Here’s Little Richard

I will not include the bonus tracks from the 2012 expanded edition in this review.

Alright, let's get the nitpicks out of the way. Yes, this is a compilation album with the A-side and B-side tracks from the singles Little Richard released up to this point. Yes, the weaker tracks are some of those B-sides that dial the energy back for something with a little more emotional weight but don't pan out, like "Baby" and "Miss Ann".

But man, when Little Richard got going, he got going. His hard-driving uptempo sound with sexually suggestive lyrics and hollering refrains established the archetype for rock & roll music, where even Elvis Presley and The Beatles took influence from him. I was already familiar with "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally", but plenty of tracks on this record, like "Ready Teddy", "True, Fine Mama", "Slippin' and Slidin'", and "Jenny, Jenny" also showcase that firepower and tenacity in the performance with him and his backing band. Plus, it was cool to see that Richard wrote over half the songs on this album, and his words shone in the cheeky playfulness that he employed.

Even with my earlier nitpicks, Here's Little Richard is still a good album that's held up long after making its mark in music history.

Not bad

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll obviously bump up to a 5.

There’s not too much to say, I think. You can hear Little Richard pushing the tempo, pace & sex appeal of Rock & Roll forward with this one. His vocals have a gritty wail to them that feels like it’s touching the sky, his lust is evident (yet not too crazy for 1957), and his energy is undeniable. Yes, it’s a bit same-y throughout, and it’s the only reason why I’m at a 4.5, but it’s impossible to ignore the foundation for a slightly harder rock & roll (& a slightly harder tone of music, in general) being laid here. Even the big band jazz in the back feels like they’re playing at a pace unheard of for the time; the closest analog I can think of is Elvis Presley’s rendition of Hound Dog, and even still, it’s not as fast as some of the tracks on this album.

Little Richard just feels like a force majeure on this album, and everyone else followed in his footsteps. The tree of influence here spreads very far & very wide, and perhaps more than I even know. Hell, I’d argue this might be the catalyst for the end of the ‘traditional’ songbook period, given Little Richard wrote most of these himself. It’s a landmark piece of music, and while it’s not the greatest album experience in the world, you probably can’t tell the story of music itself without this one. It’s more than worthy of being on the list. Frankly, it’d be criminal if it wasn’t. Hence, a 4.5 bumped up to a 5.

Nu begynder mit eget princip om de 3 stjerner og en vis replay value at vakle en smule. Fordi jeg kan egentlig godt lide at høre det her, men det er ret langt fra, at jeg lige smider det på anlægget herhjemme eller i ørerne på arbejde. Det er en rigtig god halv time, og jeg er sikker på, at jeg havde gået amok over det og haft de 5 store stjerner klar, hvis jeg var født i 1942

3.5

Historicaly a very significant record but it's a bit of the same song on repeat.

Favorite Songs: Tutti Frutti

This absolutely deserves to be here. I fully believe this album inspired more kids to pick up instruments than any single album on this list.

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I thought I just hated Elvis, but now I guess I just don't like 50s rock n roll.

1.5/5.0: Bad

very samey after a few songs but short enough that it doesnt affect the experience which is very fun

Does it deserve to be on this list?
Absolutely! It literally is where it all began. Pretty much everything else on the list owes a debt to this blazing a trail in the 50s first.

Does it stand up today? Well…..yes and no. Tutti Frutti remains a banger even now. But the rest of the album can’t take it any further. Diminishing returns after that.

3 - feel bad doing that, but the reality is I won’t be back again except for Tutti Frutti.

I would say you would have to have been living under a rock to not have heard this type of music before. It's classic, jazzy and bluesy rock and roll. It's catchy and danceable. No, it's not something I normally reach for to listen to on its own, but I have to appreciate that it's the foundation and influence for a lot of the music I listen to on a regular basis. Also, it's hard not to move along to this music.

Simply one of the pillars of rock n' roll

Little Richard may have been small in stature, but few artists loom larger over the early history of rock & roll. 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 is packed with the energy and charisma that helped shape the genre, and classics like 𝗧𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶 𝗙𝗿𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶 and 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 still sound remarkably vibrant today.

What stands out most is just how much of rock music is already present here. The pounding piano, the wild vocals, and the relentless momentum would influence countless artists over the following decades.

At the same time, the album can be a bit much for me. Little Richard’s trademark whoops and screams are undeniably part of his appeal, but after a while they start to wear me down rather than pull me in. I completely understand why he’s considered one of the architects of rock & roll; I just don’t always enjoy spending an entire album in his company.

This is a tough one. Little Richard is hugely influential and some of these albums are amazing moments where you can see the brith of rock and roll. But. This list is about personal preference and in that way while there were the expected amazing tracks, it was also the same 1 track again and again. Also personally just not the sort of music I'm huge into.

I don’t remember when I listened to this, but my Qobuz likes suggest it was recently.

I was going to give this a 4 and remark that I’d probably never listen to it again, but I think it’s all killer, no filler, and that deserves more. Even if it doesn’t enter the rotation, I have to recognize how good it is. It’s the rare 50s album that I both respect for its influence and genuinely enjoy 70 years later.

This album is rock and roll in its purest and most literal form. The obvious best thing about this album are his vocals, which drown out everything else in the mix. Those vocals are raw, full of passion, and energetic in the best way possible. The album's backing is mostly rhythmic piano with some horns and a consistent drum beats. Lyrics are pretty simple, but that's basically the point. A lot of it sounds very samey(coming from someone who gives AC/DC five stars on sight), but that not always bad. The sound of this album kind of paved the way for a lot of the sounds we take now for granted, and it's really good early rock and roll, but it's not a masterpiece. I think the main thing holding this back from 5 stars for me is the shitty production. Vocals are way overamplified to the point of drowning basically everything else on the album out, and when it's not vocals it's the horns. I want to hear the rhythm section more than I can here. However, this album is still a great and worthwhile listen.

Yeah. You can see where Springsteen live shows come from

Es ist ein Funkenflug aus Rock’n’Roll‑Urschrei und Klavierfeuer “Tutti Frutti”. Die Songs rasen, stolpern, jubeln – pure Energie, die bis heute frisch wirkt. Ein kurzes, aber elektrisierendes Debüt, das zeigt, wie man ein Genre anzündet

I knew Tutti Fruiti and the rest were alright, but I’m surprised at how samesy they all sounded.

I am not a huge fan of Rock n Roll but how can you beat opening up with Tutti Frutti, great songs from an amazing vocalist. I really liked it but it is not something I would buy.