Del Shannon
Band members Related acts
line up 1 (-90) - Del Shannon (aka Charles Westover) (RIP 1990) -- vocals, guitar
supporting musicians (1966) - Billie Barnum -- backing vocals - Jean King -- backing vocals - Judie Lawler -- backing vocals - Steve Monahan -- backing vocals
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- none known |
Genre: rock Rating: ** (2 stars) Title: Total Commitment Company: Liberty Catalog: LRP 3479 Year: 1966 Country/State: Grand Rapids, Illinois Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: mono pressing; taped split top edge Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $15.00
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Co-produced by Del
Shannon and Dallas Smith, 1966's "Total Commitment"
was the artist's second album for Liberty. Like the previous release,
1966's "This Is My Bag" featured a mixtur
"Total Commitment" track listing: 1.) Under My Thumb (Mick Jagger - Keith Richards) - 2:47 Shannon had long been interested in English bands, being one of the first major acts to record a Beatles tune ('From Me To You'). As such it shouldn't have come as a major surprise to hear Shannon covering a Stones track. At least to me what was interesting about his Under My Thumb' cover stemmed from how hard Shannon seemed to be mimicking Jagger's delivery. It was interesting to hear, but ultimately his cover sounded very much like the Stones' original. The song was tapped as the album's second single:
- 1966's 'Under My Thumb' b/w 'She was Mine' (Liberty catalog number 55904) #128 Billboard pop singles chart
2.) Red Rubber Ball (Paul Simon - Bruce Woodley) - 2:50 rating: *** stars Most of the covers on this album were okay, but didn't pose a threat to the originals. The exception to that statement might have been 'Red Rubber Ball'. Most folks are going to know the tune via The Cyrkle's hit version. Shannon's arrangement sticks with the original melody, but his voice was nicely suited to the song's pop melody. 3.) She Was Mine (Roy Nievelt) - 2:42 rating: **** stars This was the one cover tune unknown to me. That may be why I thought it was one of the better performances. Nievelt seems to have done well as a mid-'60s writer, placing material with a slew of soul acts including Brenda Holloway and The Monitors. 'She was Mine' had a great melody and energetic delivery. Admittedly Shannon's vocals were a bit rough and the drummer sounded like he was struggling, but it was still an enjoyable performance. The track reappeared as the "B" side to Shannon's 'Under My Thumb' 45. 4.) Where Were You When I Needed You (P.F. Sloan - Steve Barri) - 2:54 rating: *** stars Full of jangle guitars, Coral sitar and harpsichord 'Where Were You When I Needed You" certainly had that unique P.F. Sloan sound. Shannon's version was good, but I'd give the nod to The Grassroots'. 5.) The Joker Went Wild (Bobby Russell) - 2:27 rating: ** stars Brian Hyland enjoyed the original hit with this one. To be honest, to my ears there wasn't all that much difference between the Hyland and Shannon versions. Both were upbeat, perky and kind of quirky. 6.) The Pied Piper (Steve Duboff - Artie Kornfeld) - 2:07 rating: ** stars Crispian St Peters' 'The Pied Piper' was another tune that had previously been a goofy folk-rock hit. Shannon's version wasn't all that different, though he sounded uncomfortable singing in a deeper register.
(side 2) 1.) Sunny (Bobby Hebb) - 2:52 rating: *** stars As a tribute to his murdered brother, Bobby Hebb's 'Sunny' was such a personal song, I would have advised against covering it. Once again Shannon's cover remained true to the original, making you wonder what the point was. Extra star for the fact this was such a good song, but if you want to hear it find the Hebb original. 2.) Show Me (Del Shannon) - 2:27 rating: **** stars 'Show Me' had been recorded during Shannon's initial sessions for Liberty. Rather than include it on his Liberty debut "This Is My Bag" the song was set aside for a future single release. Kicked along by a bass line that's always reminded me of 'Inna-Ga-Da-Vida', the energetic Shannon original 'Show Me' offered up a great slice of dance music. Displaying his unique voice which effortlessly slid into that falsetto, it was the perfect track for a night of shagging. Hearing this one you couldn't help but wonder why he wasted time on covers. Liberty tapped the song as the album's first single:
- 1966's 'Show Me' b/w 'Never Thought I Could' (Liberty catalog number 55894)
3.) Time Won't Let Me (Tom King - Chet Kelley) - 2:35 rating: ** stars I've always liked The Outsiders' 'Time Won't Let Me', but once again Shannon's arrangement didn't stray from the original, or add anything of note to the performance. 4.) What Makes You Run (Del Shannon) - 2:42 rating: **** stars Another original 'What Makes You Run' captured everything that made Shannon such an impressive performer - catchy jangle rock melody; great multi-tracked vocals; sweet harmonies and interesting instrumentation - xylophone? Shame it was relegated to the "B" side of the 1966 'She' single. 5.) I Can't Be True (Del Shannon) - 2:20 rating: **** stars Admittedly it sounded a little dated, but the organ powered garage ballad 'I Can't Be True' was a cool performance. Another track that could have been released as a single, but ended up as a "B" side on his 1966 'Led Alone' single. 6.) Summer in the City (John Sebastian - Mark Sebastian - Steve Boone) - 2:45 rating: ** stars Yes, it's a great rocker, but for goodness sakes just haul out The Lovin' Spoonful original.
© Scott R. Blackerby December, 2022
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Genre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: The Further Adventures of Charles Westover Company: Liberty Catalog: LST 7539 Year: 1968 Country/State: Grand Rapids, Illinois Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring, edge and corner wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5090 Price: $125.00
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It seems that by 1968 every musician under the sun was growing their hair long (nice sideburns Del), donning mod clothing and jumping aboard the psychedelic bandwagon. With his recording career in commercial limbo, Del Shannon was no exception to the rule.
Co-produced by Dugg Brown and future manager Daniel Bourgoise, 1968's "The Further Adventures of Charles Westover" (yeah, that was his birth name - no wonder he opted for a different stage name), was an all-out assault on the realm of downer-psych. Instinctively you'd probably think the resulting album would be hysterically inept, however having listened to it a dozens of times, the set's goofy, but surprisingly good. Unlike many of his competitors Shannon and his teamed pulled out all the stops in an effort to underscore his relevance. The twelve songs came complete with over-the-top orchestration, backward strings, harpsichords, sitars, female backing vocalists and supposedly deep and insightful lyrics. Listening to tracks like 'Silver Birch' and 'Conquer' you could just imagine Shannon thinking "c'mon folks, dig the long hair and take me as a serious artist ..." Material such as the single 'Gemini', 'Colour Flashing Hair' and 'Magical Musical Box' was surprisingly cool and attractive. Personal favorites included the lysergic-drenched pop tune 'Think I Love You' and the country-ish 'River Cool'. It's one of those rare albums where there really isn't a bad song to be found. Yeah, some are better than others, but there's not one where I would pick up the stylus and skip on the next song. Unfortunately as was to be expected, the change in musical direction was too much for old fans to handle. Admittedly for long time fans 'Runaway' to 'Colour Flashing Hair' required a massive leap in faith and few were willing to make the leap. Simultaneously younger psych-oriented audiences wanted nothing to do with what most of them viewed as a golden oldies act. For goodness sake, many of their parents owned Del Shannon albums. Caught in that demographic dead zone, the album failed to sell and by the end of the year Shannon had ended his longstanding professional relationship with Liberty. Shame since this was one of the best "reinvention" albums out there. Whereas many of his contemporaries slapped a psychedelic cover on a collection of the same old stuff, Shannon was clearly serious about exploring different musical idioms and remaking himself. The album should have been a massive hit. As far as I know, Shannon did not record another studio album of new material for twelve years and the release of 1981's "Drop Down and Get Me."
Perhaps because the original US cover was so
dark and ominous, the UK version featured alternative, peppier artwork (Liberty
catalog number LBS 83114)
"The Further Adventures of Charles Westover" track listing: 1.) Thinkin' It Over (Del Shannon - Beau James) - 2:47 rating: **** stars 'Thinkin' It Over' was simply a wonderful performance. A haunting ballad that captured the best aspects of Shannon's voice, the track's ethereal feel and engaging arrangement always reminded me of an American version of Colin Blunstone and The Zombies. The tune was tapped as a single in the US and throughout the world:
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1968's 'Thinkin' It Over' b/w 'Runnin' On Back' (Liberty catalog number
56018) The
opening sure sounded like we were going into standard blues territory, but
then the tune when off into hysteric soul territory, Nah, songwriter
Dug Birch wasn't going to win anything in the lyrics department (unless
their was an award for repetition). The vocal sounded like it was
recorded live - warts and all. The
dark and haunting 'Silver Birch' abandoned and burned all traces of the old
Del Shannon. Can we say all say lysergic overload? Always
loved the pounding bass line; the electric sitar and the catchy
refrain. 'I Think I Love You' was the album's best blend of
psychedelic and commerciality. To get a feel for the song, imagine
what Mike Nesmith and the rest of The Monkess would have come up with had
Don Kirshner let them go off in a true psych tangent. I would have
tapped this one as a single. Quite
different from the rest of the album, 'River Cool' framed Shannon in a
country-rock melody. The slightly treated vocals were in keeping with
the album's lysergic touch. Opening
up with an intriguing acoustic guitar, 'Colour Flashing Hair' offered up an
awesome slice of pop-psych. To my ears the song's structure, extensive
orchestration and Shannon's fragile vocals bore more than a passing
resemblance to late-'60s Bee Gees. Very pretty and commercial. (side 2) 1.) Gemini (Del Shannon) - 3:02 rating: **** stars The Beach Boys collide with Roy Wood and the Move ... If you're ever looking for a song that captures that mid-'60s vibe for a film score, then give a listen to 'Gemini'. As much as I love Shannon's earlier catalog, I'm not sure he ever sounded as good as on this one. Glorious melody and the production effects that would have made The Fab Four smile. Great choice for the album's second single:
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1968's 'Gemini' b/w 'Magical Music Box' (Liberty catalog number 56036)
2.) Runnin' On Back (Del Shannon - Sharon Sheeley) - 3:30 rating: **** stars I
love 'Runnin' On Back' because it sounds like Shannon took one of his older
songs; dosed it with high octane barbiturates and then slapped droning organ
and fuzz guitars on top of it. Given the droning garage vibe, it
was a shame he didn't record and release this in 1965. 'Conquer'
was a pretty, reflective ballad with impressive multi-tracked vocals.
Always loved Shannon's breathless delivery and the sitar
touches. 'Been
So Long' seemingly added a touch of swamp-rock to the mixture.
Shannon's vocals reminded me a little of Neil Young at his most tuneful. The
echo production effects detracted from the performance as did the
end-of-song meltdown effect. Opening
up with the music box sound effects, I feared 'Magical Musical Box' was
going to be too precious for its own good. It was fragile, but kicked
along by some harpsichord and a Baroque arrangement that reminded me of
'Eleanor Rigby' at her most depressed, there was something fascinating about
this one. Written by future Southwind bassist Jim Pulte, 'New Orleans (Mardis Gras)' was one of two outside covers. Musically it was an interesting mash-up of styles including New Orleans funk moves, Stax-styled horns, rock moves and mid-Eastern flavors. Geez, did I stumble into a Cajun zombies movie soundtrack by mistake?
© Scott R. Blackerby December, 2022
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