Customer Reviews

1961-1990: Complete Career Anthology

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although not an exhaustive anthology of Shannon's works, certainely the best representative collection that I have ever seen for one of the most underrated and influential artist of the 1960s. This CD spans Shannon's nearly 30 year career covering his highs and some. . . well, not so highs (witness his version of the Stone's "Under My Thumb"). Although, his stereo versions of classics such as "Runaway" and "Hats off to Larry" not to mention rare tracks like his remake of Runaway for the 1980s TV show "Crime Story" are incredible finds. Shannon was truly a man ahead of his time, and his music in stereo only further shows how unique his music was. This collection certainly has a good representative mix of songs throughout his career. Once you hear this collection, you'll see why it is nothing short of a travesty that Shannon is not more celebrated in the pantheon of rock and roll gods.

1961-1990: A Complete Career Anthology~ Del Shannon . There have been complaints concerning Del's career that were based on this compilation. Rather than stay stagnant, a la Chubby Checker, etc., Del experienced periods of growth and change. Instead of the teenage screamer of yesterday, the series ends with the gentle screamer of the later years. I found the later years, under the leadership of Tom Petty and other greats to be inspiring and interesting in the growth of a major representative of rock 'n' roll, whereas, some listeners preferred that he remain with the old and not venture into the new.

That was the negative reaction that Ricky Nelson experienced in his advancement through the music genres and so it was with Del. I think that all of these pieces are necessary to experience the whole of the sound of Del Shannon.

obtained the CD after reading other reviews and was very happy that I did. Not just for the classics by Mr. Shannon, but also other songs I had never heard; Both Crying and Kelly done live are masterpieces. Based upon hearing these, recently purchased the CD that includes Live from England. That also is a must have too. The vocal range of Del is second to no one.

I remember when they announced his tragic suicide in 1990. What a great loss to popular music. All the big hits are here plus a lot of other gems. The producers did a nice job with the sound quality on most of the earlier recordings. A nice booklet accompanies this 2 disc set. If you enjoy Runaway and Hats Off To Larry, this set is worth a listen.

Shannon is of course known for his hit "Runaway" #1 in 1961,
it was a MONSTER size hit, and remains a classic to this day!
From 1961 to 1966 Shannon had 16 U.S.A. charted singles & one last charted song in 1981.
17 tolal, and 16 of those are included here in this set.

Here in chronogical order is listed Shannon's hits.
1. 'Runaway' b/w 'Jody' 1961
2. 'Hats off to Larry' b/w 'Don't gild the Lily, Lily' 1961
3. 'So long baby' b/w 'The answer to every thing' 1961
4. 'Hey! little girl' b/w 'I don't care anymore' 1961
5. 'Cry myself to sleep' b/w 'I'm gonna move on' 1962
6. 'The swiss maid' b/w 'You never talked about me' 1962
7. 'Little town flirt' b/w 'The Wamboo' 1962
8. 'Two kinds of teardrops' b/w 'Kelly' 1963
9. 'From me to you' b/w 'Two silhouettes' 1963
10. 'Sue's gotta be mine' b/w 'Now she's gone' 1963
11. 'Handy man' b/w 'Give her lots of lovin' 1964
12. 'Do you want to dance' b/w 'This is all I have to give' 1964
13. 'Keep searchin' (We'll follow the sun) b/w 'Broken promises' 1964
14. 'Stranger in town' b/w 'Over you' 1965
15. 'Break up' b/w 'Why don't you tell him' 1965
16. 'The big hurt' b/w 'I got it bad' 1966
17. 'Sea of love' b/w 'Midnight train' 1981
Shannon wrote all of the above except #6 ,9, 11, 12

What is missing is "the big hurt" #94 in 1966,
and "do you want to dance" is a live version only.
Of the 17 b-sides that could have been here, there are only 4.
Many of those b-sides that are NOT here are really good tracks,
and many of them can be found on the twofer c.d.'s.

Of the 57 songs on this double c.d. twenty either made the top 100,
or is the b-side of a record that did.
Shannon had a particularly distinctive quality.
His versitile voice, style, and sound is memorable.
He played an important roll in the music world, espically the first 1/2 of the 1960s.
He wrote 'I go to pieces' for Peter and Gordon.
He was a brilliant song writer, and wrote much of his own material.
For example, he wrote 25 of the 48 songs that make up his first four vinyl albums.
He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1990, at age 55,
and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Because he was famous before I was born, all my life I have been familiar with Del Shannon's name and a smattering of his hits. One day after hearing a song of his on the radio, I finally decided to get a best-of CD. After I researched quite a bit, this set seemed like the best one, with the most bang for the buck. And I was 100% correct!

Not only are we treated to most of Shannon's hits, this collection draws from the material later in his career, which I like even more than his big-time hits. Some of the songs (including "Tell Her No", "Cheap Love" and "Crying") were hits for other artists, but Shannon's versions hold their own while exuding their own originality. Plus, we get three different versions of Shannon's signature hit "Runaway," and each one is unique and terrific (I especially enjoy the '80s version -- so cool!).

If you like strongly performed rock, pop and rockabilly, chances are you'll love this set. Highly recommended!

Just about every chart hit, includes nice booklet. Best Del Shannon compilation out there, for my money.

This is a truly magnificent collection of Del Shannon's career, from his early days right up to his untimely death. My favorites were Runaway, Handy Man, and Who Left Who. Fans take note...to my knowledge, this is the only cd which has his "Crime Story" version of Runaway, which is slightly more heavy and melancholy than the original, but still very good. I highly recommend this two cd set.