Del Shannon the Runaway...

If you are familiar with the "Golden Age" of Rock'n'Roll and the 50's sound and the Doo Wop era, then you must surely know of Del Shannon and his song Runaway. A great musician and song writer, he seemed to almost fade into obscurity as the 60's progressed. He played The Sunset Strip, and was still a viable player in the music field, yet he didn't garner as much attention as he should have. It was during this time however, that he created two of the most underrated and greatest albums of his career. One was Home & Away from 1967, which was recorded in London, and was never released in it's originally conceived form. It is now available and worth the listen. The other, was The Further Adventures of Charles Westover, from 1968 on the Liberty Label. 1968 was part of a turbulent era in American, as well as world history. So many people were looking at new ideas, and seeing things in different ways. Fellow musician Johnny Rivers even went psychedelic in his 1968 album 'Realization'. It seemed as if "mainstream" America were going for a "trip". Shannon's album speaks to me on a more personal level. This album is truly a great album, with Del Shannon going psychedelic. It has hints of folk, rock, country, and even the feel of the Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds' album in it. Below are some youtube clips...those just DON'T DO JUSTICE....listen to this album in it entirety by yourself or with a significant other and just take a road trip....just go cruise...and on a final not I leave you with this bit of information... Charles Westover is Del Shannon's real name...