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.