After School Session is the debut studio album by rock and roll artist Chuck Berry, released in May 1957 by Chess Records. With the exception of two tracks, "Roly Poly" and "Berry Pickin'", all selections had been previously released on 45 rpm singles. It is the second long-playing album released by the Chess label.[4]
| After School Session | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1957[1] | |||
| Recorded | May 21, 1955 – January 21, 1957, Chicago, Illinois[2] | |||
| Studio | Universal Recording Corp. (Chicago)[3] | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 33:16 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Producer | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess[2] | |||
| Chuck Berry chronology | ||||
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| Singles from After School Session | ||||
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Recording sessions
editThe songs on After School Session were taken from Berry's first five sessions for Leonard and Phil Chess, which took place at Universal Recording Corporation in Chicago.
"Wee Wee Hours" was the first to be recorded, on May 21, 1955. "Together (We'll Always Be)" was recorded in September 1955.
At the next session, on December 20, 1955, Berry recorded "Roly Poly" (also known as "Rolli Polli"), "No Money Down", "Berry Pickin'", and "Down Bound Train".
The third session was on April 16, 1956, when he recorded "Too Much Monkey Business", "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", and "Drifting Heart". "Havana Moon" was recorded on October 29, 1956.
The last session took place on January 21, 1957, when he recorded "School Days" and "Deep Feeling".[2]
Release
editThe album was released in May 1957 on Chess Records, catalogue LP 1426. It is the second long-playing album released by the label.[4]
Singles
editThe first song on the original version of After School Session to be released was "Wee Wee Hours", the B-side of "Maybellene", issued in July 1955.[1] It peaked at number 10 on Billboard magazine's R&B Singles chart.[5] The next song to be released was "Together We Will Always Be", the B-side of "Thirty Days", in September 1955. The next two songs released were "No Money Down" backed with "Down Bound Train", in December 1955,[1] the former peaking at number 8 on the R&B Singles chart.[5] In May 1956, "Drifting Heart" was released as the B-side of "Roll Over Beethoven". Berry's next single, "Too Much Monkey Business" backed with "Brown Eyed Handsome Man", was released in September 1956;[1] these songs reached number 4 and number 5 on the R&B Singles chart, respectively.[5] "Havana Moon", the B-side of "You Can't Catch Me", was released in November 1956. The last single from the album to be released was "School Day (Ring Ring Goes the Bell)" backed with "Deep Feeling", in March 1957,[1] with the former reaching number 1 on the R&B Singles chart and number 3 on the Hot 100.[5]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Chuck Berry
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "School Days" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Deep Feeling" | 2:21 |
| 3. | "Too Much Monkey Business" | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Wee Wee Hours" | 3:05 |
| 5. | "Roly Poly (aka Rolli Polli)" | 2:51 |
| 6. | "No Money Down" | 2:59 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" | 2:19 |
| 8. | "Berry Pickin'" | 2:33 |
| 9. | "Together (We Will Always Be)" | 2:39 |
| 10. | "Havana Moon" | 3:09 |
| 11. | "Downbound Train" | 2:51 |
| 12. | "Drifting Heart" | 2:50 |
| Total length: | 33:16 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Can't Catch Me" | 2:44 |
| 2. | "Thirty Days (To Come Back Home)" | 2:25 |
| 3. | "Maybellene" | 2:19 |
| Total length: | 40:44 | |
Personnel
editMusicians
edit- Chuck Berry – steel guitar on "Deep Feeling", vocals, guitar
- Johnnie Johnson – piano
- Willie Dixon – bass
- Fred Below – drums
- L. C. Davis – tenor saxophone on "Too Much Monkey Business" and "Drifting Heart"
- Jasper Thomas – drums
- Ebby Hardy – drums
- Otis Spann – piano
- Jimmy Rogers – guitar
- Jerome Green – maracas on "Maybellene"
Technical
edit- Leonard Chess – producer
- Phil Chess – producer
- Andy McKaie – reissue producer
- Erick Labson – digital remastering
- Vartan – art direction
- Don Snowden – liner notes
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | May 1957 | Chess Records | LP | LP-1426 |
| United States | August 27, 1966 | Chess Records | Stereo-Pak | 21-383A |
| United States | 1990 | Chess Records | CD | CHD-9284 |
| United States | May 9, 1995 | MCA Special Products | CD | MCAD-20873 |
| United States | March 23, 2004 | Geffen Records/Chess Records | Cassette | B0001685 |
| CD | B0001685-02 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Rudolph, Dietmar. "A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry: The Chess Era (1955–1966)". Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ^ a b c After School Session (CD liner notes). Chuck Berry. United States: Geffen Records/Chess Records. 2004. pp. 10–15. B0001685-02.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The Chuck Berry Database Details For Recording Session: 19. 4. 1956". A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry. Dietmar Rudolph. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Chess Album Discography, Part 1". Bsnpubs.com.
- ^ a b c d "Chuck Berry: Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
- ^ "After School Session - Chuck Berry | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
External links
edit
- After School Session at Discogs (list of releases)