It's fascinating to go back and hear how various artists in the 60s struggled with paths forward and while Shannon seems a bit lost on these albums, I do hear moments where, if he had the right A&R support, he could have remained a vital force. Thanks for sharing these, Robert.
I agree - Shannon often sounds confounded - the cover of 'The Pied Piper' is a great example. I think he could have made a good record of it but having him sing to the backing track of the Crispin St. Peters version with an exaggerated bass sound is both fascinating and heartbreaking.
It's also heartbreaking that Mike Campbell and Jeff Lynne were working with him on an album that might have reignited his career but for his death by suicide while it was being wrapped. I should go back and listen to that, but it just seemed like such a distressing end to his story.
I should too - Lynne is such a huge Del Shannon fan and of course, there's the rumour that Shannon could have been a Travelling Wilbury to replace Roy Orbison (who had a big influence on Shannon and who covered Orbison's songs very well!). Another detail I left off the essay is that Shannon did return to the top 40 in 1981 with a cover of 'Sea of Love.'
This essay is first-rate. I often think about the Fifties pop stars who tried, often in vain, to break free from the commercially controlled music they were making into something more daring. I did not know about these recordings. Thanks for bringing them to our attention. Another artist who had struggled, but succeeded in moving away from commercial expectations, was Dion DiMucci.
Another excellent piece! Thanks for posting this--your insight is refreshing. Del Shannon is a fascinating artist, who almost seems to exist in an alternate universe/timescape. Chris Isaak and the recently deceased Raul Malo are like that because their recordings sound like they could have been made in 1962 or 1971 or 2020.
Nice piece, Robert. I've been a Del Shannon fan since hearing "Runaway" for the first time when I was 12, and I continue to be amazed by how well his best recordings still stand up, and how deeply they continue to resonate with me emotionally. But yeah, this particular stretch of his career is maddening; I'm not sure if he just wasn't writing many songs of his own at this point, or if his label/producers simply thought the "money" was in him recording covers of established hits, but the albums you mention here largely feel like wastes of his incredible talents.
They definitely do. What's even more frustrating is unlike the Everly Brothers, for one example, who were doing lots of covers at the time but at least tailoring them to their style and sound, Shannon was largely replicating the hit records even down to, as I mention, singing straight to a backing track, like on Crispin St. Peters' 'The Pied Piper.' But, it's also one of the reasons why they are such fascinating recordings.
The Everlys are a great example. Their mid-late sixties albums are some of my favorites, especially Two Yanks in England, where they’re largely backed by The Hollies — Del would have totally shined on a record like that.
I agree - 'Two Yanks in England' is one of the few Everly Brothers albums I don't have on vinyl and only know by streaming. Hope to come across it one crate-digging.
It's fascinating to go back and hear how various artists in the 60s struggled with paths forward and while Shannon seems a bit lost on these albums, I do hear moments where, if he had the right A&R support, he could have remained a vital force. Thanks for sharing these, Robert.
I agree - Shannon often sounds confounded - the cover of 'The Pied Piper' is a great example. I think he could have made a good record of it but having him sing to the backing track of the Crispin St. Peters version with an exaggerated bass sound is both fascinating and heartbreaking.
It's also heartbreaking that Mike Campbell and Jeff Lynne were working with him on an album that might have reignited his career but for his death by suicide while it was being wrapped. I should go back and listen to that, but it just seemed like such a distressing end to his story.
I should too - Lynne is such a huge Del Shannon fan and of course, there's the rumour that Shannon could have been a Travelling Wilbury to replace Roy Orbison (who had a big influence on Shannon and who covered Orbison's songs very well!). Another detail I left off the essay is that Shannon did return to the top 40 in 1981 with a cover of 'Sea of Love.'
Wasn't that cover/related album produced by Tom Petty, making for another Wilbury connection?
Yes, that's right!
This essay is first-rate. I often think about the Fifties pop stars who tried, often in vain, to break free from the commercially controlled music they were making into something more daring. I did not know about these recordings. Thanks for bringing them to our attention. Another artist who had struggled, but succeeded in moving away from commercial expectations, was Dion DiMucci.
Thanks, John, and thanks for bringing up Dion, who's still going strong after all these years.
P.S. Do you know if John Fogerty was a big fan of Del Shannon? I hear a lot of similarities in their vocal approaches/styles.
I'm not sure - there is nothing that I have read that talks about what Fogerty thought about Shannon.
Another excellent piece! Thanks for posting this--your insight is refreshing. Del Shannon is a fascinating artist, who almost seems to exist in an alternate universe/timescape. Chris Isaak and the recently deceased Raul Malo are like that because their recordings sound like they could have been made in 1962 or 1971 or 2020.
Nice piece, Robert. I've been a Del Shannon fan since hearing "Runaway" for the first time when I was 12, and I continue to be amazed by how well his best recordings still stand up, and how deeply they continue to resonate with me emotionally. But yeah, this particular stretch of his career is maddening; I'm not sure if he just wasn't writing many songs of his own at this point, or if his label/producers simply thought the "money" was in him recording covers of established hits, but the albums you mention here largely feel like wastes of his incredible talents.
They definitely do. What's even more frustrating is unlike the Everly Brothers, for one example, who were doing lots of covers at the time but at least tailoring them to their style and sound, Shannon was largely replicating the hit records even down to, as I mention, singing straight to a backing track, like on Crispin St. Peters' 'The Pied Piper.' But, it's also one of the reasons why they are such fascinating recordings.
The Everlys are a great example. Their mid-late sixties albums are some of my favorites, especially Two Yanks in England, where they’re largely backed by The Hollies — Del would have totally shined on a record like that.
I agree - 'Two Yanks in England' is one of the few Everly Brothers albums I don't have on vinyl and only know by streaming. Hope to come across it one crate-digging.
I highly recommend the mono pressing - it’s punchy as hell!