Little Richard – The Complete Atlantic & Reprise Singles [RUBY RED VINYL] – New LP

Little Richard’s one-of-a-kind career veered wildly from the sacred to the profane, but everything he did was profound; he was one of the greatest gospel AND rock and roll singers of all time. And you can scale the dizzying heights of both sides of the man’s mountainous talent on this 15-track collection, which brings his Atlantic and Reprise singles back to vinyl, almost all for the first time since they originally came out on 45s. Richard recorded and self-produced the Atlantic material in 1962 and leased it to the label for release the following year, right before his return to rock and roll with two triumphant UK tours. Only “Crying in the Chapel” has seen reissue since; the other three tracks (esp. the uptempo gospel numbers “Hole in the Wall” and “Travelin’ Shoes”) hit that glorious balance between spiritual fervor and emotional frenzy that only he could pull off. The Reprise material dates from 1970 to 1972 and was helmed by famed Specialty producer Bumps Blackwell as well as by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, and Quincy Jones (“Money Is” from the soundtrack to The Heist), with musical contributions by legendary Richard sidemen Lee Allen and Earl Palmer as well as folks like Travis Wammack. The non-LP side “Shake a Hand (If You Can)” is the rarity, but tracks like “Freedom Blues,” its B-side “Dewdrop Inn,” and “Mockinbird Sally” testify that Richard’s brilliance remained unabated. Mastered, like many of our Real Gone singles collections, by Aaron Kannowski, The Complete Atlantic & Reprise Singles features liner notes by Little Richard expert Bill Dahl, and comes in ruby red vinyl.

A1. Crying in the Chapel
A2. Hole in the Wall
A3. Travelin’ Shoes
A4. It Is No Secret
A5. Freedom Blues
A6. Dewdrop Inn
A7. Greenwood, Mississippi
A8. I Saw Her Standing There
A9. Shake a Hand (If You Can)
B1. Somebody Saw You
B2. Green Power
B3. Dancing in the Street
B4. Money Is
B5. Mockinbird Sally
B6. Nuki Suki

With Little Richard storming into the present and shaking out the red carpet for the future, it's easy to miss all that's going on with his songs.  With his vocals commanding attention, and the fact that much of this music was originally hidden from white folks, one can miss all the past that shows itself in this songs ...barrelhouse...boogie woogie...blues...jump blues...the rhythm and blues of New Orleans and every city where Great Migration had stretched out to create Black communities and good music, out to St. Louis,  Kansas City, Los Angeles, up to Detroit, New York...it all shows itself in Little Richard's songs, and with his unstoppable delivery, the world had to take notice and the world would never be the same. -- winch (green noise)