Zack: It’s sort of embarrassing that it took us over
6 years to get to listening to the only Little Richard album on this list. The
man is an absolute icon on a level that very, very few other musicians or just
people in general have been able to hit. And this right here was the album that
started it all, with the song that really started it all as the lead-off track.
Tutti Frutti is pretty much one of the first rock and roll songs. It apparently
was also originally an ode to gay sex, before going through some very 1950s
rewrites to change lines about “good booty” to “aw rooty” which was slang for
“all right.” The song is so incredibly catchy and energetic that it hardly
matters how sanitized the lyrics had to be. The first time you hear it, you
know it’s a perfect song. The rest of the album is pretty stellar as well. It’s
a blazing-fast 28 minutes, but it’s jam-packed with good music.
Favorite Tracks: Tutti Frutti; Jenny Jenny; Slippin’ and
Slidin’
Emily: Rock & roll from the '50s may evoke corniness, poodle skirts, and Back to the Future today, but Little Richard was a real pioneer. He took influences from blues and R&B but made them high-energy and irresistibly catchy and fun with his unstoppable showmanship. And, who doesn't love a good rhyming title (clearly I do, if you look at my favorite tracks from this album)? Here's Little Richard has all of those things, laying the groundwork not just for his own career, but for the evolution of countless musicians to come.
Favorite Tracks: Tutti Frutti; Ready Teddy; Jenny Jenny
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