UK collection of classic tracks from the Rock icon. He claims to be 'the architect of rock 'n' roll,' and history would seem to bear out his boast. Little Richard blew the lid off the '50s, laying the foundation for rock 'n' roll with his explosive music and charismatic persona. Gathered together here is the cream of Little Richard's 1950s 'Specialty' recordings over seven volumes of four tack EPs. The EPs themselves remained in catalog well into the '60s and came with an unwritten guarantee that wherever the needle dropped onto any of the discs, loud uncompromising Rock 'n' Roll would blast forth..'Tutti Frutti' broke though radio-programming barriers to make No. 17 on the national chart early in 1956. Both Little Richard's painstakingly crafted follow-ups, 'Long Tall Sally' and 'Rip It Up', were chart smashes and within the space of a few months, Richard was riding to fame on the crest of a rock 'n' roll wave. Little Richard toured almost continually throughout 1956 and most of 1957. He had also been making regular visits to the studio until October 1956 when he went into Cosimo Matassa's studio for what would be the last time. From that point neither Specialty's Art Rupe or Blackwell could persuade him to enter the studio again (save a final compromise session in L.A. one year later) and virtually all his future Specialty releases - including several of his biggest hits - came from sessions already held in the can. It says much for the high standard of these recordings that Specialty was able to meet the demand for Little Richard product without having any freshly-minted cuts on hand. Little Richard was soon to denounce pop music in favor of evangelism By 1958, Art Rupe was disillusioned with much of the business and wound up the label towards the end of 1959, though some of his back catalog was sporadically made available, notably the Little Richard classics, thus providing successive generations with an insight into the sounds which shook the world during the fifties, and whose influence continues to be felt.

1. She's Got It
2. I'm Just a Lonely Guy
3. Heeby-jeebies
4. Slippin' and Slidin'
5. Rip It Up
6. Ready Teddy
7. Tutti Frutti
8. Long Tall Sally
9. Lucille
10. Send Me Some Lovin'
11. The Girl Can't Help It
12. Jenny, Jenny
13. Miss Ann
14. Oh Why
15. Can't Believe You Wanna Leave
16. Baby
17. Baby Face
18. By the Light of the Silvery Moon
19. She Knows How to Rock
20. Early One Morning
21. Keep a Knockin'
22. Good Golly Miss Molly
23. All Around the World
24. True Fine Mama
25. Kansas City
26. Shake a Hand
27. Chicken Little Baby
28. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On