Customer Reviews

Fever: Best of Little Willie John

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Little Willie John was a tremendous talent. Much more so than can be measured in a single release on 45, or even many albums. So it was a treat to get this Rhino CD, because they always have the BEST sound, and remaster from original sources.

The one thing, soundwise, that cannot be removed, is distortion. Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for his studio recordings, Willie possessed such a HUGE voice, that it often overloaded his solo microphone, and while that is disguised wonderfully on this release, it cannot be eliminated.

On "Fever", "All Around the World" and "Sleep" is it overcome almost entirely, and these are the best sounding versions you will find of these. However, "Spasms" and "Talk to Me" are not as wonderous in the audio category.

If you have to purchase ONE disc of this legendary writer/singer......grab this one. However you will also need "Little Mister Willie John", "Sure Things" and "Home at Last" to get all of his great songs!! The CD "28 Big Ones" is a great buy considering all the music, but has the worst sound quality of any. It's rather strange how a singer who influenced every R&B singer of his day, and well beyond, not to mention Peggy Lee and Sinatra, does not have a boxed set of all his recordings...............together, and possibly with a few radio appearances and live tracks. At LEAST his CDs are still in print, and I'd grab them ALL while they are. King records is still handling the releases, which might be why it would be wiser to turn the master session tapes over to, say, Bear Family, to make a thorough, complete release of this immortal artist, lost too soon.

i've always felt that little willie john was the most underrated singer of his era. called "little" because of his age and stature, he had one of the most powerful and emotional voices of his and any day.two excellent examples are "talk to me" and "i need your love so bad". one "discovery" i made on this cd was "blue diamonds". i love it but find it to be rather haunting, especially after reading the cd's liner notes and the details of his death. i love this cd, but find it hard to listen to a whole lot because i always feel melancholy after listening to it. i was glad to see his talent finally recognized when he was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1996

This is truly astonishing collection of songs from a singer who sang soul music before "soul" existed as a label for r&b music in the 60's. An amazingly influential singer who was cited as an inspiration by Marvin Gaye and James Brown who recorded a tribute album after his death in the late 60's. You may have heard "Fever" from the Peggy Lee cover, but that version, of course, can't hold a candle in comparison to Little Willie John's original. Another stand out track is "Need Your Love so Bad" with its gut-wrenchingly aching vocals. A notoriously difficult and mercurial personality who died in prison, Little Willie John deserves wider recognition for his genius. I suggest this CD unequivocally to any fan of r&b and soul music. An absolute must

When you look at the contents of the CD you have to wonder if the title means "Fever" is the best of Little Willie John and, with that, they're giving you only SOME of his other hits OR, if purporting to offer all his best, the producer fell asleep at the switch. The same holds true for another CD listed: Little Willie John: All 15 Chart Hits 1953-1962.

First of all John (born in Cullendale, Arkansas on November 15, 1937 and raised in Detroit) was just 16 in 1953, and although touring with Paul Williams & His Orchestra and cutting some discs for Savoy, Rama, and Prize, he had no hits of any description until 1955. Secondly, from 1955 to 1961 he actually had eighteen charters.

After signing with King in 1955, that fall he scored with the # 5 R&B hit, All Around The World. Not bad for an 18-year-old, and when he did it again early in 1956 with the double-side hit Need Your Love So Bad (# 5 R&B) b/w Home At Last (# 6 R&B), King knew they had something special (the B-side is missing from the other CD mentioned).

His biggest hit ever, Fever, followed in a few months, going to # 1 R&B (where it stayed for five weeks) and # 24 Billboard Top 100 in August. The thing is, the flipside, Letter From My Darling, also went to # 10 R&B and is not included in either this compilation OR the other one. Nor is the next one in 1956, Do Something For Me, which hit # 15 R&B, and yet the flipside, My Nerves, which did not chart, is included in this set.

There were no charters in 1957, but in May 1958 he was back with Talk To Me, Talk To Me which, b/w Spasms, topped out at # 5 R&B and # 20 Top 100. Later that summer You're A Sweetheart reached # 14 R&B and # 66 Top 100 in August, and while it's on the other CD, it is omitted from this one. But the uncharted flip, Let's Rock While The Rockin's Good IS here. Go figure.

Another release in the same period, Tell It Like It Is b/w Don't Be Ashamed To Call My Name went to # 12 R&B - but neither is included on either CD. Both his following hits are here and on the other CD, however, with Leave My Kitten Alone scoring at # 13 R&B and # 60 Hot 100 in August 1959, and Let Them Talk reaching # 11 R&B and # 100 Hot 100 in February 1960. Neither flip-side, Let Nobody Love You (# 106 Hot 100 "bubble under") and Right There are included.

Later in 1960 Heartbreak (It's Hurtin' Me) also gained # 11 R&B and while it's on both CDs, the flip, Right There, is on neither. Then came the old standard Sleep (again on both sets) which reached # 10 R&B and proved to be his best Pop hit, going to # 13 Hot 100 in November. The B-side, There's A Difference, is missing, as is his next hit, Walk Slow b/w You Hurt Me, which went to # 21 R&B and # 48 Hot 100 in January 1961 (the A-side IS on the other CD).

The old Duke Ellington hit, Flamingo, then followed for John in 1961, going to # 17 R&B - but it's missing from both compilations, although the B-side, (I've Got) Spring Fever, a # 25 R&B and 71 Hot 100 in June, is on the other compilation. His last hit, Take My Love (I Want To Give It All To You), is on both sets, and it went to # 5 R&B in the fall of 1961, but the flip-side, Now You Know, is missing from both even though it scored at # 93 Hot 100 that August.

Inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1996, John wasn't around to appreciate the honour, having died in Washington State Prison from a heart attack on May 26, 1968. His sister Mabel John had a single hit with Your Good Thing (Is About To End) in 1966 (# 6 R&B/# 95 Hot 100), and was also a member of Ray Charles' Raeletts.

It seems that, if you really want ALL the best of Little Willie John you will have to purchase both CDs, and then search around for Letter From My Darling, Do Something For Me, Tell it Like It Is, and Flamingo. Good hunting.

If you are under the age of 50 you most likely have never heard of him. Although he managed to hit the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart a total of 14 times between 1956 and 1961, none of his records ever peaked any higher than #13! So just what was so special about Little Willie John and why did the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame see fit to make this man one of their earliest inductees? The answer to this question will become abundantly clear to you when you sample Rhino's phenomenal 1993 release "Fever: The Best of Little Willie John". Incredibly, the legendary James Brown used to be the opening act for him in the mid 1950's. Like his contemporaries Clyde McPhatter and Sam Cooke, Little Willie John was a former gospel singer who played a vital role in the emergence of the genre that would one day be dubbed "soul" music. I have owned "Fever: The Best of Little Willie John for more than a decade now and it is a disc I have come to treasure.
There are 20 tracks on "Fever: The Best of Little Willie John" and I can attest that there is not a weak cut among them. You will quickly discover that Little Willie John was no one trick pony. No sir. He could rock and roll with the best of them, belt out a blues number and soothe you with a soft ballad. Chances are, if you have ever heard a Little Willie John tune it would be his 1956 recording of "Fever". That song would have been a monster hit but Peggy Lee covered it and her version became the bigger hit. Life can be very unfair! You will also enjoy Willie's pleasing take on the 1920's hit "Sleep" as well as "Talk To Me, Talk To Me" from 1958. Rock and roll with great sounds like "Let's Rock While The Rockin's Good" and "I'm Shakin'" to name but a couple. Perhaps my very favorite Little Willie John tune is "Let Them Talk." Here is one of the most powerful vocal performances you are ever likely to hear. After all these years it still sends chills up my spine each time I hear it!
"Fever: The Best of Little Willie John" comes with a neat little 8 page booklet that tells the life story of this talented but troubled individual. Unfortunately, Little Willie John was convicted of manslaughter in 1966 and died in prison under very mysterious circumstances. This collection is a lasting tribute to one of the pioneers of rock and roll. Very highly recommended!

Although my alltime favorite Little Willie John tune "I'm Sticking With You Baby"(an incredible jump blues) is missing, this is still a fine collection, that should be bought in tandem with the Collectibles cd(which has more songs, but many different ones). This cd has plenty of rollicking tunes, and although I'm really not a fan of John's balladry, he sounds best when singing uptempo jump blues or r&b tunes like Fever where he can use his rich vocals and attitute to thier fullest.

Some of the ballads that border on doo-wop are throwaways, but most of his hits were the jump blues tunes, and his voice sounds a little different with each performance, making him a unique performer who's voice on a good day could sound so smooth, slick and hip, and on other days weak and wimpy. This collection finds him in generally prime form, so pick this cd up along with the Collectables disc.

Little Willie John had, for all intents and purposes, only two truly great songs, but the qualifier on that is that they really were really, truly great. Those two songs are "Fever" and "I Need Your Love So Bad." This isn't to say that none of his other recordings aren't worth listening do. They most certainly are, such as his excellent version of "All Around the World" and the superb "Sufferin' the Blues." Several other cuts are excellent also. But both "Fever" and "I Need Your Love So Bad" are absolutely essential soul classics, and will be remembered and performed as long as anyone sings great songs.

Most are familiar with the fact that Little Willie John was the first to record "Fever," but Peggy Lee the first to make it a hit. But it is almost impossible to imagine a more definitive version of the song than John's. The same holds true with "Need Your Love So Bad." If anything, his vocal on this is even stronger than on "Fever."

Unfortunately, Little Willie John's story is all too familiar. A short recording career from which he reaped virtually no economic benefit, and an early death, in his case from pneumonia contracted while serving a prison term in Washington state for having stabbed a man. It must have been galling for him to see others like Peggy Lee and Elvis and the Beatles recording songs he had recorded earlier, with not nearly as much to show for his efforts. But it must be stressed that while John did not record a great deal in his short career, he was by no means a one or two hit wonder. He possessed and emotional range in his singing matched by very few of the great singers from the 1950s, and successors like Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, and Al Green all acknowledged his greatness as a vocalist.

i've always felt that little willie john was the most underrated singer of his era. called "little" because of his age and stature, he had one of the most powerful and emotional voices of his and any day.two excellent examples are "talk to me" and "i need your love so bad". one "discovery" i made on this cd was "blue diamonds". i love it but find it to be rather haunting, especially after reading the cd's liner notes and the details of his death. i love this cd, but find it hard to listen to a whole lot because i always feel melancholy after listening to it. i was glad to see his talent finally recognized when he was inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1996

Arguably the first "soul" singer as opposed to straight 1950's r'n'b or rock'n'roll. After his career ended, he was quite neglected in music history. I'm glad to see so many reissues of his work. This is an excellent CD since it has most of his important songs on it and also some lesser known ones. It's also a good introduction to his music if you don't want to invest in more obscure songs of his. (Those songs are excellent,too). What Peggy Lee did with his original version of "Fever" was no different basically than what Elvis or Bill Haley or Pat Boone or so many other white artists did at that time with the original and almost always superior versions of rythm'n'blues songs. They usually had much bigger hits and very often, the original artist (often the composer) didn't get any royalties. I'm not sure if that was the case with "Fever" when it came to royalties, but even now I don't think that many people know that it was a Little Willie John song. And man could this guy sing! From a rocker like "I'm Shakin'", or a soulful ballad like "Talk to Me,Talk to Me", or simply great tunes like "Spasms" or "Leave My Kitten Alone", this guy was GREAT!
Anyway, I highly recommend this CD. Little Willie John, a true unsung hero for too long.

Any serious investigation into the roots of soul music, will lead you directly to three people: Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and Little Wille John, who was short, young, and troubled: a guy who ultimately ended up murdered when he was in prison. But boy, could he belt out a tune. If you don't believe me, listen to the songs "I Need Your Love So Bad", "Sufferin' With The Blues", and the most heart-wrenching song I have EVER heard, "YOU HURT ME".