Customer Reviews

Specialty Story

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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It is impossible to give a play by play of this fantastic box. The influence of New Orleans R and B is perhaps its deepest aspect. But then, it is also permeated by Gospel. All the manifestations of Black Music come into play. The fact that the Jazz side of R and B is perhaps the most "dumbed down" side has led to much misunderstanding: Jazz people love to compare their hard-won gains re: the world's having finally woken up to the fact that "Jazz is Art" to the "mere entertainment" value of R and B. Well, wake up folks - Little Richard singing "Heebie Jeebies" is art by any definition that I understand. Essential listening.

I usually can distinguish Little Richard from John Raitt without strenuous mental exertion, so I was amused to discover that the "sample" cuts on the Amazon site for this fine Specialty box set play cuts from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" instead of the gritty R&B from the Specialty label. It's pretty funny, as it would be tough to think of music less funky, less black, than "Oklahoma". Well, okay, it's not that tough....Lawrence Welk is even unfunkier, unblacker. So is Perry Como. And I suppose "Oklahoma" is James Brown and his Fabulous Flames next to "The Sound of Music".

Wop bop a loo bop a bop bam boom, what a beautiful mornin'!!!

There are many retrospectives of early rock n'roll, but this is one of the best. Not only do you get Little Richard and Larry Williams, modestly represented so as to make room for all the other artists that Specialty had on their roster, but you also get the very first r & b record release, the Sepia Tones "Boogie" plus tunes from Roy Milton and his Solid Senders, Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers & Jimmy Liggins & his Drops of Joy. The ladies are represented by Camille Howard, and the Blues Woman, Marion Abernathy. The liner notes reveal that Specialty also dabbled in country & western, jazz and gospel. It would be nice to see those selections get the same treatment. This is simply wonderful!

Maybe it's just me but I found the first three discs pretty
dull.Too much 12 bar blues and very little of it particularly inspired.There ARE some gems on these first 3...and the 4th and 5th discs are wonderful and so is the booklet...but I would only recommend it with reservations.The Chess Story and The Atlantic
Rythm & Blues Box Set are more interesting and varied overviews
of this this fantastic time and music.