Here's Little Richard

The 'patient-zero' for 99% of this list. Modern music owes everything to Little Richard's innovation. Sure, he was riding a wave of change in the 1950's, but the bands that influence the bands that are listened to now were influenced by Little Richard. 4.5/5 for musicality. 5/5 for originality.

A WOMP BOP A LOO MOP A WOMP BAM BOO

I'm no afficianado but having had a little exposure to Little Richard previously and some knowledge of this era of pop I expect neither this or any other studio album represents him at his very best. He predated the era of studio album as apotheosis so it's a bit disappointing to see pre-60s artists entered into this list in this way. Suggests history is being skewed to bring it in line with what came later. Still, when you hear this you can't fail to be struck by what a firecracker he must have been - and still is, even if his incendiary screaming, relentless pounding and 100 mph tempos no longer shock you into running out of the record store clutching your pearls and heading straight for confession. There's a direct line running from his pit of the belly yowls to Nirvana choruses that are just variations of "Yeah" and Migos' electrifying ad libs.

These are the kind of records I expect to see on this list. Classic in every sense of the word. An undoubtedly important and influential piece of music. However, this seems like a "you had to be there" kind of thing. Seeing him perform during that era was probably insane. It's definitely a product of it's time, so it's not really something I enjoy listening to. It's good, fun music, though. Just not my vibe.

9. Really good but also it’s good that it’s only 30 minutes because i can only listen to 12 bar blues for so long

Little Richard's first record. This is the absolute powerhouse of a record that rocketed him into the American cultural conciousness and paved the path for him to grow into the funk god that he became. The bones of his later music are here in the way that he attacks his vocal performances with reckless abandon and faultless control. The songs are firmly rooted in the musical ethos of the 50s but that's not a bad thing in this case due to the fact that Little Richard defined the style going forward in the minds of music fans. This debut album is thick with bangers like "Tutti Frutti," "Ready Teddy," "Miss Ann," and "Long Tall Sally." Little Richard is one of the main artists credited for bringing "black music" to white america. THIS is the record that white teenagers hid under their beds to listen to when their parents weren't around. It's no hyperbolic to say that, in his own way, Little Richard was a civil rights pioneer. And the record reflects that. It's relatable, using the musical shorthand of mainstream 50s pop, but keeps the undeniable edge, angst, and sheer sexual energy that was missing from white popular music at the time but which was available by the bucketload in black music.

The energy on this album is amazing and infectious. The songs are composed flawlessly, and the way Little Richard uses his voice is incredible - not just as a vehicle for the lyrics but as an instrument and the way he expresses emotion. Album is literally full of high, high quality from front to back. No skips on this album at all.

I love how much fun he had with his art. His music is so playful and it makes me so happy.

Definitely worth the listen. It all sounds like the same song but, hey, it's Little Richard.

“Here’s Little Richard” by Little Richard (1957) This album is classic for good reason. In this, his debut album (although he had released several successful singles), Little Richard introduced a number of innovations that have remained hallmarks of rock and roll to this day. Among other creative initiatives, (1) He took the shuffle out of boogie woogie and replaced it with steady but explosive backbeat. (2) He developed vocal stylings that added raspy and gravelly accents, making the lead vocal an additional percussion instrument. And also, (3) with his left hand-heavy piano technique, he opened the door to more innovative bass lines. The net effect was to elevate the rhythm section (drums & bass) of the band to a new level of importance. This is why we love rock. This album pounds those innovations into the ears of the listener, forcing him or her to get sensitized to the new direction popular music would henceforth be going. The best way to listen to this today is to try to imagine how it contrasts with what preceded it, and how it was appropriated by what followed it. It’s one of the reasons that seriously listening to popular recorded music produced over nearly a century can both sustain interest and feed the soul. From a distance of 61 years, this music may sound trite and repetitive. But heard as the foundation of what was to come, it is compelling. 5/5

Kickass singer, but I got bored pretty quickly to be honest, it feels like at least half of the songs follow the exact same format and structure: "Sing catchy short sentance a couple of bars, do some falsettos woo's, break, repeat". Yes, I'm looking at you Tutti Frutti, Ready Teddy, Long Tall Sally, She's got it, Jenny Jenny. I mean he's a kickass singer, but it felt like he found one exact song format that worked well for him and then just did. I was about to give this 2 stars, but then I realized I gave the Kid Rock album 2 stars and felt like maybe that was unfair.

It’s great. Then it’s the same great for 6 more songs.

There's like 5 songs that are literally the same song with different lyrics. But overall not bad and definitely classic

Little Richard was probably the most influential artist in early Rock n' Roll. Yes, Elvis Presley was bigger and brought the genre to the mainstream but no one of that era of rock has influenced as many people as Richard did. Without Tutti Frutti we would not have Bowie who was simply amazed by the sound of that song. Other artists like Prince, Freddy Mercury, the more recent Janelle Monáe and the Stones were all influenced massively by Little Richard. But let's talk about the album: Most of the songs were written or co-written by him which at that time was still a rarity, considering artists like Sinatra were still mainly doing standards. And unlike Sinatra nearly all songs are upbeat and energetic. The album is, to say it in a single word, FUN! You can, even must, groove to it and Little Richard does bring in some very nice vocal delivery on top of the very R&B-sounding instrumentation. And while songs like Tutti Frutti, Slippin' and Slidin', Long Tall Sally or Rip It Up are absolute classics you do have some slightly less entertaining pieces like Oh Why? or Miss Ann that ultimatly do not destroy the album's flow. To sum it up: Here's Little Richard is a landmark in early rock music and one of my favourite album of the 1950's. favourites: Tutti Frutti, Slippin' and Slidin', Long Tall Sally, Rip It Up least favourites: Jenny Jenny, Oh Why?, Miss Ann, Baby Rating: light to decent 9/10

Classic rock 'n roll. As good as Elvis's first album was, this is so much purer of an expression of the early days of the genre. The black roots of rock are on full display, yet it's fully in this new type of music. This is fun rock stuff.

Little Richard helped shape rock ’n’ roll into everything it is today, but sometimes we find that fact difficult to contemplate. After all, it's hard to think about anything at all when we're busy wearing a hole in the carpet to the sound of vintage, rip-roaring cuts like "Tutti Frutti", "Slippin' and Slidin'" and "Rip It Up". The raw energy of his raspy howl and his way with the 88s are utterly electrifying—and just as irresistible today as they were more than half a century ago. The most important album we’ve had so far. Without it we wouldn’t have much of the music we have today. 5/5

Here's Little Richard is the debut album by American musician Little Richard, In all, nine of the LP's 12 songs made the US Billboard Hot 100 charts between 1955 and 1958. Nicknamed "The Innovator, The Originator, and The Architect of Rock and Roll," Richard's most celebrated work dates from the mid-1950s, when his charismatic showmanship and dynamic music, characterized by frenetic piano playing, pounding back beat and raspy shouted vocals, laid the foundation for rock and roll. His performances during this period resulted in integration between White Americans and African Americans in his audience. During this time, the Beatles opened for Richard on some tour dates. Richard advised the Beatles on how to perform his songs and taught the band's member Paul McCartney his distinctive vocalizations. In the fall of 1963, Richard was called by a concert promoter to rescue a sagging tour featuring The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley and the Rolling Stones. In November/December 1964, Jimi Hendrix joined Richard's Upsetters band as a full member.

Every song is kinda the same... but they're all Little Richard, so it's cool.

alright. weirdly stressful bc so high energy. solid 3+ almost 4.

Just too repetitive for me. Almost every song is about a girl and I can only take so much HoOoOoOoO

I have officially ran out of things to say about 50s albums and I won't pretend to enjoy this in an attempt to appear more cultured or something. It's just kind of boring, right?

Full of soul and exuberance, this album had me dancing and grinning from start to finish. I gave it five stars before the end of the first line of Tutti Frutti and it just got better from there. Whooooo!

Rock and roll history here so another album that exists on another plane… I always loved Little Richard but had never listened to an album before. Perhaps what is most surprising about this album is that this is his debut album… talk about an introduction! Little Richard is on fire and this album is packed with incredible performances and hits. I also am surprised at the bite this album still has after all these years. The songs are fantastic. I was surprised to hear several tunes that I haven’t heard before but are up there with the monster hits we all know. What a gift Little Richard is to the world!

It puts you in a space and time this album where you need to be surrounded by others, dancing, drinking, sweating and just good vibing. Good to hear a range of Little Richie songs as I've only really known 'Tutti Fruitti'

Again, what's not to like about this classic Rock 'n' Roll album. just have to Listen to John Lennon speak about Richard Penniman's influence on the Beatles AND The Stones to know this is an extra special moment in rock history. I love "Baby", of course "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" as Classics and "Rip It Up" for it's energy and bravado. Great Album rightfully on this list in my opinion.

86. Here's Little Richard - Little Richard 15 tracks. Amazing. Simply amazing. This is definitely getting another listen. I'm dancing! I'm proper dancing in the kitchen, (I may have had a drink), but this is brilliant. This must have been mind-blowing in it's day. #Bangers 5/5

Little Richard's music from this era is the blueprint for modern R&B. And all the songs clock in at under 3 minutes. It's a good listen and a window into what Pop and R&B turn in to.

7th June 2021 Listened on the way to and from a swim walking in the sunshine. Sounds like a greatest hits it's just banger after banger. Prince etc wouldn't be who they are without Little Richard, what an icon and one of the greatest voices of all time.

Made me get up and dance in my office and also made me realize that Little Richard only has one volume and that very much explained his tv appearances in the 80s and 90s

The horns and his voice are the best parts of this album. I don’t know if I’ll come back to this often but appreciate its importance

The positives are that all of the tracks are of the same level, however the songs all sound similar. If the songs are in the same key the bass player could just use a loop pedal, as it felt like I heard the same bass run over and over for 40mins. The big positive is the influence its hard on some great music, but, I don't think I'll ever listen to it again. TWO

second one. I started this to explore other genres then hip-hop, like rock and while i can see the influence of this. I would only play like 2-3 songs again. I like the music but vocals and stuff just don't hit would be better as an instrumental album

This is fine, I have never listened to a full Little Richard album. And it's fine, but ultimately something I do not care much about.

Surely revolutionary at the time but now not more than possibly nostalgia. Being brought up in the punk new-wave era I have other heroes like Sonic Youth or Foetus...

Sounds as exciting as it likely did 70-odd years ago. What a performer, what a set of songs! This holds its own with anything released in subsequent decades; a fun listen, not a historical artifact.

I don't think Pop Punk exists without this album. I will not explain my reasoning.

Thought an entire album of this formulaic (but fun) music genre would get boring after a while. Thing is, it's Little Richard. To this day, few match the raw energy and talent he did, and those few probably owe much to him in that respect.

Dede dede dede dede dedede wooooooo!

Little Richard is a magnificent human being. He introduced me to my 3rd wife, Linda. She was a sailor and a poet with dark rings around her eyes and below her baggy vagina. She wore a solemn expression on her face and glumly shuffled around the house like a depressed ewok with the weight of the world on its shoulders. I used to lock her away in a drawer at night and fed her damaged tulips that I would purchase from the local florists on the way home from a busy day of being Nigel Spackman. She took her own life in the autumn of '73. I found her hanging, lifeless listening to Little Richard on the radio in the kitchen. She stank of salmon fillets. There was a note on the sideboard that read "Try locking me away in a drawer now, you cunt". To this day, I have no idea what she meant. The funeral was a fine affair. Many of Linda's friends and family did not bother coming and so Little Richard and I, drank whisky and danced into the wee hours of the morning, laughing and joking about how Linda would always say that she hated us and wanted us to die. We couldn't work out what she meant, the silly billy. That woman remains a mystery. Why did you do it, Linda? I keep an empty drawer for her and often smile as I pass the florist on the way home. She was special and I'll never understand why she hanged herself that day. Little Richard still pops by for supper every fortnight and we make a big deal about re-enacting her final hours. We eat salmon fillets and tell eachother we hate eachother, then laugh. Why Linda?

Rock em roll

Another record I own! Little Richard's first, and what a first album it is! I don't know if there's a song on here that won't get caught in your brain when you listen to it. I know I had 'Tutti Frutti' going through my head for most of the day. I also appreciate that it's a quick listen and doesn't outstay it's welcome. A really solid, important first album.

The shortness of hte album really impressed me. Each song is not even 3 minutes long. For a guy who normally listens to 10 minute songs without batting an eye, this was a nice change of pace. And the energy! Wow, I haven't heard this kind of enthusiasm since punk, but happier. It made sense that this is just the A & B sides they work really well. There's no need for there to be an album flow, it's just hit after hit after hit. Don't listen to the extended cut / anniversary version of this, the 30 minutes in and out is all you need. Great stuff.

Toward the end of their sets performed during the No Nukes concerts (available in video and audio formats as "The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts"), Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform a rousing "Detroit Medley", which includes versions of Good Golly Miss Molly and Jenny Jenny. And that medley is a freaking party. I recommend watching the performance to really appreciate the Boss at the peak of his powers. And I couldn't help but feel that Little Richard's version of "Jenny Jenny" pales in comparison to the brouhaha Springsteen and Company put on those nights at Madison Square Garden. That isn't too diss the legend that is Little Richard at all. If anything, it's a testament to Little Richard's influence across generations. This is likely one of the album that Springsteen listened to repeatedly as a child growing up in Long Branch, New Jersey. And you can absolutely hear why he and millions more would be so into Little Richard. This album is an absolute marvel. So was Little Richard. Quick aside. Apparently Rolling Stone had this thing ranked at number 50 in their first two editions of their "500 Greatest Albums of All-Time" list. Then for no good reason, they dropped it all the way down to number 227 in their third edition of their silly little list. That 3rd list was released just months after we lost Little Richard. I'm glad he wasn't around to see Rolling Stone diss him like that.

Genius. Copper-bottomed, top-tier, 24-carat genius.

Holy smokes, Little Richard was ready to rock and roll.

Enjoyed the whole album. Fun and exciting. Little Richard is amazing (9/10) Favorite Tracks: Long Tall Sally

I mean it's little Richard. Good short listen and solid album start to finish.

Woooooohooooo fantastic! Little Richard - the ultimate showman. The absolute Queen of Rock 'n Roll. Amazing song writing and incredible delivery. Just joyful.

This feels like I’m being asked to review the laws of physics: the hits herein set some of pop’s rules, how can I challenge that? One imagines what the WW2 generation made of this fever dream of gibberish, raunch, yell and beat - tomorrow’s fun is today’s end of civilisation.

Little Richard > Chuck Berry

Smashes it out of the park every track. What a talented vocalist. We’re all familiar with the screams and wails but I never really listened to how controlled and precise Little Richard’s singing can be. And this is music that just smashes convention - No wonder 50s America was terrified of rock and roll - Richard is singing about sex - doing it, thinking about doing it, asking a girl to do it, all to a grinding, pumping beat. It’s filth, pure filth. And it’s stunning.

Arguably the beginning of Rock & Roll as we know it, Little Richard was belting these songs and people were going fucking insane for the music. And there's a good reason for it: it's so loud, energetic, and passionate that it leaves the whole performance on the floor. You got your money's worth with Little Richard. As is the problem with these sorts of albums, it often sounds like it would be better live in the moment of Richard's prime. Unfortunately, we're all several decades too late so we won't get to experience the true awesomeness of Little Richard killing it on stage in the 50's, but the album is still great.

Not sure where the dividing line is between Little Richard and rock writ large, but this feels thoroughly rocking to me. I've heard Tutti Frutti before of course, but never this version. While some of the melodic tropes of the era wear, the horns and (real) pianos only add. Wish we got more of that instrumentation nowadays.

If you'd been listening to a lot of swing and big band, and then this dude came along, it must have been a total mind-melt. Almost suffers from familiarity now, but can only imagine how revolutionary it must have been. And still some solid bangers if you want Granny dancing at the wedding.

Let's forget a minute how influential Little Richard was and is, especially vocally--it's hard to imagine James Brown, Paul McCartney, Wilson Pickett or David Lee Roth without him. Is there any reason we shouldn't just consign Little Richard to rock 'n roll history? Surprisingly, yes. Here's Little Richard is more or less evenly split between rock 'n roll and Crescent City R&B, and it's pretty basic stuff. But two things set it apart and keep it relevant: Little Richard's pounding piano style and the sheer energy and stylistic innovation of his vocals. Even now, Little Richard's vocals are exciting. That said, a whole of album of this gets a little samey, but I'll give it 3.5 stars on the strength of Little Richard's performance alone.

Super energetic, no wonder Rock'n'Roll became a craze at the time. I cannot deny how influential Little Richard and this album were but music moved foreward and it doesn't stand out as much as it used to. Songs are quite simple melodically which makes them very similiar to one another.

One of the first albums that, despite not being unlistenable, made me experience great fatigue just listening to it I'm taking this review to very briefly explain the definition of a term I've used and probably will keep using a lot - safe. What I mean when I say something is safe might be self explanatory but the gist of it is when I find that something has been sanitized and scrubbed clean of any potentially element that might be a "love it or hate it" moment. The reason why someone might do this is to make their album or work as palatable to as wide of an audience as possible in order to increase revenue, or possibly due to pressures from record labels or society as a whole which makes the artist surpress their actual interests. I've noticed this a lot with music in the past (likely due to the fact that the methods of music discovery that is present today with youtube, spotify etc didn't exist and you could only make your money if people liked you enough to buy your cd/vinyl) where a lot of it sounds incredibly samey, possibly because thats what you needed to do in order to make a living out of being an artist then. It might also be because of the fact that the only music that survived so long, and as a result ended up on a list filled with a lot of shite like the 1001 albums list, is because it WAS safe, a really wide set of the population __could __ enjoy it and continued to enjoy it for long enough for future generations to know the name of it, i.e. experimental stuff enjoyed by just a small subset of people ended up being lost with time. This is by no means exclusive to old music though, its a very frequent thing even with modern "radio bangers". Just go to the top 100 list on spotify and listen to how incredibly sanitized and uncontroversial every song there is. You would never find a song like Poledo by Dinosaur Jr. anywhere near a list for or by the masses. Anyways, what I mean to say by this is that this album, being a product of its time and the consequences that follow of that, is way too safe almost to the point where it becomes offensive. But, I guess you just had to be there to understand.

Fun while it lasts and just long enough to not get on my nerves with all the happiness.

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yeah, not much range to style but easy enough to listen too Favourite song: Track 1 - Tutti Frutti

Megaśnie fajnie. 5/5 Pozytywne takie

Part of the origin story of Rock and Roll. Fantastic stuff

I've listened to this album and these songs a million of times, and even today I'm still amazed at how much this guy's voice sounds like an electric guitar in overdrive... Simply amazing!

LOVE old school rock-'n'-roll!! Architect indeed! 5

10/10 classic!

Absolute banger of an album

Knall.

This is exactly what I wanted. One of these artists of which I knew just a couple of songs, and the record is just one bop after another. Short, to the point, wild. Actually punk? Couple of the songs nicely filthy, bluesy. I really like this. 1957? OOF.

WOOO!

Great classics and other greats.

Fire, everything on the album was a banger Songs Added to Playlist: ALL

Una locura, irreal lo que canta little richard a pesar de no sonar del todo bien el disco. Es la base de todo y queda clarísimo

Little Richard defines his own genre in a way. It is rock-n-roll, but with more fanfare and a kind of joy that is unique to him alone. Little Richard is an essential piece of music history. Also it is super fun just to listen to this album and Little Richard in general. You really can't go wrong here.

I loved this album! Little Richard has some of my favorite songs.

This was fun! Good energy and vibes. 'She Got It' was my fave.

Get it for the time. Not my type of music but respect what I was at the time. Do love swing drums tho.

Very energetic, would recommend o If you need to motivate to clean or something. I was surprised cause I actually knew already most of the songs I like it

Don't care if it's basic and repetitive, it makes me happy

God damn this is good. Get drunk put this on go in the kitchen and try to not dance around like a maniac

Great album. Icon!

Still astonishing.

“tutti frutti” MIGHT be the catchiest opener i’ve heard yet. THERE’S EVEN A TAKE TWO ON DISC 2! a good walking bass line always speaks to my soul (there’s one in pretty much every tune). i appreciate how much the sax is RIPPING throughout. “oh why?” is also a standount! i love 50’s rock and roll. 5/5.

Felt like late morning in the Living Room

Inigualable. Imprescindible. Su legado e influencia convierten a este álbum (y el siguiente y "último") en legendarios.

Perfection. Sure, there's a lot of similarities between most of the tracks, the lyrics aren't complicated, there is only basic instrumentation, etc.... but it just fucking rocks and you can't not tap your feet and nod your head. I've listened to a lot of 1950's music, but more focused on jazz, R&B. You can see how early pioneers merged the different forms of music and branched off in different directions.

Pedal-to-the-metal start to finish; a perfect microcosm of early rock-n-roll. Wish I could’ve been a fly in the wall when Little Richard and his band were making music history.

Strooien met de 5

Fantastic album that I'm glad I was introduced to

I loved it from the beginning to the end

This is the 71st album I’m rating. The only Little Richard song I’ve ever listened to is Tutti Frutti so this is pretty lucky. Adding to my Playlist - True, Fine Mama, Can’t Believe You Wanna Leave, Ready Teddy, Baby, Slippin’ and Slidin’, Long Tall Sally, Miss Ann, Oh Why?, Rip It Up, Jenny, Jenny, and She’s Got It. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. Already Added to my Playlist - Tutti Frutti. All in all I liked 12/12 songs. This wasn’t the most interesting but there is something charming about Little Richard’s nearly 70 year old sound.

Tutti Frutti n Banger, und Ready Teddy super oft gecovert, generell will man einfach bei jedem Song mit schunkeln. 5 Sterne

A transformational figure in the history of rock. And still a pure joy to listen to today!

pure rock and roll magic

Another chance for some virtue signalling which is pretty great for me. Giving it 5 is easier when the songs are great though.

There has never been and will never be another like Little Richard. So much energy and just classic songs.

Timeless.

It’s wild to think about now, but Here’s Little Richard was once a threat — a full-blown panic attack for conservative parents, white radio programmers, and anyone clinging to pre-rock respectability. Little Richard’s voice wasn’t just loud; it was filthy, sweaty, and bursting with something dangerous. Pat Boone’s stiff, sanitized cover of Tutti Frutti may have charted higher, but Richard’s version is the one history couldn’t shake. Because you can’t fake that voice — all screams, howls, and gospel firepower — or his piano, hammered like it owed him money. The album plays like a 28-minute riot. Tutti Frutti kicks the door down with a holler that still feels alive in 2025, a pure blast of uncut rock & roll adrenaline. Long Tall Sally barely lets you breathe, sprinting through its verses like the band is trying to outrun the cops. Rip It Up swings like a runaway freight train. Ready Teddy practically dares you to sit still. And Slippin’ and Slidin’? That one sounds like the whole thing could skid off the rails at any second, all frantic piano and loose-hipped energy. Even the quieter moments — tracks like Baby and Miss Ann — still hum with that restless spirit, even if they lean closer to conventional 50s R&B. But with a run time under half an hour, even the so-called filler slides past like a cigarette break between riots. Recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s legendary J&M Studio in New Orleans, Here’s Little Richard captures the feel of a band crammed into a sweaty room, feeding off Richard’s manic energy. There’s no polish, no sweetening — just tape rolling while the man howls his way into history. Here’s Little Richard is the blueprint for everything rock would become: sexual, rebellious, and gloriously over-the-top. Its DNA pulses through The Beatles (who worshipped him), Prince’s flamboyant seduction, and Jack White’s garage-rock chaos. It’s gospel on Saturday night after too much whiskey, boogie-woogie dragged into the streets, and blues cranked to 11. This is where rock & roll kicked down the door — and never looked back.

This whole album is raw and powerful but holy shit, Lee Allen’s saxophone really stands out.

Great stuff

Tutti frutti indeed, more of this please.low 5.

Tutti Frutti 🔥