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The Specialty Sessions

Little Richard - The Specialty Sessions Audio CD

A fair review of the Little Richard "The Specialty Sessions" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Little Richard reviews here, or go back to the Little Richard tabs.

Band: Little Richard
Title: The Specialty Sessions
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-04-02
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Baby 2: All Night Long 3: She's My Star 4: Lonesome and Blue 5: Wonderin' 6: All Night Long 7: Kansas City 8: Kansas City 9: Maybe I'm Right 10: Directly from My Heart to You 11: Baby 12: I'm Just a Lonely Guy 13: Tutti Frutti 14: Tutti Frutti 15: Slippin' and Slidin' [Alternate Take] 16: Slippin' and Slidin' [Alternate Take] 17: Slippin' and Slidin' [Alternate Take] 18: She's My Star 19: Chicken Little Baby 20: Miss Ann 21: Baby 22: True Fine Mama 23: Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! [Alternate Take] 24: Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! 25: Long Tall Sally [Alternate Take] 26: Long Tall Sally [Alternate Take] 27: Slippin' and Slidin' 28: Long Tall Sally 29: Miss Ann 30: Most I Can Offer (Just My Heart) 31: Oh Why? 32: Heeby Jeebies [Alternate Take] 33: I Got It 34: Ready Teddy [Alternate Take] 35: Ready Teddy 36: Hey Hey Hey Hey 37: Rip It Up [Alternate Take] 38: Rip It Up 39: Heeby Jeebies [Alternate Take] 40: Lucille 41: Heeby Jeebies 42: Good Golly Miss Molly [Alternate Take] 43: Can't Believe You Wanna Leave 44: Shake a Hand 45: All Around the World 46: She's Got It 47: Hound Dog 48: Jenny, Jenny 49: Good Golly Miss Molly 50: Baby Face 51: Girl Can't Help It 52: Girl Can't Help It 53: By the Light of the Silvery Moon 54: Send Me Some Lovin' 55: Gene Nobles' Royal Crown Hairdresing Commercials 56: Ooh! My Soul 57: Keep a Knockin' [Alternate Take] 58: Keep a Knockin' 59: I'll Never Let You Go (Boo Hoo Hoo Hoo) 60: I'll Never Let You Go (Boo Hoo Hoo Hoo) 61: Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 62: Ooh! My Soul [Alternate Take] 63: Ooh! My Soul [Alternate Take] 64: Early One Morning 65: She Knows How to Rock [Alternate Take] 66: She Knows How to Rock 67: Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On 68: Bama Lama Bama Loo 69: Poor Boy Paul 70: Annie Is Back 71: Annie Is Back 72: Miss Ann 73: Well Alright!

The boy can't help it.
He made his reputation with Specialty Records, although he had recorded for other record labels before that, without success. Little Richard was one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. Richard signed with Specialty in 1955 and became a big star upon the release of his first Specialty single, "Tutti Frutti". He had several other hits after that, but at the height of his fame in 1957 he became a born again Christian and quit performing rock and roll. He eventually did return to rock and roll, and recorded a few more songs for Specialty in 1964. This three cd box set includes all the songs Richard recorded for Specialty, plus some alternate takes, rehearsals and demos. These are among the most important recordings from the early days of rock and roll and also among the best.

The Ultimate Set

This, as the box cover says, are The Specialty Sessions, and what sessions they were. Forget all those other "Best Of" Little Richard compilations, unless they are offering his Vee-Jay, Okeh, Reprise, and Greene Mountain cuts from the mid-Sixties to 1973, or his pre-Specialty releases on RCA Victor in the early Fifties. Nineteen R&B and nine Top 40 Pop hits later, they had solidified his position as one of the giants of R&R and paved the way for his induction into the R&R Hall of Fame in its first year of existence in 1986.

In the beautiful box (about the size of an old LP) are three CDS presenting, as the reverse of the box says, "73 of the wildest rock 'n roll cuts of all time. . . " along with a 30-page booklet (also about the size of an old LP).

In that you will find extensive liner notes written by Rob Finnis and Rick Coleman in 1989, surrounded by numerous full-page photographs, a complete discography, and chart performances (including the U. K. charts) of all his hits. The booklet alone is almost worth the price.

Not to be missed, believe me. .

Stunning

The vocal firepower he displays and maintains take after take is stunning. Excellent 6cd set of Little Richard's crucial 50's work. The intent of this box was to be exhaustive and show a vocalist in the light as a instrumentalist(e. g jazz, classical, etc. ), hence the reasons for the multiple takes.

However, this is not the place to start. Start with "Georgia Peach", add "Shag On Down by The Union Hall" for additioinal 50's work, then consider the 3cd "Specialty Sessions".

Both the 6cd set and the 3cd set are called "Specialty Sessions". The 3cd set is an abridged version retails for $39. 00 and is still readily available through Amazon. .

Simply Awesome!
Original, unique, a force of nature. Little Richard is one of the most important figures in the history of rock music, if not the most important. We will never see someone like him again. This boxed set contains his best works, it is essential for any fan of real rock n roll. I count myself privelleged as having had the honor of seeing the man perform live. Even though he was well into his sixties, it is still the best concert I have ever seen. Elvis may be considered the King, but Richard Penniman is right up there with him. This collection is the greatest testament to the majesty of Little Richard. Get it!.

Superb
Yes there are 4 versions of Slippin' and Slidin' but for the most part the partial versions, the false starts, etc. There are certainly some box sets that go on way too long--primarily with the outtakes and alternate versions; the Jerry Lee Lewis box issued by Bear is the prime example of this--but this is not the case here. are intersting and really don't seem to impeed the flow of the collection. This is not a 10-CD box. This is 3 CDs of great music. A lot of box sets talk about how you can see the development of the artist or the genre. This is about the only collection of the period that the development is evident and interesting. Listening to the CDs in sequence definetly gives you a great impression of what Little Richard was discovering and developing. Few artists could deliver rockers and ballads so convincingly. This set is well worth your time and money.

You can see a complete list of all Little Richard discography, or go back to the Little Richard tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.