s “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” has been recorded over the years by such diverse artists as Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Steppenwolf, the Allman Brothers Band, Freddie King and Lou Rawls.

Similarly, Chuck Berry’s 1957 recording of “Johnny B. Goode” led to remakes by such diverse artists as Jerry Lee Lewis, the Grateful Dead, Judas Priest and Buck Owens.

Other Chess records that have been widely covered: Koko Taylor’s “Wang Dang Doodle,” Little Walter’s “My Babe,” Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love,” Dale Hawkins’ “Susie Q,” Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Memphis,” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Spoonful” and Tommy Tucker’s “Hi-Heel Sneakers.”

Even if you’re enough of a Chess student to know who later recorded many of those songs, you may be surprised to learn that “Iko Iko”--the New Orleans party anthem that has been a hit for the Dixie Cups, Dr. John and the Belle Stars--was originally titled “Jock-A-Mo” on a 1953 recording by New Orleans pianist James “Sugar Boy” Crawford.

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* The Pete Best Combo, “Best,” Music Club. Drummer Best’s career didn’t end in 1962 when he was replaced in the Beatles by Ringo Starr. He toured and recorded with a combo in the U.S. before eventually taking a job in a Liverpool bakery. These combo recordings may well be prized by Beatles collectors who are intent on documenting every possible phase of the Fab Four’s career. For the rest of us, “Best” sounds like little more than an audition tape for a Mersey Beat contest.

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* 1/2 Tom Jones, “From the Vaults,” Mercury. Jones made some great records in the ‘60s and remains an inviting showman, but even his fan club presidents would have trouble naming more than one or two of the country hits he recorded in the ‘80s for Mercury. Even if you could come up with the titles “Darlin’ ” and “Touch Me (I’ll Be Your Fool Once More),” which hit the country charts, you won’t find them here. Most of these 10 tracks were never even released. They range from a remake of one Chess song (Chuck Berry’s “Memphis”) to some hapless original tunes. The funny thing is, the label couldn’t even come up with the writers of two of the songs. Given their woeful quality, it’s not likely anyone is going to write in after all these years to claim credit.

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