Soul Station π: Little Richard - The Reprise Years
Listen @ Your Leisure.
The 1960's we not terribly kind to Little Richard and in some ways he wasn't terribly kind to himself. Some considerable focus points in the 60's were his collaborations with Jimi Hendrix and Don "Sugarcane" Harris on Vee-Jay Records; and equally some really astounding great soul music including tracks like "Your My Girl" and "I Don't Want to Discuss it" via Okeh Records.
In early 1970's Little Richard made sort of a comeback when he signed with Reprise Records. The first release on on Reprise Records was an album by the name of The Rill Thing and it was recorded at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The first 45 single release had the tracks "Freedom Blues" and "Dew Drop Inn" and did well in top 50 in the Pop charts and reached number 28 in the R&B Charts. The second single had the tunes "Greenwood, Mississippi" and the really cool B-side version of "I Saw Her Standing There". We'll also hear "Two-Time Loser" and one of my All-Time Favorites from this album an instrumental track called "The Rill Thing" with Travis Wammack on guitar.
As you will hear Little Richard's music in the 1970's revisits soul and get's kinda funky, skanky, and just great. His second release on Reprise Records was called The King of Rock and Roll and was released in October of 1971. This album includes a rock tune called "Settin' The Woods On Fire" and a gospel tune he wrote called "In The Name". We will also hear a real interesting tune called "Green Power" and a soul version of Hank Williams's "I'm so Lonesome I could Cry". The last two tracks we will hear off of The King Of Rock and Roll are his get down to soul versions of "The Way You Do the Things You Do" and "Dancing in the Street". The last track we will hear comes from his last release with Reprise Records called The Second Coming. This is also an instrumental track and it's called "Sanctified, Satisfied Toe-Tapper"
One last historical anecdote on Little Richard's early 1970's Reprise Years is about an unreleased shelved album that was recorded before The Second Coming. Inevitably and/or irregardless the reason for shelving the album's tracks were later released on Rhino Record's Complete Reprise Recordings collection in 2005. The album was called Southern Child and it's album art cover contains and image of Little Richard at home milking a cow in his backyard.
This has been Soul Station and I don't what to say if you can't get down, get with it, and get to the right height with Little Richard.
DJ π (a.k.a Paul Yamada assisted by DJ LOBO)
FEATURING...
Set 1
- Freedom Blues
- Dew Drop Inn
- Greenwood, Mississippi
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Two-time Loser
- The Rill Thing
Little Richard
Set 1
- Settin' The Woods On Fire
- In The Name
- Green Power
- I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
- The Way You Do The Things You Do
- Dancing In The Street
- Sanctified, Satisfied Toe-Tapper
Little Richard