The Explosive Little Richard is the first album from Little Richard

Little Richard

Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...

 under the Okeh label, produced by Little Richard's long-time friend Larry Williams

Larry Williams

Larry Williams was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana...

 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

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

, but it did produce the hit single 'Poor Dog' 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.

Track listing

1. "Get Down With It" (Marchan) - 3:16
2. "Land of a Thousand Dances
   Land of a Thousand Dances
   "Land of a Thousand Dances" is a song written and first recorded by Chris Kenner in 1962. The song is famous for its "na na na na na" hook, which was added by Cannibal & the Headhunters in their version of the song in 1965, whose version peaked at number thirty...
   
   " (Domino, Kenner) – 2:10
3. "The Commandments of Love" (Williams) – 2:27
4. "I Don't Want To Discuss It" (Beatty, Cooper, Shelby) – 2:28
5. "Money (That's What I Want)
   Money (That's What I Want)
   "Money " is a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. The song was written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, and became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise....
   
   " (Bradford, Gordy) – 2:02
6. "Poor Dog (Who Can't Wag His Own Tail)" (Watson, Williams) – 3:06
7. "I Need Love" (Williams) – 2:39
8. "Never Gonna Let You Go" (Cooper, Shelby) – 2:41
9. "Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)" (Willis) – 4:39
10. "Function At The Junction" (Holland, Long) – 2:35
11. "Well (aka Well All Right)" (Cooke) – 2:56

Personnel

• Little Richard
  Little Richard
  Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
  
   – vocals, piano
  Piano
  The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
  
  
• Johnny "Guitar" Watson – guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  

Other personnel unknown; no records kept by Okeh

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1967	Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...  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