Mono Box: Complete Specialty/Vee-Jay Albums

I have not purchased this item but from a YouTube video I can offer a decent review , if Amazon will allow me .The specialties , remastered or no, range from great to even greater . The only disappointments are found in that 1959 album of mostly recent and ancient tracks, mostly previously unissued , and sadly being tainted by horrific overdubbing , undercutting the rhythm . A big problem throughout his career . Still, that album issued while Richard was at Bible school and immersed in gospel (soon after the 3Rd specialty was issued he signed a contract to record gospel ), contained the classic richard blues , "Kansas City ", always associated w leiber and stiller, but really the stand alone composition the beatles covered -an incredible track for them .It was a big global hit for LR.Richard released 3 albums worth of non secular songs before he came up w New Secular stuff , including a lot of material he rocked overseas , 1962 to 1964.He signed w Vee jay and produced Vj 1107, "is Back", a really wild showcase of the "new" richard , vocally and instrumentally . The record says Stereo but is a badly pressed Mono, muddy as a Washington, D.C., swamp. (Six of the cuts would be released in true stereo on a 1972 Ala label album ). He did outstanding workouts on songs he obviously enjoyed throughout his life , covers of Jerry Lee, Elvis, the Drifters , Lloyd price ,fats , even Dean Martin . The lone new song was cowritten by Harry Nilsson , groovy little Suzy, a wild and crazy frenetic funky cut, with an incredible piano performance.Too bad there's as much chaos as there is tight funky stuff on this strange but very fun l.p,The Vee jay album from 1965, is a very uneven and frankly shelvable array of recuts , although there are some very exciting , forward thinking bits and pieces , notably thrilling renditions of Tutti Frutti , miss Molly, keep a knockin', baby face , send me some loving.May I add that Jimi Hendrix , richards most recent discovery , plays on at least 9 of the cuts.So fans, esp old endlessly suffering fans , nothing new. Again .😊

I have bought many vinyl box sets, some done with attention to detail, others rather slapdash, some priced right, others overpriced and overhyped. This Little Richard Mono Box may not seem like much, but it really is one of the best I have bought. A lot is said about 180 grams reissue etc, but often the pressings are not great- but here straightaway I could tell from the weight and sheen on the LP's that the pressing were going to be good. The LP's come in poly inner liners- another marker for a reissue done with care. As for the other reviewer's comment that the booklet was slim- I wonder if he looked at what was in it, rather than how thick it was! What is has is a absolutely detailed and extensive essay by Bill Dahl, spreading over 5 pages, interspersed with B&W photos of LR, highlighting all the various musicians and producers and recording sessions involved. Even a cursory reading of it is going to take your half an hour! Dahl knows his stuff and believe me this is not the standard sort of booklet that the usual boxset reissues have (see my review the Ray Charles box, with it's absolutely useless and shameful booklet). This is done with real love and care. 2 of the 5 LP's were mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios, and the other 3 by Paul Blakemore at CMG mastering.As for the music- I was never a great LR fan, so in a way I was listening to this will fresh ears. What amazed me, apart from the usual big hits everyone has heard, is how well the music holds up as LP. Jump Blues with great energy, sophistication, expert backing musicians (like saxophonist Lee Allen and drummer Earl Palmer) and Richard's always impassioned singing. The 5 LP's come from two labels- Speciality & Vee Jay- and when Richard's signed with Vee Jay they had him records his many Speciality hits for their 'Greatest Hits' LP- so there is some duplications of tracks but who cares. These songs are the bed rock of rock'roll and retakes can never dim their energy!The LP's all play perfectly. The background between songs and the run in grooves are dead quite. I'm no audiophile expert but the sound is warm and detailed. The cover reproductions are fine- perhaps those who own the pricey originals can critique this and find fault. The music matters to me more.So in summary- an excellently priced box (I got this for £50.00), 5 remastered LP's, excellent sound, and a terrific essay by Bill Dahl , an absolutely classic B&W photo of Little Richard on the box cover (prop it you your shelf and each time you pass it, it will make you smile!) + some of the most vital music made in the 20th Century. What more could one ask for!I bought this in 2019, 3 years from it's release date. Goes to show how under the radar this MONO BOX has gone. Or it could be people still underrate Little Richard, or consider him some sort of ancient performer of novelty songs from a bygone era. I on the other hand think a spin of anyone of these LP's at least once a month will be quick primer to remind everyone what it was all about. The Beatles knew that!

Nice set of LPs. To be completely honest, i am unable to comment on the sound quality of the LPs as i don't intend to play them! I did use the download code to download all tracks as MP3 format and they sound good so i would expect that the LP's sound better still.However, the set is very nice. The LP's are in heavyweight vinyl and come in good quality sleeves. The one thing that is a little disappointing is the booklet. It is quite meagre in thickness.UPDATE (10 May 2020) :- Given Richard's sad passing yesterday, i thought i would update this as i have recently bought a turntable and also took some feedback from one of the biggest and most knowledgeable LR fan in the world (D.C.) and as we have both played these discs we can comment on the sound quality.The sound is superb and true to the original releases. There is silence between tracks and what is nice is the fact that the lead out groove never ends so there isn't one of those repetitive annoying clicks you normally get.There is an error in the booklet where it refers to the so-called 'spliced' version of Keep A Knockin'. The track was not "expanded" as suggested.The sound quality is great. Rest in Peace and thank you for great music.

This disc set is great. All ways liked little richard so for me a great product.

Bought for my dad and he loves it

Die Musik verdient allemal 5 Sterne, aber leider ist die Box für den Inhalt viel zu teuer. 5 LPs, guter Sound, vermutlich nicht remastered. Klingt wie früher :-). Saubere, dicke Pressungen. Dünnes Booklet :-(. Einfacher Pappschuber. Downloadgutschein. Cover leider nicht laminiert, wirken dadurch billig. Wie gesagt, bei dem hohen Preis müßte mehr drin sein.