Little Richard's Greatest Hits

Little Richard's Greatest Hits (with various titles and cover art) is an album of Little Richard songs re-recorded in 1964 and first released in US by Vee-Jay Records in January 1965.[1] It features updated versions of twelve of his best-known songs originally recorded in the 1950s for Specialty Records.[2] Some of these re-recordings use different musical arrangements, including unusual syncopation, tambourine and jazz horns.

Little Richard's Greatest Hits
UK album cover
Studio album by
Little Richard
ReleasedJanuary 1965 (January 1965)
RecordedNashville & New York City, November–December 1964
GenreRock and roll
Length27:54
LabelVee-Jay
ProducerJoe Fields, Olsie Richard Robinson
Little Richard chronology
Little Richard Is Back (And There's A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!)
(1964)		 Little Richard's Greatest Hits
(1965)		 The Incredible Little Richard Sings His Greatest Hits – Live!
(1966)

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), Rip It Up (1973) and Talkin' 'Bout Soul (1974).

During the brief time Jimi Hendrix toured with Richard, he recorded two songs: "I Don't Know What You Got (But It's Got Me)" and "Dancing All Around the World".[3][4] Neither appear on this album, although claims have been made over the years that Hendrix played on more Richard recordings.[4]

Critical reception

According to Little Richard biographer Charles White, both the recordings and Richard's erratic 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."[5] 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!"[2]

Track listing
  1. "Good Golly, Miss Molly" (John Marascalco, Robert Blackwell) (2:07)
  2. "Baby Face" (Harry Akst, Benny Davis (2:33)
  3. "Tutti Frutti" (Dorothy LaBostrie, Richard Penniman a.k.a. Little Richard) (2:24)
  4. "Send Me Some Lovin'" (Marascalco, Leo Price) (2:19)
  5. "The Girl Can't Help It" (Bobby Troup) (3:02)
  6. "Lucille" (Albert Collins, Penniman) (2:16)
  7. "Slippin' and Slidin'" (Penniman) (2:26)
  8. "Keep A Knockin'" (Penniman) (2:15)
  9. "Rip It Up" (Marascalco, Blackwell) (2:02)
  10. "She's Got It" (Marascalco, Penniman) (2:11)
  11. "Ooh! My Soul" (Penniman) (2:17)
  12. "Long Tall Sally" (Earl Johnson, Blackwell, Penniman) (2:03)

References
  1. "Vee-Jay advertisement". Billboard. January 23, 1965. p. 41 – via Google books.
  2. Ruhlmann, William. "Little Richard: His Greatest Hits [Vee-Jay] – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  3. McDermott, John (2010). West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology (CD set booklet). Jimi Hendrix. Legacy. p. 7. 88697769272.
  4. Shapiro, Harry; Glebbeek, Cesar (1990). Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy. St. Martin's Press. pp. 574–575. ISBN 0-312-05861-6.
  5. White, Charles (2003). The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography. Omnibus Press. p. 127.
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