Shotgun remains Jr. Walkers most famous moment and was the song that set him on the road to stardom at Hitsville. Issued originally at the end of May 1865 the original vinyl album has been a much prized collectors item ever since. Opening with the bluesy 'Cleo's Mood' from August 1962 which was written and produced by the much respected Harvey Fuqua, the original 45 which was issued on the US Harvey label # 117 and coupled with 'Brainwasher' which also appeared seven years later as a flip side to the highly successful 'What Does It Take'. Walker was famous for crafting his music around famous black music dances of the day and 'Do The Boomerang' fitted in nicely with that dance and yet on close inspection you will notice that this song is really a slowed down version of 'Shotgun'.

'Road Runner' appears not only on this album but also on the LP of the same name (see our other Jr. Walker 2 on 1 review) and is such a well known tune it needs no further mentions here, but the flip side to that single 'Shoot Your Shot' is a masterful piece of Walker magic very much in the same mould as many of his other recordings. A pounding organ led affair with a crystal clean cymbal beat setting the tempo for Junior's occasional saxophone solo which really is hypnotic. Motown in the UK issued a series of EP's and thankfully Junior enjoyed a four track release opening with the fabulous 'Shake And Fingerpop' the ultimate Motown party record that was just perfect for the dancers and all nighters where this track was played to death. Less on the vocals and more on the sax solos which were his trademark. Motown collectors were soon to discover that records often contained better 'b' sides than those issued and the frantic 'Tune Up' remains the most sought after and collectable track from the collection. Works equally well on jive sessions too.

'Monkey Jump' sounds like it came from a jam session rather than a determined attempt at a single release - that said however, it is a perfect track for the dancefloors with the right crowd. Other than that the only other track on this album to mention is the superb 'Ain't That The Truth'.

Original release catalogue numbers TML 11017/US SOUL 701 - 1965

'Soul Session'

Released in the UK in June 1966 this is a very rare item indeed although I personally consider that some of the tracks are not as strong as the aforementioned. Opening with 'Good Rockin' from February 1963 (again on Harvey and again with Brainwasher as the flip) this was an early indication of what was to come in later years and true to style its another blistering instrumental of which I have included as an audio clip for your attention. 'Shake Everything' kicks in like a speeded up version of Mickey's Monkey whereas
'Moonlight In Vermont' is a gentle jazz laden instrumental very much in vogue with the cabaret and cocktail lounge style of the sixties before increasing in tempo displaying another side to the groups many talents. Far removed from the usual Motown sound but nevertheless just as appealing. Another fine example of their aspiring different styles is the blues styled 'Eight Hour Drag' with a backing track and arrangement clearly taken from the Rolling Stones' 'Little Red Rooster' of 1963. 'Satan's Blues' drops the tempo right down to a lazy groove with some neat guitar riffs interspersed with a hammond organ workout from presumably Vic Thomas or Earl Van Dyke - this track would have made a perfect inclusion on any blaxploitation movie during the early seventies - issued as a single on the SOUL label in the United States in August 1964.

There will never be another sax genius quite like Jr. Walker and sadly like so many other great names from that era are no longer with us today. These four great albums are a very special legacy he left us with and whilst admittedly many of the tracks over these four CD's are similar in arrangement one thing is for sure is that you never tire of listening to them. This is feel good factor music at its very best.

A couple on bonus tracks to mention is the non-LP single 'Willie's Blues' and 'Break It Up' finishing off a set of brilliant 2 on 1 CD's from Motown.

See Junior in action performing 'Shotgun' by clicking here (please wait for the clip to load in your media player)

Click here to see other CD reviews from Jr. Walker and the All Stars.

Original release catalogue numbers TML 11029/US SOUL 702 - 1966.

Rating 10/10