![\"Holy](\"https:\/\/www.louielouie.net\/pix-2009\/holyMackerel%20-cd.jpg\")
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As 2009 comes to a close, and many folks are still frantically running around trying to figure out what sort of holiday presents to buy for their loved ones, I feel I would be remiss to not share my opinion about one of the coolest CDs to be released this year. My friends at Ace Records<\/strong> put one particular compilation that I\u2019m quite fond of, and I feel it\u2019s my duty to let the world know all about it.<\/p>\n Holy Mackerel<\/a>!<\/strong> is a wonderful collection that celebrates music that was directly inspired by the spirit of Little Richard<\/strong>. With an assortment of 25 tracks recorded between 1957 and 1965, Holy Mackerel<\/a> is a collection of songs that attempt to replicate or at least acknowledge the Little Richard style of singing. There\u2019s some familiar names that most people would recognize on this collection- James Brown, Otis Redding, Etta James, Ike & Tina Turner<\/strong> are some of the big artists on this one. Then, there\u2019s the other names that only the most dedicated of music collectors would know about- Ronnie Molleen, Little Ike, Screamin\u2019 Joe Neal, and Big Al Downing<\/strong>, among others. <\/p>\n Being the big Richard Berry<\/strong> appreciator that I am, I was especially tickled to discover an alternative version of \u201cYama Yama Pretty Mama\u201d recorded in 1956. As Ace Records has been methodically transferring all of the master recordings of the Modern-RPM-Flair legacy produced by the Bihari Brothers<\/strong>, they\u2019ve discovered some unreleased variations of previously-released songs. Thanks to the dedicated preservation efforts of Ace, you can now hear take #7 of \u201cYama Yama Pretty Mama\u201d as well as take #1 of \u201cTough Lover\u201d by Etta James<\/strong>, both recorded at Cosimo Matassa<\/strong>\u2019s J&M Studios in New Orleans, using many of the same musicians hired by Little Richard.<\/p>\n Like most of the Ace Records releases, this CD utilizes state-of-the-art audio mastering that actually sounds better than the original vinyl (at least to my ears), encyclopedic liner notes that provide a wealth of information about each individual track, and beautiful images from dedicated archivists that truly did their homework. Tony Rounce<\/strong>, who assembled the Richard Berry compilation coincidentally called \u201cYama Yama \u2013 the Modern Recordings 1954-1956<\/a>\u201d really did a fabulous job on putting this one together.<\/p>\n As this collection points out, there was a period when Little Richard dropped out of the rock and roll universe to devote himself to the church, leaving behind a massive void, which other musicians looked upon as a new opportunity to be filled. In fact many of the recordings on this CD were direct attempts by musicians to capitalize on the essence of what Little Richard was no longer providing.<\/p>\n One of the groups that came into greater prominence during Little Richard\u2019s rock \u2018n roll hibernation was The Upsetters<\/strong>, which was literally Little Richard\u2019s backup band. The final track on this CD is a song called \u201cI\u2019m In Love Again,\u201d which features a 1962 reunion of Little Richard with his old band, back when he was still officially disavowing his rock and roll roots. <\/p>\n As the story goes, two years after that particular record, Little Richard officially returned to rock and roll with \u201cBama Lama Bama Loo,\u201d a new rock group from Liverpool known as the Beatles<\/strong> were all too happy to acknowledge him as one of their biggest influences, and the rest is history, so to speak.<\/p>\n