Stranger In Town: A Del Shannon Compendium

During the early 60s, there were few singers who could transmit heartbreak through the airwaves as palpably or as completely as Del Shannon could. His songs like "Runaway," "Keep Searchin (Well Follow the Sun)," and "Two Kind of Teardrops" are classics of the melodramatic crooner genre and made him an unlikely star. His popularity may have waned as the decade sped past, but Shannon never gave up searching, trying for hits, or trying to break the hearts of as many listeners as possible. The 2004 Bear Family box set Home and Away: The Complete Recordings 1960-1970 documented the first decade of this pursuit, collecting all his albums, singles, and B-sides along with two discs of demos, both from early in his career and once he was established. There was more to Shannons story, however, and Edsels 2023 mega release Stranger in Town: A Del Shannon Compendium takes everything from Home and Away, then adds everything Shannon recorded in the 70s and 80s, amounting to an extra four discs and then some worth of material. Much of the music has been available in different formats; compiled together, it shows the work of an artist struggling to be heard and perceived as a modern singer to be reckoned with, not just as oldies act, even though thats where the money was. To that end, the Live in England album from 1973, where Shannon runs excitedly through a selection of his hits, balances precariously against the singles he recorded in the early half of the 70s, where he worked with Jeff Lynne, the Robb Brothers, and Dave Edmunds, trying to bring his sound up to date. Tracks like 1972s lovely ballad "Whats a Matter, Baby?" and 1974s "And the Music Played On" provide ample proof that Shannon was still (always) at the top of his game, even if nobody was there to listen. The set also includes his excellent comeback album, 1981s Drop Down and Get Me, made with Tom Petty and featuring a batch of Shannon-composed songs as good as any from his prime, the posthumous Rock On!, and a long-lost album of covers and hits recorded in Ireland during the late 70s and released in 2017 as the Dublin Sessions. Sprinkled in are some rarities that include two demos recorded in the early 70s with his old running mate and keyboardist Max Crook, the version of "Runaway" he recorded for the TV series Crime Story, some tracks made during the Rock On! sessions, and most interestingly, a country-rock album recorded in the early 80s and rejected by Warner Brothers after the first two singles failed to hit. Shannon released a few copies on cassette to his fan club, but a real release had to wait until this set. It proves to be a fun, well-made album that compares well to the kind of heartland rock-meets-country sound that was sweeping the U.S. at the time. Its inclusion here is a major enticement to take the pricey leap necessary to add Stranger in Town to ones collection. It is an essential expense, both of money and time, for anyone looking to experience the full scope of one of the great, overlooked artists of his era. There are enough hits, rarities, and overlooked tracks here to make even the most die-hard Shannon fan happy as well as enchanting anyone hearing this magical music for the first time. ~ Tim Sendra