RUNNER: Runner

Runner

Runner

© 2003 Acrobat UK Ltd. (634479403330)

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This is British 70's rock to the max; imagine Bad Company and Foreigner mixed with a touch of Steve Winwood.

tracks

1 Fooling Myself
2 Run For Your Life
3 Broken Hearted Me
4 Truly From Within
5 Dynamite
6 Sooner Than Later
7 Rock N Roll Soldiers
8 Gone Too Long
9 Living Is Loving You
10 Restless Wind
11 Living In A Hard World
12 Woman's In Love
13 A Part Of The Game

notes

Runner grew out of the ashes of the bands Rare Bird and The Arrows, with the two bands' respective singers Steve Gould and Alan Merrill joining forces.

The rhythm section they enlisted was Dave Dowle, Whitesnake's original drummer, and Mick Feat, bassist of Van Morrison's "Wavelength" era band. The four musicians did a demo, and were signed almost immediately to Island Records.
Hailed in the press as a supergroup, the band made an immediate impact, but for reasons only known to the individuals in the band, refused to tour, in spite of the success of their debut album.

The group lasted little over a year, even though they made the Billboard LP charts in 1978. The band were dropped by their label for refusing to tour, and Runner quickly became only a memory of a band that could have been very big in the music world. The band members have all gone on to other high profile professional music projects since the demise of the group.

The music on this CD is enduring, the songs are well crafted and strong. The high level of vocal harmony and musicianship on this recording more than stands the test of time.

reviews

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  • great stuff
    author: sean kelly

    Hey - missing Rare Bird? - can't get enough of Steve Gould's great voice? Treat yourself to this very fine album - shame they only made one - but here it is - get in there !!

  • my favorite
    author: Ginkler

    its on my player - allways and everywhere

  • Little River Band / Chicago/ Doobies
    author: Jeff Meneau

    All rolled into one. Great sounding classic style rock.

  • Great record
    author: Barry

    I had this on vinyl and was really happy to see it here at CD Baby in CD format. Great record! Peace Barry

  • Hard act to follow
    author: Terry Marmion

    A great cd from a great label. The best thing about the cd is the three bonus tracks which weren't in the original vinyl lp. Its a pity that Runner didn't make a follow up album

  • the best cd i have brought in ages
    author: jan

    the cd was just great no more needed

  • Great CD, even better service
    author: Craig Ramos

    Been looking for this CD for a few years and was surprised to find it on CD Baby, but after a search this was the place....ordered and had it at the house in 2 days! Wow..I immediately went on and bought a different CD which arrived the same day. Could be my new...go to... site.

  • Great songs + superb vocals + excellent playing = brilliant CD
    author: Geoff

    I bought this on vinyl when it first came out and again in 1999 as my original was worn out. . and now at last I have it on CD with 3 great bonus tracks. I ordered the CD on Friday night and it was delivered to the UK the following Tuesday - what a fantastic service! If you like the sample tracks then buy the CD as there are some real standout songs and band performances here. Runner is a masterclass for how to play just what is needed to support the superb vocals and harmonies of the songs, everything fitting perfectly into place. The record is a great example of the singing and songwriting talent of Steve Gould, who I think is up there with the best (he's also an accomplished rhythm guitarist and bass player). Alan Merill's playing, especially his slide guitar work, is a real treat. Mick Feat's bass playing is sublime throughout. Dave Dowle's drumming lays down a real solid foundation for everyone to play and sing over. My favourite tracks? - Fooling Myself, Broken Hearted Me, Truly From Within, Dynamite, and Gone Too Long. If you like this record then in addition to the excellent Rare Bird albums mentioned by other reviewers I would also recommend you audition the records that Steve Gould and Mick Feat made with Alvin Lee, namely Freefall and (especially) RX5, which collectively contain enough of Steve and Mick's songs to have made the second Runner album!

  • Sum of the parts
    author: Glen

    This group was a delicate balance of talent. Individually they never sounded as strong this album, in their various recorded releases in successful projects. This was a great merger and a pity that it wasn't more thoroughly explored. It was a sum of the parts, and the four were very in tune with each other. This should have been the equivalent of the band Traffic of the 80s. The bonus tracks make me sad for what could have been.

  • Très bon album que celui de Runner réédité heureusement en CD
    author: Philippe Kalck

    Runner 1978, réédité en CD, pour notre plus grand plaisir. Le groupe de Steve Gould tourne, ronronne, et nous balance son rock mélodique,funky,en toute sérénité et tranquilité. Ses voix somptueuses nous entrainent à fredonner ces mélodies soigneusement travaillées. Hautement recommandé!!!

  • Thought i would never get a copy of runner on cd
    author: john h

    Loved the band when i bought the runner album but i could not find replacement for the mutch played vinyl stumbled accross cd by luck from cd baby no problems geting it sent to uk ..thanks guys

  • Die CD die jeder haben müßte
    author: martin

    Schade das nicht jeder diese CD kennt, denn sonst würde ihr Erfolg sicher heute noch Wogen in der Musik schlagen. Leider kam sie 5 jahre zu früh auf den Markt.Wer wirklich tolle Handgemachte Musik will sollte die CD kaufen!!

  • If you like Rare Bird, you will love this one
    author: DC

    Now you have the great chance to get your Rare Bird collection completed. After Rare Bird splits there was a light at the horizon. And its name was Runner. They made an album with some lovely tracks witch sounds like the follower of Rare Birds "Born Again". And my favorite was "Run for your live". My commendation for all who love this kind of 70s US Soft Rock. Buy this one and you never will be dissapointed.

  • Great CD from Runner
    author: HMC

    Hello from Germany, many thanks for this fantastic record, it was one of my favorit band in the 80's. The song "Dynamite" is one of the most important songs during my hard young live. Thanks again, I will have a good time with that CD. Greetings to all from HMC.

  • Great album in the Rare Bird vein
    author: Mikael Stridh

    A great album from Runner fronted by ex Rare Bird guitarist/singer Steve Gould. This is very much a follow up of Rare Birds final album Born Again. Rare Bird is probably the most underrated band ever. If you enjoy Runner check out the new Rare Bird compilation Third Time Around. Really great to hear the Runner bonus tracks. The sound is not good though, the bonus tracks are actually the best sounding. Still, a fantastic album!

  • Great CD!
    author: Stefan Nowak

    This Band and this CD are very great! I have wait so a long time for it! The sound is not so good but it dosn´t matter because I love this music!

  • Review on Runner
    author: Michael Mack

    Outstanding cd.Runner had a very balanced sound on this album.Great interaction between guitars and keyboards.Sounds like a mix between Steely Dan and Bad Company and the arena rock sound of the late 70's.I give this 4 out of 5 stars

  • Great band great sounds
    author: Angela

    This album is a gem. I love the rich sound of this CD. The songs are all top notch, and the vocal harmonies are superb. A powerful statement by a great band.

  • author: George Thatcher

    Runner were a great under-estimated melodic rock act from the UK who released just this one album. They were from that same era and locale which launched similar bands such as Crawler, Charlie, City Boy, and Sniff n The Tears. Runner operated in the soft radio rock territory, for which some of their songs could have been great contenders for chart action had some radio jock with a half decent ear been listening. Of the band members, Dowle did a stint with the early rock/blues orientation of David Coverdale 's Whitesnake , while Alan Merrill came from the UK pop outfit Arrows. Lead singer Steve Gould closely compares to ex Traffic member Steve Winwood, while for discography freaks, the album was produced by James Guthrie (Judas Priest, Ambrosia). There are many highlights. The opening pair of 'Fooling Myself' and 'Run For Your Life' are a great introduction. Commercial, catchy, and easy on the ear. The latter nearly made it into the UK Charts if I recall. 'Broken Hearted Me' has some similarities to that first Crawler album, with it's slide guitar solos. 'Truly From Within' is a simple but effective ballad. This is followed by the track 'Dynamite' which has Pink Floyd written all over it! My favorite track is the effortless and bouncy 'Sooner Than Later', complete with bubbly piano lines and harmonious chorus vocals. Also bouncing along is the song 'Living Is Loving You'. The closer 'Restless Wind' is a cascading piece, with accoustic guitars and an orchestral string arrangement. Very majestic indeed! As a one album band, I was sure that this album would never see the light of day on CD as it was only ever released on the very small label Acrobat. However, stranger things have happened, as the thing has indeed hit the digital age!

  • Fantastic album
    author: Mark

    This album finally was released on CD. This is a great CD by a great band. Too bad they didn't stick together for any other releases. The bonus songs fit in with the originals.

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