''The Explosive Little Richard'' is the first album by Little Richard for Okeh Records, produced by his long-time friend

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. The songs reflect the then-popular

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

and Motown musical styles; no tracks were written by Richard.

Recording

At the time, Richard had wished Okeh would not release this album, as it favored horns over rhythm. In Charles White's 1984 biography ''The Life and Times of Little Richard'', Richard noted he "was in the second year of the Okey (sic) contract and there was still no hit record. So I tore it up. The contract gave me no say in the material I recorded with them or in what was released.

was the worst producer in the world. He wanted me to copy Motown and I was no Motown artist. ..The Okeh stuff didn't sell at all because Okeh was an R'n'B label - a black label. I should have recorded on the Epic label, because I'm not primarily a black artist. It would have done a lot better."White, Charles. (2003). ''The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography.'' Omnibus Press. 'Poor Dog' made it to No. 41 on the R&B chart, and 'Commandments of Love' made No. 30 on The Cash Box Black Singles chart. All Okeh 45's are highly regarded in Europe where they were released on the Epic label.

Critical reception

CD reissues have seen the album attract positive reviews. In 2007,

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

gave the album four stars, and cited it as "quite possibly the best long player he ever made." In a review of the entire Okeh recordings,

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

stated that "Richard's hair-raising vocals on the Motown staple 'Money' effectively claim the song as his own." i-News reviewed the album for a 2016 vinyl release, giving it four stars and stating that Richard "was still blessed with an immaculate voice and threw himself wholeheartedly some great contemporary sounding tracks."

Track listing

# "I Don't Want to Discuss It" (Beth Beatty, Dick Cooper, Ernie Shelby) – 2:28 # " Land of a Thousand Dances" (

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

, Chris Kenner) – 2:10 # "The Commandments of Love" (

) – 2:27 # "

Money (That's What I Want) "Money (That's What I Want)" is a rhythm and blues song written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, which was the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise. Barrett Strong recorded it in 1959 as a single for the Tamla label, ...

" (

Janie Bradford Janie Bradford (born June 2, 1939 in Charleston, Missouri, United States) is an American songwriter, most known for her tenure with Motown. With Berry Gordy, she co-wrote "Money (That's What I Want)", originally recorded by Barrett Strong, and ...

Berry Gordy, Jr. Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

) – 2:02 # "Poor Dog (Who Can't Wag His Own Tail)" ( Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Williams) – 3:06 # "I Need Love" (Williams) – 2:39 # "Never Gonna Let You Go" (Cooper, Shelby) – 2:41 # "Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)" (

Chuck Willis Harold "Chuck" Willis (January 31, 1926 – April 10, 1958) was an American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll singer and songwriter. His biggest hits, " C. C. Rider" (1957) and "What Am I Living For" (1958), both reached No.1 on the ''Bil ...

) – 4:39 # "Function at the Junction" (

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous h ...

Eddie Holland Edward Holland Jr. (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Holland was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Although he was an early Motown artist who recorded minor hit singles such as "Jamie", he ...

, Frederick Long,

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

) – 2:35 # "Well (aka Well All Right)" ( Sam Cooke) – 2:56

UK CD reissue track listing

# "Get Down With It" ( Bobby Marchan) - 3:16 (same tune as “Do the Jerk “, composed by R. Penniman ) # " Land of a Thousand Dances" (

, Chris Kenner) – 2:10 # "The Commandments of Love" (

) – 2:27 # "I Don't Want to Discuss It" (Beth Beatty, Dick Cooper, Ernie Shelby) – 2:28 # "

" (

) – 4:39 # "Function at the Junction" (

, Frederick Long,

) – 2:35 # "Well (aka Well All Right)" ( Sam Cooke) – 2:56

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Explosive Little Richard 1967 albums Little Richard albums Okeh Records albums Albums produced by Larry Williams