Run Run Roadrunner Jerry Williams

[Craig W]

How come Run Run Roadrunner is not mentioned in any discographies on the Calla label but only on the Musicor 1285 release.

What is the story of the Calla release and is it a legitimate release.

Can anyone help.

Edited January 11, 2008 by craig W

[pikeys dog]

That label looks well ropey - never seen a yellow Calla release - could possibly be a JA press....

[Harry Crosby]

Was gonna say ive never seen it on calla before,

[Craig W]

That label looks well ropey - never seen a yellow Calla release - could possibly be a JA press....

Cheers Joe

you could be right , although the same design as the standard Calla label apart from the colour.

Same release number as the Musicor 45.

[Pete S]

Yeah it's 99% certain to be from the West Indies - I've had it on Jamaican Calla though it was all white and didn't have the design seen here

[Frank]

I've got it on Calla and mine came from a reggae dealer so I think it is 100% certain that it is a Jamaican / WI pressing.

[Weingarden]

mine's surely jamaican, on red-and-white calla but with a dodgy, bumpy, falling-off paper label.

[Guest]

How come Run Run Roadrunner is not mentioned in any discographies on the Calla label but only on the Musicor 1285 release.

What is the story of the Calla release and is it a legitimate release.

Can anyone help.

I had Calla in picture sleeve,red calla might still have it thing i might have sold it cheap sure it had different Bside tho`,dont remember i know i didnt like it.or does someone else do it on Calla.

Edited January 11, 2008 by ken

[Pete S]

Craig if you can see the matrix or any scratched in number can you let me know, ta

[Craig W]

Craig if you can see the matrix or any scratched in number can you let me know, ta

Will let you know when I actually get it.

In fact I'll let you look yourself when I see you next.

[Garethx]

I've been looking for this on USA Musicor for years but always seem to miss it. I'm pretty sure the scan above is of a Jamaican release. Not sure about its legality: can anyone confirm for sure?

Plus if anyone has a Musicor release to spare I'd love to buy it.

[Craig W]

Ok think this has now been pretty well confirmed as a JA release but what would be the reason and use of this. Very strange as it was never going to ever sell or appeal to anyone as it is not a really well known tune. So why have it pressed there.

Any theory's to this?

[Garethx]

It's a pretty big Jamaican soul tune and has been since it was initially released. There are at least two Jamaican issues of it. Certainly more popular (proportionately) in Jamaica than in either the US or UK.

[Craig W]

Here you go with a soundfile.

Dont know where this would really fit in on the scheme of a soul night but what a fantastic tune and wonderful production.

By the way Gene Pitney also did a version of this on Musicor.

Jerry_Williams___Run_Run_Roadrunner.mp3

[pikeys dog]

The Jamaicans collect a more ballad style of soul - if you search for "Island Soul" on ebay you should come across loads of items listed.

Probably due to the temperature, you tend to get slower music in places were you are more likely to get very sweaty dancing fast to it...

[givemesoul]

Bought this years ago at a record fair for 50p ,it was in a box of about 100 JA imports,there were about 15 of the jerry williams on calla,showed it to ady pierce as it was one of his favs who told me it was a JA boot,sold it on ebay 2 years ago for a tenner mint

[Pete S]

I've been looking for this on USA Musicor for years but always seem to miss it. I'm pretty sure the scan above is of a Jamaican release. Not sure about its legality: can anyone confirm for sure?

Plus if anyone has a Musicor release to spare I'd love to buy it.

I've had a mint demo and a vg++ issue in the last month, both posted in sales on here Gareth, I've still got the issue spare, might not be in good enough nick for you but having said that, I haven't cleaned it so it may be better.

[Pete S]

Bought this years ago at a record fair for 50p ,it was in a box of about 100 JA imports,there were about 15 of the jerry williams on calla,showed it to ady pierce as it was one of his favs who told me it was a JA boot,sold it on ebay 2 years ago for a tenner mint

They aren't bootlegs, they are legit jamaican presses. I've seen Roy Roberts on JA Stateside, Levi Jackson on JA Columbia, Betty Lavette on JA Calla, loads of em. They look like boots because the pressing facilities are more primitive. Most are manufactured legally at Dynamic.

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

Calla was legitimately licensed by Coxsone Dodd in the late 60s - Tony Fox' wonderful "Lean On Me" (which became the basis of the Maytals' "Pressure Drop"!) is relatively common on a Ja. Calla - probably because it sold so well there - compared to the US release...

However, as he often did with other R & B and soul labels that he licensed and distributed, Coxsone simply 'forgot' when his distribution deal was up and carried on pressing things. I suspect that he was behind the dodgy Ja. Calla RRR (which, if you look at the label copy, still carries a Musicor catalogue number).

Incidentally, it should be noted that the Ja. boot (and it is a boot in this case, whatever label design is used) misses part of the intro and fades in, rather badly.

There is a Calla connection here that nobody has commented on - RRR has the same backing tracks as JW's vastly inferior, earlier Calla release "Baby Bunny (Sugar Honey)"!

Besides the excellent Gene Pitney version there's also a third version on the same backing track, by former Drifter Charlie Thomas. It came out on UK EMI International, and I believe that the original US label was Musicor, although I have never seen it on that label...

[Pete S]

Calla was legitimately licensed by Coxsone Dodd in the late 60s - Tony Fox' wonderful "Lean On Me" (which became the basis of the Maytals' "Pressure Drop"!) is relatively common on a Ja. Calla - probably because it sold so well there - compared to the US release...

However, as he often did with other R & B and soul labels that he licensed and distributed, Coxsone simply 'forgot' when his distribution deal was up and carried on pressing things. I suspect that he was behind the dodgy Ja. Calla RRR (which, if you look at the label copy, still carries a Musicor catalogue number).

Incidentally, it should be noted that the Ja. boot (and it is a boot in this case, whatever label design is used) misses part of the intro and fades in, rather badly.

There is a Calla connection here that nobody has commented on - RRR has the same backing tracks as JW's vastly inferior, earlier Calla release "Baby Bunny (Sugar Honey)"!

Besides the excellent Gene Pitney version there's also a third version on the same backing track, by former Drifter Charlie Thomas. It came out on UK EMI International, and I believe that the original US label was Musicor, although I have never seen it on that label...

That Charlie Thomas record is incredibly hard to find despite it being a 1974 or 75 release, I actually got one YESTERDAY and it's the first I've even seen for going on 7 or 8 years. His other EMI record is very common but this one just seems to have vanished.