Richard Berry - Yama Yama! The Modern Recordings 1954-1956 '2019

Tracks list

Tracklist
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01. Yama Yama Pretty Mama
02. What You Do To Me
03. Angel Of My Life
04. Big John
05. At Last
06. Daddy Daddy
07. Look Out Miss James
08. Dont Cha Go
09. The Big Break
10. One Little Prayer
11. Im Still In Love With You
12. Rockin Man
13. Crazy Lover
14. The Wallflower
15. Please Tell Me
16. Good Love
17. Each Step
18. Oh! Oh! Get Out Of The Car
19. Wait For Me
20. Hey! Henry
21. Pretty Brown Eyes
22. Jelly Roll
23. Mad About You
24. I Am Bewildered
25. This Time Its Real
26. Predoehlicious
27. God Gave Me You
28. Next Time


Though Ace had previously issued a compilation of Richard Berrys recordings for
the Modern label (Get Out of the Car), this 28-track compilation -- including
eight previously unreleased cuts, the majority of them alternate takes --
surpasses it as a more thorough document of his time at the company. Technically
speaking, it doesnt contain every last recording he did there, though it does
have a version of every track he did under his own name for Modern; on occasion,
an alternate take was used (the details are in the lengthy liner notes, for
those who want them). However, its got all the key items: not only superior,
witty singles of R&B verging on rock & roll like Crazy Lover, Oh! Oh! Get Out of
the Car, the Riot in Cell Block #9 sequel The Big Break, and the convincingly
Little Richard-like Yama Yama Pretty Mama, but also an assortment of interesting
sides by other artists on which he appeared. Prominent among those, of course,
is the classic 1955 Etta James hit The Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry) (on which
he took the uncredited male part of the vocal), though it also has more obscure
outings he did in collaboration with James (the Wallflower follow-up Hey Henry,
a previously unreleased alternate take of which appears here), the Dreamers, and
the Cadets, as well as both sides of his obscure 1954 single as half of the
male-female duo Rickey & Jennell. (The Robins Riot in Cell Block #9, on which
Berry provided the unforgettable low vocal line, is unfortunately missing, as it
wasnt done for Modern.) This actually isnt Berrys best stuff, which is contained
on Have Louie Will Travel, a separate Ace comp featuring his more rock &
roll-oriented 1956-1962 recordings (including his original version of Louie
Louie). Nor is it among the best mid-50s stuff of this sort, with some ordinary
doo wop and period R&B amidst the standouts. Still, its certainly the best early
Richard Berry anthology, and at its sly and sassy best, its certainly worth
hearing.

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