The Original British Hit Singles Little Richard

£8.11

Genre:
Rock'n'Roll
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDCHM 729

If my perusings of NME, Melody Maker and Disc in the 50s were anything to go by we had nothing like Little Richard in my backwater of mid-Staffordshire nor indeed anywhere in Britain. He was, how shall we put it, different. He wore as much make-up as my mother. He screamed more than my sister did. He had eyes, teeth and a pompadour haircut that latter day girlfriends would have been proud of. He dressed in baggy mohair zoot suits more usually associated with jazzers but he had the mannerisms of Liberace. He fluttered his eyelashes coyly at anyone who would watch him - and his voice was not exactly double hard macho either! All this is hardly the stuff you would expect from someone at the cutting edge of rock'n'roll - and that was Art Rupe's Specialty label - but make no mistake, that is what we have here - the full-fat double cr?©me de la cr?©me of Richard Wayne Penniman.

Forget Little Richard's early blues shouters. Forget those 'iffy' live recordings and the later self parodies that found their way onto those cheesy, cheapo compilations. This is the real McCoy. These 26 tracks come from 1955-1964, all but defining Ace's Golden Age of American Rock'n'Roll. They were released in Britain on the London American label, each bearing the legend "Recorded by SPECIALTY, Hollywood" - a phrase that promised pounding piano riffs, honking sax solos, a solid backbeat , and as much screaming excitement as anyone ever squeezed into a record groove.

They are on the CD in the order that they first hit the British shores, A-side followed by B-side. This is how we built up our Little Richard collection but that was certainly not the order in which they were recorded. We got his third US release as a starter and eventually picked up his first two hits after a softening up process. My advice? Read the CD booklet, make notes and programme your machine to play them in whichever order you like, but play them - OFTEN AND LOUD!

By Roger Cope

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Track listing

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Side 1

Delivery & Returns

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We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Press quotes

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Essential rock 'n' roll in all its pure, unrefined, dirty double entendre-ridden glory. ★★★★

Uncut

The next time a Martian knocks on your door and asks you to define what rock 'n' roll is all about, play him this.

Now Dig This

Twenty-six slices of essential extroverted excess that must form at least one corner of any self-respecting R&R collection.

Blues & Rhythm

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