"Wop Bop a Loo Mop, Lop Bop Bop--Little Richard Gives You His Best

The effect that Richard Penniman, a/k/a Little Richard, had on rock 'n roll music cannot be overestimated. His music appealed to both young black and white folks in the fifties, and because of this "crossover" appeal, he literally bestrode the fifties rock 'n roll scene like a colossus. His manic style of playing the piano and his raw, primal vocal affect really got the teens of that era jumping, and served to inspire many later rock 'n rollers like The Beatles, who always pointed to Little Richard as one of their major influences.

Another element of the Little Richard mystique was his androgynous sexual appeal--he was one of the first performers to lay on the mascara heavily, and his pompadour was a glorious sight to behold. Mix in the fact that some of his songs included both overt and covert sexual references and you have the forerunner of such androgynous superstars as David Bowie and Lou Reed. His musical influences and sexual innuendos were pervasive indeed.

His Best is an abbreviated twelve track collection of some of Little Richard's signature hits--I have it on cassette tape, but I'm sure it's available on compact disc also. As a comprehensive collection, it probably falls a little short--I'd probably recommend the more complete Little Richard: The Georgia Peach, which has a total of twenty-five tracks which go a little farther in defining the music of Little Richard. His Best works well as a quick study, and will give the acolyte a good idea of his style and the type of music that moved the teens of the fifties.

Track Listing

1. Long Tall Sally
2. Lucille
3. Ready Teddy
4. Slippin' And Slidin' (Peepin' And Hidin')
5. She's Got It
6. Keep A Knockin'
7. Tutti-Frutti
8. Good Golly, Miss Molly
9. Jenny, Jenny
10. The Girl Can't Help It
11. True, Fine Mama
12. Rip It Up

About The Music

Little Richard addresses female sexuality, which was almost unheard of in the fifties, with tunes like She's Got It, The Girl Can't Help It, and True, Fine Mama, while he sings in code about a transvestite in the classic Long Tall Sally, a song covered by Little Richard fan Paul McCartney early on in his career with The Beatles. His use of the terms "ball" and "balling" (slang for sexual intercourse) are up front and out in the open in Good Golly, Miss Molly and Rip It Up--sort of makes you wonder if Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon and their brownshirt buddies fell down on the job in their attempt to protect the morals of the teens of the country in the fifties.

Tunes like Lucille and Tutti-Frutti, with its "wop bop a loo mop, lop bop bop" intro capture the tremendous energy of Little Richard, while Jenny, Jenny and Keep A Knockin' are high octane rock 'n rollers that are just pure fun.

While His Best is not as comprehensive as other collections, you really can't go wrong with it. You'll get a good charge of that magical fifties rock 'n roll from a performer who patented high energy, and inspired many others to do the same.

Thanks for reading.