Review: Del Shannon - Songwriter

Del Shannon

Most of us remember Del Shannon for his biggest hit songs, "Runaway", "Hats Off To Larry" and "Little Town Flirt". But as it turns out, that's like remembering Buddy Holly only for "Peggy Sue" and "That'll Be The Day". For most of us average music fans, there's quite a lot more of Del's music to be discovered, much like the later work of his peers such as Dion DiMucci, The Everly Brothers and Ricky Nelson.

Del Shannon, whose birth name was Charles Westover, wasn't just another pop singer of the early 60's; he was a skilled songwriter who didn't have to rely on outside help, like the all-powerful publishing houses of the day would have preferred. Along with his own successes, Del wrote the song, "I Go To Pieces", that was a major international hit for Peter & Gordon in 1965. That said, Del was not beyond recording a song that struck his ear just right. In 1963, he became the first American to record a cover version of a song by The Beatles. Del's recording of "From Me to You" charted in the US just before The Beatles hit it big.

Fortunately, there's a new door through which Del Shannon's catalog of songs can be discovered. The title of a new Del Shannon tribute album, "Songwriter", seems to emphasize that the key ingredients to Del Shannon's recipe for success were two-fold. He wrote his own songs, and he constantly reinvented himself. On this fine compilation, you can hear new interpretations of Del's songs by excellent independent musicians such as Marshall Crenshaw, Frank Black, The Rubinoos, The Britannicas, Randy Bachman, The Drysdales, Carla Olson, Peter Case, Marti Jones, and noted producer Don Dixon, who also did the album's mastering.

Here's a video from The Britannicas for the song "I Got You". It may be more commonplace now, but back in the mid-2000's, The Britannicas were pioneers of the transcontinental cyber-band concept; a recording project by 3 multi-instrumentalists and songwriters in 3 separate parts of the world. The band members hail from the US, Australia and Sweden. About the song, the band says "Del seems like an enigma to us: known yet seemingly unknown, loved yet wholly unloved. His enormous body of music truly deserves to heard and appreciated. Long live Del."

It doesn't surprise me after hearing this track that, following the passing of Roy Orbison, it was reported that Tom Petty had suggested that Del be invited to join The Traveling Wilburys, but that was not to be.

Moving right along, here's Richard Snow, covering Del's "Over You". Richard is a singer-songwriter from Nottingham, UK who sings lead and harmonies, and plays 12 & 6 string guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and percussion. Regarding his recording, Richard says "I discovered Del Shannon by playing through my Mum’s old records when I was a small boy. Being born in the 70’s I didn’t hear of him at the height of his fame or even know what he looked like for years but I was knocked out by the sound of those few 45’s. So as a teenager I sought out ALL his records. 'Stranger In Town' backed with 'Over You' was always a big fave of mine. Both sides are so good I wasn’t sure for a long time which was the A side. I chose to record “Over You” because I think it’s such a beautiful song that is often over looked. I could never sing it as well as Del, but I hope everyone enjoys my spin on it."

Truth is, I could go on and on, all day, song by song, and still not fully convey not only how good this tribute is, but how good a songwriter Del Shannon was. You have to hear it all for yourself. There's so much good stuff on this album and I can't recommend it highly enough. You can get it on CD or Mp3 at Amazon. If you enjoy tribute albums half as much as I do, you'll be glad you did. Not only that, but you'll be supporting independent music, and that's always good to do.

Regarding the music of Del Shannon himself, there are several hits collections available. This one is very affordable and comprehensive. Del's 2 albums he did with Tom Petty are still in print, as is the 1968 soft pop/psychedelic oddity, "The Further Adventures of Charles Westover".