RIP Little Richard

[ska invita]

i found this a sad read

A Brief History of Little Richard Grappling With His Sexuality & Religion

Besides his music, Little Richard has been known for something else throughout his expansive career: his complicated relationship with his sexual orientation, and his faith's effect on it.

www.billboard.com

Christianity fucking things up again

 

[Humberto]

i found this a sad read

A Brief History of Little Richard Grappling With His Sexuality & Religion

Besides his music, Little Richard has been known for something else throughout his expansive career: his complicated relationship with his sexual orientation, and his faith's effect on it.

www.billboard.com

Christianity fucking things up again

Steady on. Little Richard was a christian wasn't he?

 

[ska invita]

Steady on. Little Richard was a christian wasn't he?

and thats the problem

 

[Humberto]

and thats the problem

how so?

 

[ska invita]

how so?

when youre gay and brought up in the church it fucks with your head to reconcile the two

 

[Humberto]

Little Richard wasn't ashamed of anything as far as I can tell. He wore make up in the 70s. Sung tutti fruti and keep on knockin in the 50s.

Did this in the whenever:



He happened to love Jesus Christ and rightly so in my opinion.

 

[Humberto]

What's with twitter videos not playing. I assume it's twitter dickishness but the post will be too far away when you follow the link next week

 

[krtek a houby]

when youre gay and brought up in the church it fucks with your head to reconcile the two

Amen to that.

 

[Kaka Tim]

only jerry lee lewis left out of the original rock'n'rollers? wouldn't have put money on that!

 

[Deadstick 1944]

Unbelievable talent,Stevie wonder was another wonder kid,like others have said so many have gone,another was Scott Walker,what a voice he had.https://youtu.be/CoOGsF6bZEw

 

[Deadstick 1944]

scott walker sun ain't gonna shine anymore video - Norton Safe Search This should play,one of my favorits from that era.

 

[dessiato]

I never rated his music particularly but he certainly helped change the face of music. RIP

 

[Detroit City]

i mistook him for james brown

 

[William of Walworth]

This 1972 interview on the BBC is AMAZING.

I'd never seen that until now, but it's literally insane!!!!
That's got to be watched!!

 

[William of Walworth]

festivaldeb is a 50's R & R fan bigstyle, and she's being playing Little Richard tunes all day
Major respect!

How about this Jon Savage piece about the man's greatest hit (article written in 2011)?

ETA : When I say 'greatest', I mean best in quality, not necessarily best selling!

I had no idea myself about the original and much 'Fruttier' lyrics to his most famous song until today ....... deb prompted me to check!

 

[alsoknownas]

I find a lot of 50's music admirable but only comprehensible as an 'exhibit'. Little Richard's stuff is one of the only bodies of popular work that really sings to me from that era directly, and moves me like it was intended to move contemporary audiences.

Don't get me wrong - there's plenty of jazz and other rock&roll stuff that I appreciate, but much of it, unsurprisingly comes through a thick cultural time filter that numbs the effect.

His voice - the surprise / panic / exuberance / vitality - shakes me all this time later.

I particularly like the voyeuristic delights of Long Tall Sally, which I picture delivered by a wise-beyond-his-years adolescent narrator, seeing all the obvious shit that the adults miss right in front of their eyes .

 

[William of Walworth]

"Awopbopaloobopalopbamboom"

Accurate spelling apparantly disputed!

 

[alsoknownas]

One thing to add - there are so many bad recordings out there of Little Richard's voice. I imagine it was a difficult instrument to record and master. It's worth shopping around for a better recording if he's not hitting your spot right .

 

[alsoknownas]

Here's a case in point. I don't know the circumstances behind these recordings, and it wouldn't surprise me if the second has been remastered or something, but I think it shows how his material can jump out the speakers if the production is done properly:

(Bit flat and clipped imo) :




(yes mate!)

 

[Cid]

There's a good true(ish) crime and music podcast called Disgraceland... The Little Richard episode is well worth a listen. Gives a bit more of a sense of him as a person.

There's something about him that's really hard to take seriously. I mean obviously, kind of insane energetic beauty that doesn't let you stop and go 'wow, that guy changed music'. But he did. We owe so much to that fucked up gorgeous mess of person.

 

[alsoknownas]

He's on that devine/profane nexus, along with Robert Johnson, Sam Cooke, Prince and countless others, deliciously torn between hymns of devotion and moans of mammon. I find the whole thing fascinating.

 

[red & green]

when youre gay and brought up in the church it fucks with your head to reconcile the two

dont forget also being black and gay under Jim Crow

 

[fishfinger]

 

[William of Walworth]

More great articles!
The last link below is especially good IMO -- it contains plenty that's directly connected to the above!
Long and detailed but really informative obituary

Little Richard : An ultra-sexual force of anti-nature
(apologies if this has been already posted)

Too black, too queer, too holy : Why Little Richard never truly got his dues