Junior Walker & The All Stars – Moody Jr. (Soul Records S 733L)

Junior Walker & The All Stars – Moody Jr. | Soul S 733L

Soul records 1971   S 733L

 

 notes:

Moody Jr. is one of the notable early-1970s albums by Junior Walker & The All Stars,
 released on Motown's Soul Records imprint. Issued as Soul S 733L, 
the album combines Walker's gritty tenor saxophone sound with 
soulful vocals, deep funk grooves and the polished studio 
production associated with the Motown organization.

Produced by Johnny Bristol, Moody Jr. features ten tracks 
ranging from the soulful “Way Back Home” and “Me And My Family” 
to the funky “Groove Thang”, “Walk In The Night” and the title track
 “Moody Junior.” The album also includes interpretations of 
“I Don't Want To Do Wrong,” “Still Water (Love),”
 and the Jackson 5 hit “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

Junior Walker's powerful tenor saxophone remains the central 
voice of the record, while the All Stars provide the tight guitar, 
keyboard and drum foundation that made the group one of 
Motown's distinctive instrumental soul acts. The album 
reached No. 22 on the Billboard R&B LP chart, confirming 
Walker's continuing popularity during the early 1970s.

credits:

Junior Walker (Autry DeWalt II) – tenor saxophone, vocals, piano
Willie Woods – guitar
Vic Thomas – organ, keyboards
James Graves – drums

Additional studio musicians: Motown's studio musicians 
were used on various recordings by Junior Walker & The All Stars. 
For earlier documented sessions, James Jamerson is credited on bass.

Recording Dates

The Moody Jr. material was recorded during 1971, 
with sessions taking place in Detroit and Los Angeles. 
The surviving Motown session documentation identifies 
Hitsville-GW / Los Angeles for several tracks.

Documented examples include:

“Way Back Home” (vocal) – completed October 6, 1971, at Hitsville-GW; 
produced by Johnny Bristol and arranged by Dave Van DePitte.
“Me And My Family” – recorded at Hitsville-GW / Los Angeles; 
produced by Johnny Bristol.
“Groove Thang” – recorded at Hitsville-GW / Los Angeles; 
produced by Johnny Bristol, with arrangements by H.B. Barnum and Willie Shorter.
“Walk In The Night” – recorded at Hitsville-GW / Los Angeles; 
produced by Johnny Bristol and arranged by H.B. Barnum and Willie Shorter.
“Moody Junior” – recorded at Hitsville-GW / Los Angeles and produced by Johnny Bristol.

  Recording Studio

Hitsville U.S.A. / Hitsville-GW, Detroit, Michigan was an important 
recording location for the album sessions, with some tracks also
 documented as being recorded in Los Angeles.

Studio: Hitsville-GW, Detroit / Los Angeles sessions
Producer: Johnny Bristol
Arrangers: Willie Shorter, H.B. Barnum, 
Dave Van DePitte on “Way Back Home” 

tracklist:

A1        Way Back Home    
W. Felder, J. Bristol, G. Knight    
A2        I Don't Want To Do Wrong    
J. Bristol, G. Knight, W. Guest, M. Knight, C. Schaffner    
A3    Bristol's Way    
J. Bristol    
A4 Don't Blame The Children    M. McLeod, 
J. Bristol    
A5    Me And My Family    
G. Knight, J. Bristol    
B     Groove Thang    
J. Bristol    
B2    Still Water Medley    
W. Robinson, F. Wilson    
B3 Never Can Say Goodbye    
C. Davis    
B4    Walk In The Night
    J. Bristol, M. McLeod    
B5 Moody Junior
    J. Bristol

 

 

link