Little Richard's Greatest Hits


Little Richard's Greatest Hits is an album of Little Richard songs re-recorded in 1964 and first released in US by Vee-Jay Records in January 1965. It features updated versions of twelve of his best-known songs originally recorded in the 1950s for Specialty Records. 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, Rip It Up and Talkin' 'Bout Soul.
During the brief time Jimi Hendrix toured with Richard, he recorded two songs: "I Don't Know What You Got " and "Dancing All Around the World". Neither appear on this album, although claims have been made over the years that Hendrix played on more Richard recordings.

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 rushed the session without concern for quality. The result was dreadful." 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!"

Track listing

  1. "Good Golly, Miss Molly"
  2. "Baby Face"
  3. "Tutti Frutti"
  4. "Send Me Some Lovin'"
  5. "The Girl Can't Help It"
  6. "Lucille"
  7. "Slippin' and Slidin'"
  8. "Keep A Knockin'"
  9. "Rip It Up"
  10. "She's Got It"
  11. "Ooh! My Soul"
  12. "Long Tall Sally"