Customer Reviews

Shotgun

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"Tally Ho" is the only cut on this album that I'm not sure whether it made it `out' as a 45, but otherwise this set could have fairly been labeled a "Greatest Hits." It supplied Junior and his men with a roster of sturdy hit singles that spanned better than a year and a half.

"Cleo's Mood" had originally been released on the Harvey Records label in 1962; well before that label was eventually folded into the Motown family. And "Money Jump" from September 1964, was the group's first single release on Motown's subsidiary Soul label after Walker signed with the company. Both of these brought at least some local attention, but it was the gun blast of the next 45 that inaugurated the immediate fame for Junior Walker that lasts to this day.

"Shotgun" backed with "Hot Cha" was issued in January 1965 and is arguably the record that gave Junior Walker instant national (and even international) identity. It is forever associated with him as much as one immediately sees The Temptations when "My Girl" plays, the Supremes, palms-out and declaring, "Stop! In the Name Of Love," the Vandellas "Dancing In the Street," and Levi Stubbs leading the Four Tops dramatically through "Reach Out I'll Be There." "Shotgun" was the signal to increase my personal roster of must-have Motown artists by one. In the 1990s, I can think of two moments in movies where the song was used quite creatively: a key scene late in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X," and even more spectacularly over the opening credits of the Stephen King thriller, "Misery," starring James Caan and Kathy Bates. Like the other songs listed in this paragraph, "Shotgun" doesn't age a bit.

By May of '65, the LP (originally Soul 701) itself along with a 45 of "Boomerang" & "Tune Up" were in record stores. When July rolled around you could buy a single of "Shake & Fingerpop" backed with "Cleo's Back." Come December, Motown re-issued "Cleo's Mood," a fantastically hypnotic and funky instrumental, as an `A'-side single, now on Soul. In March of 1966 - and I'm surprised Motown waited that long - the wonderful Holland-Dozier-Holland party jam "Road Runner" was put out together with "Shoot Your Shot." But we're still not done.

In the summer of 1967 when it was time to put a new Walker 45 out there, and with now three of his LP's to choose from, Motown went back into "Shotgun," to re-issue "Shoot Your Shot" as an A-side along with "Ain't That The Truth." Like I said, it could fairly be re-titled a "Greatest Hits." All of these tracks, while of varying commercial success, kept the legions of fans Walker won overnight with "Shotgun" quite sated. (A lost treasure today is Walker's follow-up album, "Soul Session," originally Soul LP 702, which gathered many of the mainly-instrumentals that had been recorded in the Harvey Records' days.)

I bought the CD of "Shotgun" in February of '93, but then a few years later and for considerably more dollars, I didn't waste a chance at a near-mint mono 1965 vinyl pressing. It's one of the jewels of my collection. Soul music aficionados should certainly have this in their collections in at least one form. "Put on yer wig woman, we go'nout to shake and fingerpop!"

First of all, Jr. Walker simply did NOT make bad records! He made that sax SING as well as talk. Sadly, he's grossly underrepresented on CD, so if you see any originals like this back in print, then SNAP IT UP! Now on to this CD:SIMPLY GREAT FUNKY STUFF! We all know about the title track. But "Do The Boomerang," "Tune Up," "Shoot Your Shot" will take your mind to a good ghetto juke joint or house party back in the mid 60s. "Tally Ho" is pretty creative (Check out the fox chase in the beginning and Jr.'s faux-Brit accent at the end). "Ain't That The Truth" has some good funny verbal play between Walker and the All Stars. The Lovely "Hot Cha" is the kind of sweet tune that you wanna hear on a nice drive as the sun goes down on a pretty day (in fact, many a DJ used this tune as their sign-off theme also in the late 60s). Oh yeah, check out Vic Thomas' searing organ on that one. In short, this CD is good for what EVER ails you.

Motown used to have "Shotgun" and "Roadrunner" - two of Jr. Walker's best albums - available on a single disc. I wish they'd reissue that one. Still, this is one of the best albums of the sixties available at an astonishing price. Grab it! There's not a bad cut on it. Every song is rich and soulful and funky. Great party music, and great for just sitting down and listening to (okay, sitting down while you're listening to this album might be tough, what I mean is, you don't need a party to enjoy it.). Just a perfect record.

THIS IS GOOD STUF FROM MY ERA. THE WORDING AND MUSIC TAKES ME BACK TO THE DAY. MUSIC WAS MUSIC AND WORDS CAUSED A GOOD REACTION.. PEACE AND LOVE.

What's NOT to like on this CD??? Most of the hits are right here! But the track that really moves me is "Shake And Fingerpop." The drum pickup at the beginning and Junior Walker's sax hitting that horrendously high note will always send chills up my spine! If you don't enjoy dancing to this CD, dial 911 because you may be dead.

....Brnn sez, and I quote, SNAP IT UP, unquote...a reprocessing of the original album "Shotgun", in the same sequence? Nineteen sixty five never sounded so good. What's that, you say? Ok, I confess, I could not even imagine how to "Do the Boomerang", though, but I kinda remember The Jerk....