What I Expect in the New Year - Memphis, Tennessee

This is the beginning of what will be a series of post in the next few weeks. It'll be a list of New Year's Resolutions I'm assigning to the world.

Why should I saddle myself with the near impossible task of improving on me when there's so much about the rest of the world in obvious need of change?

First Expectation: A definitive version of the Chuck Berry song Memphis, Tennessee.

Here's the original...



I hate to take issue with the man hisself but...somebody dropped the ball here. The bloopy bass line is interesting and shows that somebody's instincts were good but, over all, there's no bottom to it. The effort is just too tiny for what is a gigantic song.

Two things...one, it's a testament to the man's prolific genius that this song...maybe the greatest rocknroll song ever...is treated so carelessly.

Two, the song is undeniable. It took on a life of it's own. It's a monster.

Lonnie Mack got hold of it...gave the guitar the space it needed and the ringing hook is revealed. Then Johnny Rivers....



It's canned but even the ticky tack crowd noises can't mar the groove.

At this point, the great man reclaims his song and, at what I think is the height of his powers as a preformer, puts it back on the set list.


This clip is closer to 1973 than '63.

Listen to how effortlessly he makes it moan. The monster's got a soul.

What it never got, as far as I know, is a difinitive recording...it's full potential is still unknown.

Maybe not entirely unknown...



So, you have your first ressolution world. Those of you with guitars (and we have our fair share of them right here) you have 12 months.