Search - Little Richard :: Georgia Peach

A wop bop-a-lu bop, a wop bam boom!

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 11/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Prince and Sir Paul McCartney are two of my favourite artists of all time. What both have in common is one of their influences--a certain Richard Penniman, best known as Little Richard. Think about it: Prince's stylish clothes, razor-thin mustache, and curled hair during his Controversy through Purple Rain period are reminiscent to his illustrious predecessor, and Sir Paul's screams and high-pitched rocking voice were taken from Little Richard. Here are some highlights from the 25, count'em, 25, cuts on this greatest hits collection."Tutti Frutti," his earliest released on 14 September 1955, is by far my favourite song here, particularly with the "A wop bop-a-lu bop, a whop bam boom!" line. This song was considered risque so Pat Boone redid it. The lines where he talks about Daisy who drives him crazy, was changed from "boy don't you know what she do to me" to "pretty Little Susie is the girl for me." Lame! However, even before it was written, Richard edited out this line: "Tutti frutti good booty, if it don't fit don't force it." Well, darnit!Four songs here were covered by the Beatles. "Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey", which is on their For Sale album is one. Little Richard's highest charting hit, "Long Tall Sally" was outdone by the Beatles as a tribute to one of their influences, but the original still rocks out. Heart's cover of this also shows a nod to Mr. Penniman. "Ooh My Soul" was one of his latter hits which made it to the Top 40. And "Lucille" demonstrates Little Richard's sheer vocal power. Whew!And the three songs that he did for The Girl Can't Help It movie are included. The title track describes a girl who's so hot "bread slices turn to toast" and "makes Grandpa feels like he's 21", and it fit Jayne Mansfield, the female star of The Girl Who Can't Help It." Yes, he does that trademark raucous yell of his. "Ready Teddy" and "She's Got It" have similar rhythms so that apart from the lyrics, they're indistinguishable. Man, that 50's rock sound is really fresh, and he can be seen performing those songs in the movie. Sadly, none of these songs reached the Top Ten in the singles chart, although in order of mention, they reached #7, #8, and #9 on the R&B charts."Miss Ann" has a slowed down piano blues style like Fats Domino. The title refers to a black code-name for white female employees. Another song, a slower ballad, is "Send Me Some Lovin'." His voiec is similar to Ben E. King here, except with more power.Little Richard also did cover songs. His take on "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" rivals Jerry Lee Lewis's version, and the raucous "Keep A Knockin'", is a tune Louis Jordan did back in 1939. I get a kick out of that "you keep a knockin but you can't come in" refrain, and those sax solos.Other times, though, there are times Richard's songs make the line between influence and plagiarism fuzzy. "Slippin' In Slidin'" was influenced by songs by Eddie Bo and Al Collins.The bonus tracks here are B-sides of some of the singles, such as "I'm Just A Lonely Guy" being the flip-side of "Tutti Frutti."In looking at the chart positions listed on the cover, I notice how he did better on Billboard's R&B charts. For example, "Rip It Up", "Lucille", and "Long Tall Sally" went to #1, with "Tutti Frutti", "Slippin' and Slidin'", and "Jenny Jenny" hit #2. They never did as good on the Hot 100 Singles chart, or if they reached the Top Ten, never higher than the position reached on the R&B chart.One of the legendary fathers of R&B/rock and roll whose contributions to the genre were overshadowed by white racism prevalent in the 1950's and by artists such as Bill Haley, Elvis, and Pat Boone."

Little Richard at his best

Daniel J. Hamlow | 11/23/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"During the 17 months from September 1955 to January 1957, Little Richard recorded some of the greatest rock and roll of all time. This CD contains 24 of those songs plus one from October 1957. Anything that charted from that recording period is included. Without a doubt, this was the golden era of Little Richard in the golden era of rock and roll.On this CD, the songs appear in the order they were recorded rather than in the order they were released as singles. Specialty released these songs between October 1955 and August 1959. There are more Little Richard tunes from the 17 month golden era available in the Specialty "box set". However, that CD contains many alternate takes that were never previously released. This CD is probably the best available for that period."

Ooh! My Soul...This Is The Real Deal

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 05/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Little Richard's mere four Top Ten entries between 1956 and 1958 are more a reflection of the racial policies of a white-controlled radio industry than the impact this true king of rock 'n' roll had on the music industry. It's been estimated that Richard sold 18 million singles in the Fifties and his influence ran deep and wide, including a young upstart named Paul McCartney who would couple "Kansas City" with Richard's "Hey, Hey, Hey" on the LP Beatles VI .Richard had only one speed and that was full throttle on classics like "Tutti-Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," "Rip It Up," "Lucille" and "Good Golly, Miss Molly." If these songs don't get you out of your seat and on the dance floor, you might want to check the obituary--there's a good chance you're dead!Short of springing for the exhaustive Specialty Box Set, this 25-song set is the best single-disc of Richard's best work at Specialty and no serious rock library is complete without it. ESSENTIAL"