Customer Reviews

Lloyd Price: Greatest Hits (1988 MCA Release)

5 star:		(2)
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3 star:		(1)
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This CD contains LLoyd Price recordings for ABC-Paramount between 1957 and 1960. The only 1957 material is "Just Because" and it's flip "Why" which were done before LLoyd developed his hit record formula. "Just Because" is excellent straight R&B along the lines of LLoyds earlier Specialty releases. "Why" is a primitive version of what follows. In late 1958 Lloyd started a string of excellent releases with a similar style - big band, heavy beat, chorus with a 'wall of sound'. These include "Stagger Lee", "Where Were You", "Personality", "Have You Ever Had The Blues", "I'm Gonna Get Married", "Three Little Pigs" and "Lady Luck". By mid-1960 the formula wore out and the hits stopped. Among the weak tracks on this CD are a cover version of his earlier Specialty hit "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Never Let Me Go", a ballad with strings. There is also a watered down version of "Stagger Lee" for Bandstand minus the bloody lyrics. The liner notes contain interesting historical information about Price but no discography.

Lloyd Price was crossing over pop big time in the 50's just like Fats Domino,Chuck Berry ,Little Richard, and The Platters. He recorded hits that both the Black teenagers and White teens could immediatley identify with. Some are literally Rock and Roll standards now like "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "Stagger Lee", "Personality", and "I'm gonna get married"- all of which are included on this fantastic cd. This cd also includes the top 10 R&B smashes "Just Because" from 1957,a song that stuck at #2 for about 3 weeks on the R&B chart titled "Come into my heart","Lady Luck", and a personal favorite of mine from the early 60's titled "Question" which I've featured on my radio show for years now. This cd is packed with hits from one of the heavy hitters of 50's and early 60's Rock n Roll and R&B. A direct influence on the sound of Arthur Alexander and many others who would come later.A must for any serious 50's collector.

I bought this album just for 'Just because'. Being a big fan of his Specialy work, these recordings are just a little different.

There's no doubt about it, these were Lloyd Price's million sellers, but Mr. Price singing with an orchestrated background and obviously caucasian back-up singers is just too much for some men to take. I can't explain it. Listen to the Specialty version of Lawdy Miss Clawdy ( you know, the one with Fats Domino on piano) and then listen to the one on this alblum and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Well anyway, If you listen to the oldies station they're all here: Personality, Questions, Where were you on our wedding day?, Stagger Lee (gasp! both versions) and the immortal classic- I'm gonna get married. lol - Still trying to figure out what the lyrics are to that song.

Back up singers: Johnny you're too young
Lloyd price: But I'm gonna get married
back ups : You're so young etc etc
Price (barely audible): My name's Bill Garrett (Phil Carey or some such)

If you're name is Bill or Phil, why are they calling you Johnny in the song?? Weird.

I'm a fan of the man. Anyone who can have so many hits that people know about and hits that people don't know about, has got to be doing something right. First, let's clear this up.
Group: Johnny you're so young
Lloyd: But I'm gonna get married
Group: You're too young
Lloyd: My name she'll carry

You got it now?

Again, I'm a fan. I love 'Three Little Pigs' 'Where Were You On Our Wedding Day' 'Just Because' 'Personality' and all the rest. I even think somebody needs to find his version of 'Misty.' Lloyd, for me, will always be the man. Why do I call him 'The Greatest?' Don't you know, he was involved in the rumble in the jungle? Check it out.

Maybe my copy of the CD is a newer release than that of another reviewer, but my liner notes contain a complete discography related to the contents. There are also nice reproductions of a couple of his album covers and nine pages of background written by Todd Everett in 1994.

As a compilation of his ABC-Paramount hit singles, this is fairly complete with the only missing items being: For Love which was the flipside of No If's - No And's in 1960 and reached # 43 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in May; and Just Call Me (And I'll Understand), which made it to # 79 Hot 100 in September 1960. Had these two been included instead of the 1959 LP re-make of his monster R&B hit from 1952, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, the insipid 1960 "Bandstand" version of Stagger Lee, and the previously unreleased That's Love, I'd have certainly given it 5 stars.

I say that because, in the annals of R&R, no artist from that era had a greater impact insofar as introducing what was then known as "race" music into the popular white market with his original Specialty version of Lawdy Miss Clawdy, featuring Dave Bartholomew's Orchestra and Fats Domino on piano. It spent 26 weeks on the R&B charts in 1952, seven of them at the # 1 spot b/w Mailman Blues. Elvis Presley recognized that early on in his career, covering it in 1956 for one of his early LP's.

He would go on to add 4 more for Specialty in the form of two double-ided hits, the first coming in late 1952 when Oooh-Oooh-Oooh went to # 4 R&B and the flip, Restless Heart, reached # 5 R&B, followed in early 1953 by Ain't It A Shame? which actually charted twice that year, going to # 6 R&B in February, then re-entering and going to # 4 R&B in December. The B-side, Tell Me Pretty Baby, made it to # 8 R&B in February. All were billed to Lloyd Price & His Orchestra.

He then formed his own label, KRC, but no hits ensued. However, after joining ABC-Paramount in 1957, their first release was the 1956 KRC 587 tune Just Because which, with their promotional capabilities, went to # 3 R&B, and also became his first Pop cross-over when it reached # 29 Billboard Top 100 in the spring of 1957 b/w Why. Both these historical sides are here. As if to illustrate how important it was to have the financial clout of a major involved, KRC released Lonely Chair that year and watched as it struggled to # 88 Top 100 in October b/w The Chicken And The Bop. Again, all were billed to Lloyd Price & His Orchestra,

It would then be well over a year before he returned to the charts, but when he did he did so with a bang, taking Stagger Lee (an adaptation of the old folk song "Stack-O-Lee") to # 1 Billboard Pop Hot 100 AND # 1 R&B, spending four weeks each at those top spots b/w You Need Love, in late 1968/early 1959. This time he had the backing of Don Costa & His Orchestra, who would also be part of his next four hits.

The follow-up Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)? didn't fare quite as well, peaking at # 4 R&B/# 23 Hot 100 in spring 1959 b/w Is It Really Love? But Personality brought him back to the # 1 R&B spot early that summer (again spending 4 weeks there), as well as # 2 Hot 100 b/w Have You Ever Had The Blues? Then, that fall, I'm Gonna Get Married also made it to # 1 R&B and # 3 Hot 100 b/w Three Little Pigs, which also scored at # 15 R&B.

With his late 1959 release, Come Into My Heart b/w Wont'cha Come Home, it was back to Lloyd Price & His Orchestra, and this time the A-side reached # 2 R&B/# 20 Hot 100, while the flip scored at # 6 R&B/# 43 Hot 100. In early 1960 both sides of Lady Luck (# 3 R&B/# 14 Hot 100) and Never Let Me Go (# 26 R&B/# 82 Hot 100) also charted, followed in May by No If's - No And's (# 16 R&B/# 40 Hot 100) b/w the above-mentioned (and missing) For Love. His last for ABC-Paramount then came that summer when Question topped out at # 5 R&B/# 19 Hot 100 b/w If I Look A Little Blue.

He would then go on to post two more R&B/Hot 100 cross-overs for Double-L in 1963/64, one R&B entry in 1969 for Turntable, another in 1973 for GSF, and his last in 1976 for BASF.

Lloyd's voice was made for R&B, as you will readily hear when you play this disc, whether it be uptempo selections like Stagger Lee or the gritty slow ballads such as Just Because. You will also see why he was inducted into the R&R Hall Of Fame in 1998.

Highly recommended in spite of the omissions mentioned above.