"Tutti Frutti" was a big hit for Little Richard and Specialty in early 1956, reaching number two in the R&B charts. Pat Boone's cover version of the song reached number 12 in the pop charts. Although this meant an unexpected cash income for the Specialty publishing firm, A&R man and producer "Bumps" Blackwell and a proud Richard decided to write a song that was so up-tempo and the lyrics so fast that Boone would not be able to handle it. (Boone eventually did record his own version, however, which reached number 18.)[3]
According to Blackwell,[8] he was introduced to a little girl by Honey Chile, a popular disc-jockey. The girl had written a song for Little Richard to record so she could pay the treatment for her ailing aunt Mary. The song, actually a few lines on a piece of paper, went like this:
Saw Uncle John with Long Tall Sally They saw Aunt Mary comin' So they ducked back in the alley
Not wishing to upset an influential disc-jockey, Blackwell accepted the offer and took the idea to Richard, who was reluctant at first. Nevertheless, the line "ducked back in the alley" was exactly what they were looking for, and Richard kept practicing until he could sing it as fast as possible. They worked on the song, adding verses and a chorus, until they got the hit they wanted.[8] Enotris Johnson (1935–2015) was a local songwriter; her involvement in writing the song, and others, was uncertain until it was confirmed by her family after her death.[9] Featuring a tenor saxophone solo by Lee Allen (as did "Tutti Frutti"), "Long Tall Sally" was the best-selling 45 in the history of Specialty Records.
Recording
The recording session took place on February 7, 1956, at J&M Studio in New Orleans,[10] owned by Cosimo Matassa on the corner of Rampart and Dumaine where Fats Domino and many other New Orleans luminaries recorded. "Long Tall Sally", as well as many other Little Richard sides, was also recorded there.
The music was a fast uptempo number with Little Richard's hammering, boogie piano. Richard plays staccato straight eighth notes while drummer Palmer plays a fast shuffle. The shuffle was the most common rhythm and blues beat; Richard added the straight eighth notes, much less common in that time, although now standard for rock music. Together this created an ambiguity in the ride rhythm—known to musicians as "playing in the crack" that came to characterize New Orleans (and also Chuck Berry) rock and roll. In typical Little Richard style, he sang in the key of F, in a raw, aggressive, exhilarating style with lyrics being about self-centered fun.[6]
Well, Long Tall Sally She's built for speed She's got everything that Uncle John needs
Personnel
According to Chris Morris' liner notes to the 2017 reissue of Here's Little Richard:[10]
The Kinks started performing in early 1963 under various names,including the Ravens which would be what they would be called for most of that year.[12][13] Their members at the time consisted of Ray Davies,Dave Davies,Pete Quaife and Mickey Willet.[14] Looking to branch out,the Kinks sought out a manager,and after a few unsuccessful meetings,they met Larry Page,who promised the group a certain degree of fame.[15] Page introduced the Ravens to American record producer Shel Talmy along with the Beatles' promoter,Arthur Howes,who was their tour manager.[15] Talmy managed to secure the group a recording contract with Pye Records,who he previously had been collaborating with.[16] Shortly before signing,Willet left the group,upon which they hired drummer Mick Avory who had placed an ad in Melody Maker.[17]
Towards the end of 1963,the Ravens also decided to change their name,becoming the Kinks instead.[18] Unsure of what material they should record as their debut single,Howes suggested to Page that they should record "Long Tall Sally".[19] Howes had heard the Beatles perform the track in Paris on January 16 and noted the audience reaction,which was frantic and in a frenzy.[19] However,as the Beatles only performed the track live (and would not record it in the studio for another three months),Howes and Page both noted the commercial opportunity of putting the song on record before the Beatles had time to do so.[19][20][pageneeded] Page quickly instructed the band to learn the track and only four days later,[20][pageneeded] the group together with Talmy entered Pye Studios for the first time.[19] They recorded five songs that session;"Long Tall Sally","I Took My Baby Home","You Still Want Me","You Do Something To Me" and "I Don't Need You Anymore.[21] Talmy was not too keen on Avory drumming,as he was new in the group,instead opting for session musicianBobby Graham.[21]
Release and reception
The Kinks' version was a modernized arrangement of the song,omitting the frantic piano found in the original,along with moving away from R&B towards a contemporary rock sound.[22] The rhythm of the Kinks rendition also changes,instead being more similar to Little Richard's later hit "Lucille".[20][pageneeded] Unlike other versions,it features a "wailing harmonica solo" played by Ray.[23] Rob Jovanovic writes that their arrangement is similar to the Beatles version,right down to a couple of phrasings in some verses.[21] However,Thomas Kitts states that the merseybeat rendition "zapped energy" from the record and that the Kinks "lacked the necessary fire or punch to conquer both Little Richard and Paul McCartney".[19] Kitts believes that Dave should have taken the lead vocals as his voice was more "gritty".[19]
The Kinks version would eventually be released through Pye Records on February 7,1964,in the UK and later on Cameo Records in the US on April 1,1964.[23][19][24] The B-side was the Ray Davies original "I Took My Baby Home",which was a "beat-driven rhythm and blues" number.[23] Though Page "aggressively" advertised and promoted "Long Tall Sally" in the media,it would fail to reach the Record Retailer charts.[19] It did,however,reach number 42 for a week in Melody Maker's Pop 30,giving the Kinks their first commercial success.[19][23] Following their breakthrough in America,"Long Tall Sally" managed to reach the BillboardBubbling Under Hot 100 chart in January 1965,staying there for two weeks and peaking at number 129.[25]
In Disc magazine,Don Nicholl gave the single three out of five stars.[26] He writes that despite the Kinks "dress to fit the title",they play "in the most conventional rock fashion,I'm afraid".[26] He states that he prefers Little Richard's original and calls "I Took My Baby Home" a better song.[26] In Record Mirror,"Long Tall Sally" is described as "pounding stuff" and is considered a very commercial version of the song.[27]
The Beatles were admirers of Little Richard,and regularly performed his songs during their live act. "Long Tall Sally" was the most durable song in their live repertoire,lasting from their earliest days as the Quarrymen in 1957 through to their last public concert in August 1966. As with the majority of their Little Richard remakes,Paul McCartney sang lead vocals,as he could closely imitate Richard's vocal style.[30]
The group recorded "Long Tall Sally" at EMI Studios in London on March 1,1964,during sessions for A Hard Day's Night,although it was ultimately not included on that album. The recording was produced by the Beatles' regular producer,George Martin,who also played piano on the track. Given the group's familiarity with the song,the recording was completed in a single take.[30]
In the United Kingdom,"Long Tall Sally" was released on the UK EP of the same name on June 19,1964,but it had been released earlier on two overseas albums,The Beatles' Second Album in the United States on April 10,1964,and The Beatles' Long Tall Sally in Canada on May 11,1964. Released as a single in Sweden,the song reached number two on Tio i Topp in June and topped the Kvällstoppen Chart in July and August.[31][32] It also reached number one in Denmark.[33] On March 7,1988,the song appeared on Past Masters,a compilation album that compiles every song commercially released by the band that was neither included on the 12 UK studio albums nor the US Magical Mystery TourLP,making it appear for the first time to be included on a core catalogue album.
The song appears in the film Backbeat. Upon viewing it,Paul McCartney was reported to say:
One of my annoyances about the film Backbeat is that they've actually taken my rock 'n' rollness off me. They give John "Long Tall Sally" to sing and he never sang it in his life. But now it's set in cement. ['Paul' sang Long Tall Sally in the Glasgow stage version]. It's like the Buddy Holly and Glenn Miller stories. The Buddy Holly Story does not even mention Norman Petty,and The Glenn Miller Story is a sugarcoated version of his life. Now Backbeat has done the same thing to the story of the Beatles. I was quite taken,however,with Stephen Dorff's astonishing performance as Stu.[34]
Other Beatles recordings and performances
In addition to their studio recording of the song,the Beatles recorded "Long Tall Sally" for BBC radio broadcasts on seven occasions during 1963 and 1964.[35] Two of those versions have been officially released,on the compilation albums Live at the BBC (1994) and On Air –Live at the BBC Volume 2 (2013). In addition,a studio version,prerecorded specially from the 1964 television special Around the Beatles,was included on the Anthology 1 compilation (1995). The live album The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl (1977) includes a 1964 concert recording of the song.
"Long Tall Sally" was the last song the Beatles performed live in front of a paying audience. It was a frequent set closer during their 1966 tour—which would turn out to be their last—and they used it to close out their final show at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on August 29,1966. The band asked their press officer,Tony Barrow,to make an audio tape recording of the concert for posterity. The recording has since circulated heavily among bootleggers,but the 30-minute tape ran out at the end of the second verse of "Long Tall Sally",meaning that the last moments of the Beatles' final live show are lost to history.[36]
↑ Harrington, Jon (2015). "The Kinks - "You Really Got Me". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p.145.
↑ "The Kinks". Blender.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
↑ Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p.53. ISBN919727125X.
↑ Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. p.130. ISBN9163021404.
Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day by Day Concerts, Recordings, and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN978-0-87930-765-3.
"You Really Got Me" is a song by English rock band the Kinks, written by frontman Ray Davies. The song, originally performed in a more blues-orientated style, was inspired by artists such as Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. Two versions were recorded, with the second performance used for the final single. Although it was rumoured that future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page had performed the song's guitar solo, this has been debunked.
Face to Face is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released on 28 October 1966. The album marked a shift from the hard-driving style of beat music that had catapulted the group to international acclaim in 1964, instead drawing heavily from baroque pop and music hall. It is their first album consisting entirely of Ray Davies compositions, and has also been regarded by critics as one of rock's first concept albums. Davies' blossoming songwriting style became increasingly observational and satirical, commenting on English culture, social class and the music industry.
"Waterloo Sunset" is a song by English rock band the Kinks. It was released as a single on 5 May1967 and featured on the album Something Else by the Kinks later that year. Written and produced by Kinks frontman Ray Davies, "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the band's best-known and most acclaimed songs, and was ranked number 14 on the 2021 edition of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. It was also their first single that was available in true stereo.
Kinks is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Kinks. It was released on 2 October 1964 in the United Kingdom by Pye Records. The original United States release, issued by Reprise Records on 25 November 1964, omits three tracks and is instead titled You Really Got Me.
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the United States until their touring ban in 1965. Their third single, the Ray Davies-penned "You Really Got Me", became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the Top 10 in the United States.
"All Day and All of the Night" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks from 1964. Released as a single, it reached No. 2 in the UK on the Record Retailer chart and No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1965. The song was included on the Kinksize Hits EP in the UK and the Kinks' second American album, Kinks-Size (1965).
"See My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, written by the group's singer and guitarist, Ray Davies. Released in July 1965, it reached number 10 on the Record Retailer chart. The song incorporates a drone-effect played on guitar, evoking a sound reminiscent of the Indian tambura.
"Sunny Afternoon" is a song by the Kinks, written by frontman Ray Davies. The track later featured on the Face to Face album as well as being the title track for their 1967 compilation album. Like its contemporary "Taxman" by the Beatles, the song references the high levels of progressive tax taken by the British Labour government of Harold Wilson, although it does so through the lens of an unsympathetic aristocrat bemoaning the loss of his vast unearned wealth. Its strong music hall flavour and lyrical focus was part of a stylistic departure for the band, which had risen to fame in 1964–65 with a series of hard-driving, power-chord rock hits.
"Wonderboy" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, released as a single in 1968. It stalled at number 36 in the UK charts, becoming the band's first single not to make the UK Top Twenty since their early covers.
The Kinks Greatest Hits! is a compilation album by the English rock band the Kinks. Released in the United States in August 1966 by Reprise Records, the album mostly consists of singles issued by the group between 1964 and 1966. The band's first greatest hits album, it remained on the Billboard Top LPs chart for over a year, peaking at number 9, making it the Kinks' highest charting album in the US. The album was in print for decades and was the Kinks' only gold record in America until 1980.
"Set Me Free" is a song by Ray Davies, released first by the Kinks in 1965. Along with "Tired of Waiting for You", it is one of band's first attempts at a softer, more introspective sound. The song's B-side, "I Need You", makes prominent use of powerchords in the style of the Kinks' early, "raunchy" sound. "Set Me Free" was heard in the Ken Loach-directed Up the Junction, a BBC Wednesday Play which aired in November 1965; this marked the first appearance of a Kinks song on a film or TV soundtrack.
"Till the End of the Day" is a song by the Kinks, written by Ray Davies and released as a single in 1965 and later on their album The Kink Kontroversy. It centres on a power chord, like many of the group's early hits, and was similarly successful, reaching number eight in the United Kingdom and number 50 in the United States, spending eight weeks or more in each chart.
"Dead End Street" is a song by the British band the Kinks from 1966, written by main songwriter Ray Davies. Like many other songs written by Davies, it is to some degree influenced by British Music Hall. The bass playing was partly inspired by the "twangy" sound of Duane Eddy's guitar. It was originally released as a non-album single, but has since been included as one of several bonus tracks from the Face to Face CD. The song, like many others by the group, deals with the poverty and misery found in the lower classes of English society.
"You Still Want Me" is a single by the Kinks released in 1964. It was their second record, and failed to chart upon release, threatening the band's deal with Pye Records. However, the massive success of the band's next single, "You Really Got Me", ensured their tenure with Pye would continue until 1971, when they shifted to RCA.
Kwyet Kinks is the third EP by the English rock band the Kinks. It was released on 17 September 1965 in the United Kingdom by Pye Records. Driven by the inclusion of the song "A Well Respected Man", Kwyet Kinks topped sales charts in Britain for several weeks. In the United States, which had no corresponding market for EPs, Reprise Records instead used its songs as the basis for the November1965 LP Kinkdom.
"Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" is a song by Ray Davies, released as a UK single by the Kinks in 1965. As the follow-up to the number-one hit "Tired of Waiting for You", and having their previous three singles all chart among the top two, it was less successful, reaching number 17. It broke a run of what would have been thirteen consecutive top-ten singles in the UK.
Kinks-Size is a studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released as their second album in the United States. It was issued by Reprise Records in March1965 in both mono and simulated stereo formats. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard album chart in the third week of June1965, the same week the Kinks began their first US tour. It is the Kinks' fourth-highest charting album on the Billboard album chart and the second-highest of their 1960s albums. The album ranked number 78 on Billboard's year-end album chart for 1965.
Kinkdom is a studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released as their fourth album in the United States. It was issued by Reprise Records on 24 November 1965 in both mono and simulated stereo formats. It peaked at number 47 on the Billboard album chart.
"So Mystifying" is a song written by English musician Ray Davies, first recorded by his band the Kinks for their 1964 debut album Kinks. It appears as the second track on side one, following "Beautiful Delilah", and is the first track on the album on which Ray Davies performs the lead vocals. The best known version of the song was recorded by Swedish rock group Hep Stars, whose version of the song reached the top-five on both Kvällstoppen and Tio I Topp in 1965.
Then Now and Inbetween is a promotional compilation album by the English rock band the Kinks. Reprise Records issued the album in July1969 to journalists, radio program directors and disc jockeys in conjunction with the "God Save the Kinks" promotional campaign, which sought to reestablish the Kinks' commercial status in the US after their four-year ban on performing in the country.
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