The Explosive Little Richard
| The Explosive Little Richard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Little Richard | ||||
| Released | January 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 5 February 1966 - 15 September 1966 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll, soul | |||
| Length | 29:49 | |||
| Label | Okeh | |||
| Producer | Larry Williams | |||
| Little Richard chronology | ||||
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The Explosive Little Richard is the first album from Little Richard under the Okeh label, produced by Little Richard's long-time friend Larry Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson and reflecting the then current sound of Soul and Motown. A mixture of cover versions and originals, it featured no tracks penned by Richard himself. Despite the new direction, it failed to chart on Billboard, but it did produce the hit singles "Poor Dog" and "Commandments of Love" and opened the door to the Okeh era comeback, a return to the Billboard album charts - the first time in ten years - and a greater demand for concert appearances.
Richard's "(You're My Girl) I Don't Want To Discuss it" was not a hit for him but was duly noted later by Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, Rhinoceros, and Rod Stewart.
The song "Well" is better known as "Well Alright!", a Sam Cooke composition Richard had in the Specialty vaults at the time he cut the Okeh version (reported to feature Jimi Hendrix).
Track listing
- "Get Down With It" (Marchan) - 3:16
- "Land of a Thousand Dances" (Fats Domino, Chris Kenner) – 2:10
- "The Commandments of Love" (Larry Williams) – 2:27
- "I Don't Want To Discuss It" (Beth Beatty, Dick Cooper, Ernie Shelby) – 2:28
- "Money (That's What I Want)" (Janie Bradford, Berry Gordy, Jr.) – 2:02
- "Poor Dog (Who Can't Wag His Own Tail)" (Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Larry Williams) – 3:06
- "I Need Love" (Larry Williams) – 2:39
- "Never Gonna Let You Go" (Dick Cooper, Ernie Shelby) – 2:41
- "Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)" (Chuck Willis) – 4:39
- "Function at the Junction" (Brian Holland, Eddie Holland, Frederick Long, Lamont Dozier) – 2:35
- "Well (aka Well All Right)" (Sam Cooke) – 2:56
Personnel
- Little Richard – vocals, piano
- Johnny "Guitar" Watson – guitar
- Arthur Wright - orchestral arrangements
- Reg Guest - arrangement on "Get Down With It"
- Stu Phillips - production supervision
Other personnel unknown; no records kept by Okeh. The 2004 album Get Down With It: The OKeh Sessions includes a booklet that also credits the following musicians: Eddie Fletcher – bass, Glen Willings – guitar.
Critical Response
CD reissues have seen the album attract positive reviews. Record Collector gave the album four stars,[1] and cited it as quite possibly the best long player he ever made. In a review of the entire Okeh recordings, Rolling Stone stated that Richard's hair-raising vocals on the Motown staple "Money" effectively claim the song as his own.[2]
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Billboard Pop Albums | Did not chart |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "I Don't Want To Discuss It/Hurry Sundown" | Billboard Singles | Did not chart |
| 1967 | "A Little Bit Of Something/Money (That's What I Want)" | Billboard Singles | Did not chart |
