“You guys are really getting it”: The one Rolling Stones song that got Chuck Berry’s approval
It’s a double-edged sword any time an artist tries to meet one of their idols. There might be some genuine connection between the mentor and the pupil in some cases, but most shouldn’t be surprised if the person is resentful for someone taking their style or not doing their songs justice half the time. While The Rolling Stones may as well have worshipped the ground Chuck Berry walked on, it wasn’t until they were cutting this song that the rock and roll pioneer gave his stamp of approval.
Looking through the Stones’ first few records, though, it would be hard not to call them copycats of Berry’s entire schtick. Most of their tunes were nothing but the traditional R&B and blues covers that everyone was used to, but listening to the way that Brian Jones and Keith Richards played against each other, most would swear that they took the solos from ‘Johnny B Goode’ and ‘School Days’ and copied them note-for-note every time a guitar break happened.
But, really, could you blame them? Every one of the greatest guitar solos circa 1965 had come from Berry, and all anyone could do was either copy him directly or take things in a different direction, whether that was copying from Scotty Moore or going the route of countrified playing like Carl Perkins.
By the time the band began working past their debut, Mick Jagger and Richards had become a songwriting factory of sorts. Not all of them were meant to be typical Stones material, but beyond them making tunes like ‘As Tears Go By’ for Marianne Faithfull, there were still tracks like ‘Heart of Stone’ that went over well with their dangerous demeanour.
That didn’t mean they couldn’t still crank out a cover tune, and amid their covers of old Bo Diddley tunes, their version of ‘Down the Road Apiece’ is one of the most faithful renditions they have ever made regarding Berry’s work. Although the rest of the band wanted to play the best they could with what they had, no one expected Berry to show up at the studio and give his blessing.
Despite being a man of few words off the stage, Bill Wyman remembered everyone lighting up the minute that Berry walked into the room during the recording, saying, “Actually Chuck Berry walked in (the studio) while we were recording ‘Down the Road Apiece’, and he said, ‘Wow, you guys are really getting it on!’”
Granted, there was still some learning to do on The Stones’ part. They wouldn’t settle into their bluesy boots until later in their career, but listening back to this version of the tune, that nervous energy is palpable from the tape, especially when the tempo gets kicked up ever so slightly as the song keeps going. But what Berry was doing was far from the kind of backhanded compliments that many were used to.
Given where he was, he was probably interested in seeing what the new kids in town had to offer when working on one of his own tunes. Berry might not have been getting as big a royalty check for his take on the song, the whole point behind the blues was about spreading the word whenever someone got a new track under their belt.
