Comments on: Del Shannon “Sings Hank Williams”

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:00:26 +0000

This is an interesting album. Del Shannon is great. Runaway is one of my all-time faves. And I love Hank too. What’s interesting to me is that Del is better than expected crossing over into the honky tonk genre. But that said, the arrangements and treatment is so close to the original, that you almost wonder what’s the point. Nobody can sing these songs like Hank did, so I’d almost rather here an R&B or a bluegrass treatment just to hear a different take.

For Hank fans, this album is worth having because it is one of the better tributes. Similar to the George Jones tributes to Hank from the same era.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 02:49:21 +0000

Sure, anything, anytime. One of my very favorite Michigan groups is the Rationals. I like the Index too but they are more psych – very underproduced too!

By: Ogie

Ogie — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:20:51 +0000

Thanks again for awakening those images I grew up with, Del, born Charles Westover in Coopersville, Michigan, was an inspiration to us in West Michigan who had dreams of rocking and rolling.

Runaway, Little Town Flirt, Keep Searchin’, and his cover of Under My Thumb (after the Stones opened for him in England), were awesome, but you’re right. He was on the cutting edge, ALWAYS. He came back to Michigan in 1963 and told us about the blossoming music scene in Great Britain and predicted the British Invasion.

Thanks to Tom Petty for bringing the light back to this star before his depression finally took hold and eventually ended his life! Tom produced one of his last, if not the last, recording Del ever did.

Thank you again…for opening our eyes and ears.

Would you like to help w/my new radio program??

Ogie

By: stewart

stewart — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:45:32 +0000

thanks for introducing me to a side of DS I never knew about, I thought he’d disappeared after ‘Swiss maid’!