Del Shannon

In 1998, BGO released Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams/One Thousand Six-Hundred Sixty-One Seconds of Del Shannon, combining his last two albums for the Amy label on one CD. The two are rather different records conceptually; one devoted to the work of a single composer, while the other shows Shannon covering many of the hits of the day in its own style, as well as presenting his version of an original - "I Go to Pieces," which was a hit in the hands of Peter & Gordon - is linked to Shannon's version by some of the backing musicians he uses, as well as the chronology, and the CD also constitutes a pretty strong display of Shannon's range as a performer and recording artist, encompassing everyone from Hank Williams to the Four Seasons with astonishing consistency.

Del Shannon's second and third albums appear (after a fashion) together on this BGO reissue. Actually, what BGO has re-created is the song lineup of the U.K. version of the Little Town Flirt album, which is a plus, as it contains several songs - including "Runaway" - that were repeated from earlier releases on the U.S. version. In either configuration, Little Town Flirt was one of the better rock & roll LPs of its period and holds up well. Shannon and his producers probably thought they were playing it safe by loading the record up with a fair number of covers, including "Dream Baby" and "Runaround Sue"; they never dreamt that one of his other covers from early 1963, of the Beatles' "From Me to You," would have put him for a moment on the cutting edge of music in England (where the record wasn't issued until later) as well as in front of the leading edge by almost a year in America…

Del Shannon - Home and Away: The Complete Recordings 1960-1970 (2004) {8-CD Box, Bear Family Records BCD 15925 HL}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.82 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.27 Gb
Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960-70, 2004 Bear Family Records | BCD 15925 HL}
Pop / AM Pop / Rock & Roll / Oldies / Early Pop / Teen Idols

One of the greatest and most original rock 'n' roll stars of the early 1960s, Del Shannon was also one of the few to not only triumph in the face of the British Invasion, but grow artistically and professionally. He is lauded now as the godfather of Power Pop. His astonishing vocal range combined with Max Crook’s Musitron made one of the most unique and easily identifiable sounds in all popular music. In addition, Del Shannon wrote several of the era’s classics, exploring themes that would recur in his work: loss, alienation, and abandonment.