Del Shannon - Home and Away: The Complete Recording 1960-1970 [8 CD, 2004]

 

Of all the early rock & rollers, Del Shannon is the hardest to classify. He came on the scene a little late -- his first hits, "Hats off to Larry" and "Runaway," arrived in 1961, five years after rock & roll came crashing in, a long enough period of time where his music felt much, much different than the three-chord ravers of the first wave of rock & roll. He arrived during the peak of teen idol pop and was handsome enough to ride that wave, but he was older than Fabian and Ricky Nelson, scoring his first hits in his mid-twenties. Shannon could be seen as a kindred spirit of Roy Orbison, favoring dramatic ballast to blues boogie, threading a sense of melancholy into his biggest hits, but he never verged on the operatic the way Orbison did. He was comfortable enough with country to cut an album of Hank Williams tunes in 1965 and hip enough to go psychedelic when the times shifted in the late '60s. He wrote his biggest hits but also had exceptional taste in other songwriters, being one of the first American rockers to cover the Beatles, along with such '60s pop hits as Bobby Hebb's "Sunny," Brian Hyland's "The Joker Went Wild" and the Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City."

 
None of this restlessness brought Del Shannon big hits -- his run peaked early, with the back-to-back Top 10 hits of "Hats off to Larry" and "Runaway," with the latter reaching number one, then he bounced back in 1965 with the Top 10 "Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow the Sun)" -- but it did result in a singularly fascinating body of work, one that's compiled in its entirety on Bear Family's box Home and Away: The Complete Recordings 1960-1970. 

 

 

 Shannon continued to tour and, when he could, record, until his death in 1990, but this is his prime, when his creativity ran wild but never in a showy way, not even when he dove into trippy psychedelia in 1967, a career move that practically begs for extravagance. Despite that keening falsetto and taste for melodrama, Shannon never seemed over the top; he retained a Midwestern humbleness that grounds his records, even ties together all his musical wanderings. The music on Home and Away may drift from rock & roll to country to pop and back again, winding up with a lean, colorful roots rock reminiscent of Joe South, but it doesn't seems scattershot or random, there's a natural logic to Shannon's movements that keeps his music seeming like pop product that follows the changing times. There's range here but also consistency, with each phase being pretty strong on its own accord, with Shannon subtly altering his vocal style to suit whatever he's singing. Perhaps he was too adept at this, sliding from sound to sound so easily he never wound up cutting a strong overall persona, but that's also a byproduct of his Midwestern breeding; he served the song, not himself. And while that might not have made for superstardom, it did give him a remarkable run, its uniqueness easier to appreciate in one big dose as it is here, for all those phases and stages are placed in context (with Bear Family thankfully saving the alternates and demos for an extended coda, not mixing it in with the rest), making the depth and unpredictability of his work not just evident, but easy to savor.

CD1

01. The Search [Mono] (2:23)
02. I'll Always Love You [Mono] (2:11)
03. Runaway [Mono] (2:20)
04. Jody (2:24)
05. Hats Off to Larry (2:03)
06. Don't Gild the Lily, Lily (2:20)
07. I Wake up Crying (2:02)
08. Wide Wide World (2:00)
09. Misery (1:58)
10. Daydreams (2:16)
11. His Latest Flame (2:20)
12. The Prom (2:21)
13. Lies (2:37)
14. He Doesn't Care (2:10)
15. So Long Baby (2:01)
16. The Answer to Everything (2:45)
17. Hey Little Girl (2:31)
18. I Don't Care Anymore (2:51)
19. Ginny in the Mirror (2:11)
20. I Won't Be There (2:01)
21. You Never Talked About Me (2:14)
22. Cry Myself to Sleep (2:21)
23. I'm Gonna Move On (2:48)
24. The Swiss Maid (2:06)
25. Dream Baby (2:33)
26. She Thinks I Still Care (2:44)
27. Runaround Sue (2:37)
28. The Search (2:24)
29. I'll Always Love You (2:14)
30. The Search [Stereo] (2:26)
31. I'll Always Love You [Stereo] (2:13)
32. Runaway [Stereo] [Different Take Version] (2:19)
33. Hey Little Girl [Stereo Without Overdubs] (2:29)



CD2

01. Little Town Flirt (2:48)
02. The Wamboo (2:27)
03. Two Kind of Teardrops (2:30)
04. Kelly (2:36)
05. Two Silhouettes (2:19)
06. My Wild One (2:00)
07. Happiness (2:20)
08. Hey Baby (2:25)
09. Go Away Little Girl (2:18)
10. From Me to You (1:56)
11. Sue's Gotta Be Mine (2:01)
12. Now She's Gone (2:14)
13. That's the Way Love Is (2:26)
14. Time of the Day (2:39)
15. Torture [Version # 1] (2:29)
16. Nothin' (2:27)
17. Froggy (2:18)
18. Pursuit (1:56)
19. Mary Jane (2:26)
20. Stains on My Letter (2:26)
21. I'll Be Lonely Tomorrow (2:12)
22. I Can't Fool Around Anymore (2:21)
23. Handy Man (2:13)
24. Give Her Lot's of Lovin' (2:04)
25. Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) (1:51)
26. Memphis (2:36)
27. Ruby Baby (2:18)
28. Crying (2:41)
29. World Without Love (2:45)
30. Twist and Shout (2:40)
31. Torture [Version # 2] (2:31)



CD3

01. Do You Wanna Dance [Mono] (2:13)
02. This Is All I Have to Give (3:14)
03. Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow the Sun) (2:07)
04. Broken Promises (2:16)
05. Stranger in Town (2:31)
06. Over You (2:35)
07. Your Cheatin' Heart (3:05)
08. Kaw-Liga (3:06)
09. I Can't Help It (2:33)
10. Honky Tonk Blues (2:19)
11. I Heard That Lonesome Whistle (2:18)
12. You Win Again (3:10)
13. Ramblin' Man (3:20)
14. Hey Good Lockin' (2:34)
15. Long Gone Lnesome Blues (2:12)
16. Weary Blues (3:16)
17. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (2:56)
18. Cold Cold Heart (2:49)
19. Wrong Day, Wrong Way (2:48)
20. Table Reserved for the Blues (3:12)
21. Pardon Me I Guess I'm in the Way (3:11)
22. Quenn of the Honky Tonks (2:42)
23. Break Up (2:20)
24. Why Don't You Tell Him (2:07)
25. She Cried (2:29)
26. Needles and Pins (2:03)
27. Do You Wanna Dance [Stereo] (2:30)



CD4

01. I Go to Pieces (2:27)
02. I'm Gonna Be Strong (2:03)
03. Rag Doll (2:46)
04. Running Scared (2:16)
05. Move It on Over (2:54)
06. She Still Remembers Tony (2:30)
07. I Can't Believe My Ears (2:22)
08. I Wish I Wasn't Me Tonight (2:12)
09. The Big Hurt (2:10)
10. I've Got It Bad (Aka Never Thought I Could) (2:24)
11. Show Me (2:20)
12. For a Little While (2:26)
13. Hey ! Little Star (2:36)
14. When You Walk in the Room (2:14)
15. Oh, Pretty Woman (2:43)
16. Everybody Loves a Clown (2:23)
17. It's Too Late (2:23)
18. Where the Action Is (1:51)
19. Lightning Strikes (3:05)
20. The Cheater (2:41)
21. Kicks (2:19)
22. Under My Thumb (2:47)
23. She Was Mine (2:41)
24. Show Me (2:27)
25. Under My Thumb (2:46)



CD5

01. Red Rubber Ball (2:18)
02. Pied Piper (2:09)
03. Sunny (2:45)
04. Time Won't Let Me (2:31)
05. What Makes You Run (2:40)
06. I Can't Be True (2:19)
07. Summer in the City (2:44)
08. Where Were You When I Needed You (3:00)
09. The Joker Went Wild (2:43)
10. She (2:41)
11. Stand Up (2:41)
12. The House Where Nobody Lives (2:28)
13. It's My Feeling (2:19)
14. Mind Over Matter (2:51)
15. Silently (2:55)
16. Cut and Come Home (2:50)
17. My Love Has Gone (2:40)
18. Led Along (2:29)
19. Life Is But Nothing (3:23)
20. Easy to Say (2:46)
21. Friendly With You (1:52)
22. He Cheated (2:07)
23. Runaway '67 (3:27)
24. Thinkin' It Over (2:57)
25. The Letter (2:12)
26. River Cool (3:24)
27. Colour Flashing Hair (3:52)
28. Conquer (3:13)



CD6

01. New Orleans (Mardi Gras) (5:13)
02. Be My Friend (2:28)
03. Silver Birch (3:13)
04. I Think I Love You (4:13)
05. Gemini (3:19)
06. Runnin' on Back (3:38)
07. Been So Long (3:05)
08. Magical Musical Box (3:41)
09. Something to Write Home About (2:43)
10. Raindrops (3:03)
11. You Don't Live Me (3:01)
12. Leavin' You Behind (2:33)
13. Never Be the Same (2:42)
14. Comin' Back to Me (2:41)
15. Sweet Mary ou (2:30)
16. Colorado Rain (2:55)
17. How Can I Tell You (2:46)
18. Southern Part of Town (3:26)
19. She's Got Soul (1:52)
20. Sister Isabelle (2:32)
21. Good Love (1:55)
22. Sun Don't Shine (Drip Drop) (2:06)
23. Anita (I'm Walking on Fire) (3:11)
24. Reason to Believe (2:28)
25. She Even Woke Me up to Say Goodbye (3:14)
26. He Cheated (Overdubbed) (2:16)
27. Raindrops [With Sound Effects] (2:59)



CD7

01. Little Oscar (2:24)
02. Living on Misery (2:07)
03. Angel of Love (2:55)
04. Could Be, Can't Tell, Don't Know (2:41)
05. What's the Use (In Trying) (3:04)
06. This Feeling Called Love (2:12)
07. This Is All I Have to Give (Everyting I Have Is Yours) (1:50)
08. Happiness (1:42)
09. She's Your Girl (1:50)
10. One More Time (2:07)
11. Face of an Angel (2:33)
12. Johnny's Got the Blues (2:13)
13. I Fell in Love With You (0:56)
14. Condemned to Die [Version #1] (2:44)
15. I Guess I'll Never Really Know (2:43)
16. A Girl of My Own (2:16)
17. Time Marches On (2:40)
18. Daydreams (1:59)
19. Wishing on a Star (Counting Stars at Night) (1:44)
20. Honey Bee [Version #1] (2:15)
21. Lies (1:48)
22. He Doesn't Care (2:44)
23. The Prom (2:10)
24. Honey Bee [Version #2] (2:04)
25. Condemned to Die [Version #2] (2:00)
26. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry Over You (2:42)
27. Runaway (2:24)
28. Jody (2:16)
29. One Kiss (2:14)
30. Pepsi Commercial #1 (1:02)
31. Pepsi Commercial #2 (1:02)
32. Pepsi Commercial #3 (1:00)
33. Pepsi Commercial #4 (0:30)



 CD8

01. The Things She Said (2:42)
02. I Can't Let You Go (2:13)
03. Just You (2:39)
04. If She Were My Girl (2:02)
05. For a Little While (2:31)
06. This Feeling Called Love (3:21)
07. It's Funny (3:09)
08. She (2:36)
09. Where Is She (3:45)
10. I've Got Eyes for You (2:40)
11. Did I See What I Think I Saw (2:12)
12. Makin's of a Heartache (2:50)
13. I'm Going Through It Too (Table Reserved for the Blues) (2:37)
14. Pardon Me (I Guess I'm in the Way) (2:38)
15. Pardon Me (2:25)
16. The Jury (2:48)
17. Deep in the Valley (2:21)
18. I Never Caught Her Name (3:17)
19. Thunder and Lightning (2:04)
20. The Wedding (There Goes Billy) (3:06)
21. Rest Your Mind (3:22)
22. Lorrayne (2:42)