Road Runner (Junior Walker album)


Road Runner is a 1966 R&B album by Junior Walker & the All-Stars. The band's second album, it reached #6 on Billboard's "Top R&B Albums" chart and #64 on Billboard's "Top Albums" chart, launching four hit singles. First released on record by Motown's Soul label in the US and Tamla/Motown internationally, it has been multiply reissued on cassette and compact disc. It has also been remastered and reissued in conjunction with the band's preceding record, Home Cookin, as Road Runner & Home Cookin.

Songs

Among the album's notable songs were four charting singles. Peak among them at #3 on the R&B Singles, #18 on the Pop Singles charts and #22 on the UK Singles was the Holland–Dozier–Holland song "How Sweet It Is ", which had previously hit for Marvin Gaye in 1964. Not far behind, " Road Runner", by the same songwriters, reached #4 on Black Singles and #20 on Pop Singles, while surpassing "How Sweet It Is" to reach #12 in the UK. "Pucker Up Buttercup" did not crack the top 10, but reached #11 Black Singles and #31 Pop Singles. A distant fourth, Junior Walker & the Allstar's cover of the 1959 Barrett Strong hit "Money " reached #35 Black Singles and #52 Pop Singles.
The album is titled for " Road Runner", which had been previously released on Junior Walker & The All-Star's 1965 debut album, Shotgun. It proved so successful in its March 1966 single that it was included and singled out on
the band's follow-up. Although "How Sweet It Is " surpassed it in two out of three charts, " Road Runner" is regarded as a superior offering from Junior Walker & The All-Stars, one of three songs by the band and Peter Frampton, and also by comedian Bill Cosby on Bill Cosby Sings Hooray For the Salvation Army Band!

Track listing

  1. " Road Runner" – 2:49
  2. "How Sweet It Is " – 3:04
  3. "Pucker Up Buttercup" – 3:18
  4. "Money " – 4:34
  5. "Last Call" – 2:23
  6. "Anyway You Wannta" – 2:41
  7. "Baby You Know You Ain't Right" – 2:34
  8. "Amé Cherie " – 4:13
  9. "Twist Lackawanna" – 2:19
  10. "San-Ho-Zay" – 3:00
  11. "Mutiny" – 3:55

    Personnel

Performance