14. Little Richard - Here's Little Richard (1957)

1. Tutti Frutti
2. True Fine Mama
3. Can't Believe You Wanna Leave
4. Ready Teddy
5. Baby
6. Slippin' And Slidin'
7. Long Tall Sally
8. Miss Ann
9. Oh Why
10. Rip It Up
11. Jenny Jenny
12. She's Got It

After 5 jazz albums in a row, it's nice to have another rock album on the list. Even better, it's probably the best rock album so far! It actually rocks! You'd think they'd have thought of that by then!

Fundamentally, this album isn't much different from the Fats Domino album from earlier. Same sort of piano-driven R&B with plenty of sax solos! The main difference is that Fats Domino sort of lazily meanders his way through his songs (well, you would too if your name was Fats!) while Little Richard screams and shouts his way through these songs at a frantic pace truly worthy of the name 'rock 'n' roll'. While Chuck Berry left his mark on the new genre by redefining the role of the electric guitar, Little Richard brought the fire and fury. Almost all of the songs here move along at a breakneck pace, and nobody at the time could scream like he did. People still have trouble nowadays! It goes without saying that pretty much every harder form of rock has its roots in this guy.

The album itself? About the same as any other pre-Beatles rock LP. Normally, I like a little diversity, but the two tracks that stray furthest from the formula ('Can't Believe You Wanna Leave' and 'Oh Why?', both melodramatic slower numbers) are the worst tracks on the album! It's sort of like AC/DC. You know full well that their careers have had the musical diversity of a glacier, but on the other hand they get so much leverage out of the same ol' blues progressions and rote formula that you wouldn't have it any other way. That is, until I manage to find the lost Little Richard psychedelic album. Far out!

The entire album is more or less carried by his voice. The music and lyrics are both fairly pedestrian, but his incredibly animated singing is something to behold. Elvis' version of 'Tutti Frutti' seems like even more of an embarrassment compared to the hot fire of the original. The speed and energy with which he spits out the lyrics of 'Long Tall Sally' and 'Ready Teddy' could knock any bland white rocker on their ass, and it did (I'm looking at you, Pat Boone!).

Oh, also 'Tutti Frutti' was originally about anal sex. 8/10