Little Richard Is Back (And There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!)
Encyclopedia
Little Richard Is Back was Little Richard
's seventh original album, and his first rock music album in five years. Having retired from rock and roll and spending three years recording gospel music, Richard was finally enticed back into rock studios via a successful UK tour. During his time away from rock music Richard had cut off his trademark pompadour
and can be witnessed on the album cover with significantly shorter hair.
in 1957 to record gospel music, Richard recorded twenty tracks for the Goldner Records label in September 1959. Although tempted back to record rock and roll with his old band The Upsetters for Little Star Records in 1962, he soon went back to gospel, recording for Atlantic Records
in 1963. (There are 36 tracks reported to have been cut for Mercury Records
and Atlantic. A successful British tour finally made Richard return to his rock and roll roots, and tracks for singles were cut in 1964 with Specialty, though not enough for an album.
Although the records kept in the Vee-Jay Records
vaults aren't terribly accurate (many even disputing whether or not Jimi Hendrix
played guitar on several tracks), it's believed that Richard stepped into the recording studios on June 1964 and had a further six sessions until late in 1965, recording forty-six tracks. Over half of these tracks were split between this and the follow-up album, Little Richard - His Greatest Hits, yet the company was not able to do any more with the unreleased recordings as financial problems caused them to file for bankruptcy in January 1966.
As a result of Vee-Jay Records
's collapse, the archive tracks were gradually released over a period of time, often adding just one unreleased track from the vaults. These four additional albums were released by different labels such as Dynasty Records and Joy (UK) Records, the last one in 1974, nearly ten years after Richard had stopped recording for the label. Two of these albums featured never-on-l.p. and previously unreleased tracks.
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
's seventh original album, and his first rock music album in five years. Having retired from rock and roll and spending three years recording gospel music, Richard was finally enticed back into rock studios via a successful UK tour. During his time away from rock music Richard had cut off his trademark pompadour
Pompadour (hairstyle)
Pompadour is a tall style of men's haircut which takes its name from Madame de Pompadour.There are Latin variants of the hair style more associated with European and Argentine tango fashion trends and occasionally with late 20th century musical genres such as rockabilly and country.The pompadour...
and can be witnessed on the album cover with significantly shorter hair.
History
After leaving Specialty RecordsSpecialty Records
Specialty Records was an American record label based in Los Angeles. It was originally launched as Juke Box Records in 1946, but later renamed by its owner Art Rupe when he parted company with a couple of his original partners...
in 1957 to record gospel music, Richard recorded twenty tracks for the Goldner Records label in September 1959. Although tempted back to record rock and roll with his old band The Upsetters for Little Star Records in 1962, he soon went back to gospel, recording for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
in 1963. (There are 36 tracks reported to have been cut for Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
and Atlantic. A successful British tour finally made Richard return to his rock and roll roots, and tracks for singles were cut in 1964 with Specialty, though not enough for an album.
Although the records kept in the Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
vaults aren't terribly accurate (many even disputing whether or not Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
played guitar on several tracks), it's believed that Richard stepped into the recording studios on June 1964 and had a further six sessions until late in 1965, recording forty-six tracks. Over half of these tracks were split between this and the follow-up album, Little Richard - His Greatest Hits, yet the company was not able to do any more with the unreleased recordings as financial problems caused them to file for bankruptcy in January 1966.
As a result of Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
's collapse, the archive tracks were gradually released over a period of time, often adding just one unreleased track from the vaults. These four additional albums were released by different labels such as Dynasty Records and Joy (UK) Records, the last one in 1974, nearly ten years after Richard had stopped recording for the label. Two of these albums featured never-on-l.p. and previously unreleased tracks.
Track listing
- A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
- Going Home Tomorrow
- Money Honey
- Only You
- Hound Dog
- Goodnight Irene
- Lawdy Miss Claudie
- Groovy Little Suzy
- Short Fat Fanny
- Cherry Red
- Memories Are Made Of This
- Blueberry Hill
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop Albums |
Did not chart |