Runaround Sue

DION | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 7, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: The Right Stuff
• ASIN: B000002TN1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,441 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Dion made his breakthrough fronting The Belmonts, but once the name was safely established, Laurie Records wasted little time in projecting Dion as a solo artist. It helped that he scored big with his early solo outings, with 'Runaround Sue' becoming a worldwide smash in 1961, followed quickly by 'The Wanderer'. Record success was followed by film success, with Dion appearing in Twist Around The Clock before the year was out. This particular album would go on to hit #11 in the US, proof of Dion's arrival in the upper chart echelons. Hallmark. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Dion's best and a great early rock LP, June 10, 2003

By 

Harley P. Payette (Phillipsburg, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Runaround Sue (Audio CD)

While this isn't the place to start your Dion collection, (Get either the Repretoire Greatest Hits or the King of the New York Streets Box first.)if you're already a fan you should definitely dive in. This album is definitely one of the better LP from its era and some of Dion's best work.

In format, it's not a lot different than most other LPs of the time with a couple hits ("The Wanderer" and the title track), a handful of remakes and some token original tunes. However, this is a far more personal LP than you'll find from any other artist of the time. This LP truly represents the taste and personality of the Prince of the Bronx.

The covers here are not chosen randomly. "Dream Lover" is a tribute to one of Dion's most formative influences Bobby Darin. "Little Star", "In the Still of the Night" (the Five Satins song), "Kansas City" and "Life is But a Dream" were all the kind of stuff that Dion used to listen to on the street corner growing up. This is not to say that are all perfect.

Some of these like the Darin number and Bobby Vee's "Take Good Care of My Baby" are a little too close to the originals. And Dion doesn't quite have the pipes to convert "In the Still of the Night" as well as Fred Parris.

But "Kansas City really kicks with an astonishing guitar solo. It stands proudly along "Sue" and "The Wanderer". And "Life is But A Dream" is Dion musically naked pushing his voice to its limit, expressing not just his love for the song but an outlook on life.

The original songs are also of a high quality. Dion co-composed "Lonely World" which features a great arrangement with the Del Satins and could have been a hit on its own. The lilting "Runaway Girl" and "Somebody Nobody Wants" express the other side of Dion's personality, the wounded lover. It's almost affecting as his swagger. There are no tracks originals or remakes that are anything less than respectable.

What can you say about the hits? They are ageless and sound better here than on any other re-issue. Even more recent albums haven't captured what the engineers did here. You can hear the saxophone buried in the mix on "Sue" and the piano under the Del Satins' harmonies on "The Wanderer".

The new liner notes are brief but informative with input from Dion himself. The original notes are here as well. The main packaging drawback is that there are no additional photos to the ones on the front and back covers.

Overall, this is a splendid buy, especially if you want to prove to friends that great rock albums did not start with the Beatles.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A real classic, December 17, 2000

By 

G. Sawaged - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Runaround Sue (Audio CD)

Released originally in 1961, this album instantly became a classic and remained on the billboard charts for 51 weeks. I am quite sure that most people will know almost every song on this album, which, seeing as it is not a greatest hits album, is astonishing. He does an excellent cover of Bobby Darins 'Dream Lover' and a few other covers, but it's the song 'Runaround Sue' and the two blues 'Kansas City' and 'The Wanderer' that really make this album such a hit. A lot of people these days dismiss the old classics from the 50's and 60's as mere bubblegum, but I defy anyone to listen to this and not feel like dancing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dion does other people music better, May 19, 2002

By 

Michael Lynch (Ft. Lauderdale,Fla) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Runaround Sue (Audio CD)

Alot of the album is other people songs.But he didit in the Bronx soul way. The Dion way.Little star one of my favor doo-wop song.How he belting out.Lonely world bring a tear to eye if you really understand the meaning.And been though it. And dream Lover makes you want to dream.Brings the best out of Dion.