The Explosive Little Richard
The Explosive Little Richard is the first album by Little Richard for Okeh Records, produced by his long-time friend Larry Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. The songs reflect the then-popular soul and Motown musical styles; no tracks were written by Richard.
The Explosive Little Richard | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 1967 | |||
Recorded | February 5, 1966 – September 15, 1966 | |||
Studio | Columbia, Hollywood, California | |||
Genre | Rock and roll, soul | |||
Length | 29:49 | |||
Label | Okeh | |||
Producer | Larry Williams | |||
Little Richard chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Record Collector | |
Rolling Stone | |
AllMusic | |
i-News |
CD reissues have seen the album attract positive reviews. Record Collector 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 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, Chris Kenner) – 2:10
- "The Commandments of Love" (Larry Williams) – 2:27
- "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, 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) – 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
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" (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, 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) – 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
References
- Staunton, Terry. "'Ripping it up in a post-rock'n'roll world'". Record Collector. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
- Relic, Peter. "Little Richard: Get Down With It: The Okeh Sessions". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2004-08-19.
- Ruhlmann, William. "The Explosive Little Richard – Review". AllMusic.
- Clarke, John. "Vinyl review: The Explosive Little Richard". i-News. Retrieved 2016-09-02.