''Little Richard'' (titled ''Volume 2'' in the UK) is the second album by American musician

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

, released in July 1958, ten months after Richard announced a retirement from

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

to pursue a life in the

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

. Like his first album, it largely contains previously released A-sides and B-sides including several which reached ''Billboards

Rhythm & Blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

and

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

charts. Nine of its twelve tracks charted in the US including Richard's fourth million-seller " Lucille", the

standard "

Good Golly, Miss Molly "Good Golly, Miss Molly" is a hit rock 'n' roll song first recorded in 1956 by the American musician Little Richard and released in January 1958 as Specialty single 624 and next in July 1958 on ''Little Richard''. The song, a jump blues, was wri ...

" and "

The Girl Can't Help It ''The Girl Can't Help It'' is a 1956 American musical comedy film starring Jayne Mansfield in the titular role, Tom Ewell, Edmond O'Brien, Henry Jones, and Julie London. The picture was produced and directed by Frank Tashlin, with a screenplay ...

", the title song from the motion picture of the same name. Among the previously unreleased tracks are two

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

songs recorded in Richard's frantic style.

Critical reviews

Reviewing ''Little Richard'' upon its release, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' praised the album as "a worthy successor to ''Here's Little Richard''", commenting "the cat is at his frantic best" ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described the album as "in typical explosive Richard style". Among retrospective reviews,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Mark Deming considered ''Little Richard'' "every bit as rockin' as his first album, if not more so... there isn't a single throwaway among the 12 tunes on deck".

Track listing

;Side one # "

Keep A Knockin' "Keep A-Knockin' (But You Can't Come In)" is a popular song that has been recorded by a variety of musicians over the years. The lyrics concern a lover at the door who will not be admitted; some versions because someone else is already there, but ...

" (Richard Penniman) # " By the Light of the Silvery Moon" ( Gus Edwards,

Edward Madden Edward Madden (July 17, 1878 – March 11, 1952) was an American lyricist. Early life Madden was born in New York City and graduated from Fordham University. After graduation, he wrote material for many singers including Fanny Brice and ...

) # "

Send Me Some Lovin' "Send Me Some Lovin'" is a 1957 rock and roll standard recorded by Little Richard. John S. Marascalso co-wrote "Send Me Some Lovin'" with Leo Price. Background Little Richard recorded the song October 16, 1956, at J&M Music Shop in New Orlean ...

" (

John Marascalco John S. Marascalco (March 27, 1931 – July 5, 2020) was an American songwriter most noted for the songs he wrote for Little Richard. He was born in Grenada, Mississippi and died in Los Angeles, California. Career Marascalco co-wrote several of ...

, Leo Price) # "I'll Never Let You Go (Boo Hoo Hoo Hoo)" (Penniman) # "Heeby-Jeebies" (Maybelle Jackson, Marascalco) # "All Around the World" (

Robert Blackwell Robert Alexander "Bumps" Blackwell (May 23, 1918 – March 9, 1985) was an American bandleader, songwriter, arranger, and record producer, best known for his work overseeing the early hits of Little Richard, as well as grooming Ray Char ...

McKinley Millet McKinley James Millet, Jr. (October 25, 1935 – June 29, 1997) was an American rhythm and blues pianist, bass player, singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing and first performing the songs " Rich Woman" and "All Around the World" with hi ...

) ;Side two # "

" (Blackwell, Marascalco) # "

Baby Face Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

" (

Harry Akst Harry Akst (August 15, 1894 – March 31, 1963)
- accessed November 19, 2011 was an American Benny Davis Benny Davis (August 21, 1895 - December 20, 1979) was a vaudeville performer and writer of popular songs. Biography Davis started performing in vaudeville in his teens. He began writing songs when working as an accompanist for Blossom Seeley. In ...

) # " Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" (Penniman) # "

Ooh! My Soul "Ooh! My Soul", sometimes spelled "Oh My Soul", is a 1958 song by Little Richard. It first appeared on a May 1958 single, then on his eponymous second album. It was subsequently recorded by the Beatles in 1963 for the BBC, and by Big Brother a ...

" (Penniman) # "

" (

Bobby Troup Robert William Troup Jr. (October 18, 1918 – February 7, 1999) was an American actor, jazz pianist, singer, and songwriter. He wrote the song " Route 66" and acted in the role of Dr. Joe Early with his wife Julie London in the television progr ...

) # " Lucille" (Al Collins, Penniman)

Charts

Weekly

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Richard (album) 1958 albums Little Richard albums Specialty Records albums Albums produced by Robert Blackwell