Specialty Sessions Boxed Set
To this day, it's "buyer beware" when it comes to the music of Little Richard, who rerecorded most of his late-'50s rock classics numerous times after leaving his original label, Specialty Records (following a brief return), in 1964. Not that some of the other recordings don't have merit, but the Specialty versions are the ones that helped shape rock & roll. This three-disc box set includes everything the artist recorded for the label, which means the hits in addition to alternate takes and just plain nonhits. Historians will find this collection (including several songs in development) fascinating, but more frugal fans may find five versions of "Slippin' and Slidin'" excessive. If that's the case, check out eitherThe Georgia PeachorThe Essential..., both more condensed Specialty collections.--Bill Holdship