Little Richard's Greatest Hits
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Great Hits (or His Greatest His) is an album of Little Richard songs re-recorded in 1964 and first released by Vee-Jay Records in 1965. It features updated versions of twelve of his best-known songs originally recorded in the 1950s for Specialty Records.[1] Some of these re-recordings use different musical arrangements, including unusual syncopation, tambourine, and jazz horns.
Background
Little Richard recorded forty-six songs for Vee-Jay Records, but nearly half of them were unreleased when the company filed for bankruptcy in January 1966. Eventually, they were compiled onto albums, such as: Mr. Big (1971), Friends from the Beginning - Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix (1972), Rip It Up (1973) and Talkin' 'Bout Soul (1974).
A prominent New York area dee-jay has said that he witnessed Jimi Hendrix playing guitar, and Eskew Reeder (aka Esquerita) playing piano, on the album. This was startling news for historians who have insisted Jimi's contributions to Richard's records are limited to three songs from his Vee-Jay catalogue: "I Don't Know What You've Got But It's Got Me" (Parts I and II), "You'd Better Stop" and "Dancing All Around the World".[2][3]
Critical reception
According to Little Richard biographer Charles White, both the recordings and Richard's self-parodying persona of the time are regarded as low points in his career: "blinded by commercial considerations, they [Vee-Jay] rushed the session without concern for quality. The result was dreadful."[4] AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann noted "Little Richard is in much rougher voice than he was when he did the originals, but he remains a spirited performer. Just don't buy this album thinking you are getting the hit versions of these songs!"[1] These "sub-standard" cuts still have found their way onto major movie soundtracks, such as "The Year Of Living Dangerously", with Mel Gibson.
Track listing
- Good Golly Miss Molly (2:07)
- Baby Face (2:33)
- Tutti Frutti (2:24)
- Send Me Some Lovin' (2:19)
- The Girl Can't Help It (3:02)
- Lucille (2:16)
- Slippin' and Slidin' (2:26)
- Keep A Knockin' (2:15)
- Rip It Up (2:02)
- She's Got It (2:11)
- Ooh! My Soul (2:17)
- Long Tall Sally (2:03)
References
- ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Little Richard: His Greatest Hits [Vee-Jay] – Review". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ McDermott, John (2010). West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology (CD set booklet). Jimi Hendrix and Esquerita. Legacy. p. 7. 88697769272.
- ^ Shapiro, Harry; Glebbeek, Cesar (1990). Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy. St. Martin's Press. pp. 574–575. ISBN 0-312-05861-6.
- ^ White, Charles (2003). The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography. Omnibus Press. p. 127.