Dion is an American singer and songwriter that has been active since 1957. Throughout his career, his work has spanned genres such as doo-wop, rock, r&b, and different pop styles. This album, Runaround Sue (1961), is one of his first albums, and seems to be an early rock and roll style from what I can tell based on a quick search. I’m always toked to listen to the early days of rock and roll, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Runaround Sue” begins with some super blissful background chorus vocals that set the tone for the tune to be a sort of doo-wop number. Oh wow, the vocals have a super pleasant, soulful feeling. I feel like I recognize this song, but not necessarily this version. I’m really digging this track though. Holy smokes, the track has a super flavorful saxophone at the end. Great track, and I’m stoked to hear more.
“Somebody Nobody Wants” begins with some super flavorful vocals from Dion, with some bright acoustic guitar that seems to skip along to the bouncing bass, while the background vocals pervade through the soundscape with a super groovy doo-wop style. Wow, great tune.
Oh wow, “Dream Lover” gets grooving right away with a super flavorful early rock and roll sound that feels reminiscent of the likes of Chubby Checker and the earlier work of The Beatles. Oh wow, the vocals have a super passionate flavor as Dion almost begins to shout at times. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Life Is But a Dream” starts out with some blissful, slow and sweet doo-wop background vocals that set the tone for the tune. Holy smokes, I’m really digging this track. The vocal performance has a super flavorful quality that reminds me a lot of the latter 1960s for some reason that I can’t quite place at the moment. Great tune.
Oh wow, “The Wanderer” is a track that I think I recognize from a movie soundtrack of some sort, and I’m digging it. Oh wow, there’s a piano that’s rollicking around in the background. Holy smokes, the doo-wop vocals on the left side and the hearty saxophone on the other side of the soundscape has hooked me even further into both the song and the album. Great track.
Holy smokes, “Runaway Girl” starts out with a super flavorful tone from an electric guitar of sorts that almost reminds me of a gentler Link Wray sound, while some super sweet piano comes in and adds some flavorful accentuations to the melody. Oh wow, the rhythm section almost has a bit of a country feel with the slowly bopping bass line and the pseudo-gallop of the drums. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “The Majestic” starts out with a big beat from the drums and corresponding clapping alongside that brings a very wholesome and natural sound in the soundscape. Oh wow, the tune keeps on rockin’ even harder as the vocals intensify and the saxophone comes in. Wow, great track.
“Little Star” has a super interesting sound as Dion seems to reimagine a children’s lullaby as an early rock and roll tune. I really dig the guitar work in this one, which has a light plucking sound that reminds me a lot of the Les Paul and Mary Ford album that I listened to recently. Wow, there’s so much flavor and groovy feeling in this track that I feel like I could listen to this for an hour on repeat without wanting to change the track. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Lonely World” creates a sort of sound and song that reminds me of the style of the earlier days of The Beatles. Oh wow, the vocals are awesome; there’s like a bluesy undertone to the classic rock and roll sound of Dion’s voice. Great track.
Oh wow, “In the Still of the Night” seems to slow things down with a steadily rollicking r&b style doo-wop track. Holy smokes, this track is sweet. Dion has a voice that feels like a slightly pitched-up version of Frank Sinatra, which brings a super interesting flavor to the album. Great tune.
“Kansas City” starts out with some rollicking piano lines before the track gets grooving in a classic rock and roll doo-wop sort of number. Holy smokes, there’s an electric guitar solo in this that has a ton of early rock and roll sound mixed with some bluesy licks and awesome flavor. Oh wow, the ending has a ton of flavor that seems to land the song nicely. Great track.
Oh wow, “Take Good Care of My Baby” has a super sweet, almost melancholic rock and roll sound, which is created by the background chorus vocals that accentuate the sweet orchestral strings, accompanied by some nearly solemn vocals and lyrics from Dion. Oh wow, the tune seems to tease the ending for a moment before getting back into one final chorus that seems to both tie together and put an exclamation point on the album. Wow, great track, and a super sweet way to end the album.
Holy smokes, this album is awesome, and feels to me to be the quintessential sound of early 1960s rock and roll that you might hear playing in a diner of sorts back in the day. If you’re a fan of early rock and roll and/or doo-wop, you might want to consider checking out this album. I’m looking into getting it on vinyl already. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A