THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,948) Del Shannon — “I Think I Love You”
Del Shannon, yes that Del Shannon (see #1,453), runs away to psychedelia, giving us a brooding psych juggernaut, an “especially catchy psych rocker” (Jacksondale, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/del-shannon/the-further-adventures-of-charles-westover/reviews/1/) with “some of the heaviest psychedelic production and instrumentation you can hear on any record from 68.” (atrainradio, https://www.discogs.com/master/362669-Del-Shannon-The-Further-Adventures-Of-Charles-Westover?srsltid=AfmBOooPecR9Br7RI4nr8o-XpPV0ebLww5jf0XIQP2_5DgbBx-XZIHKD)
Bad Cat Records writes of “I Think I Love You”:
Always loved the pounding bass line; the electric sitar and the catchy refrain. . . . the album’s best blend of psychedelic and commerciality. To get a feel for the song, imagine what Mike Nesmith and the rest of The Monkees would have come up with had Don Kirshner let them go off in a true psych tangent. I would have tapped this one as a single.
Brian Young tells us of the LP: The Further Adventures of Charles Westover (Shannon’s birth name):
In light of what was happening in popular culture, Shannon was encouraged and pushed into doing a psychedelic album. He was encouraged to write the songs this time, and [the LP] began taking shape. . . . Shannon brought “I Think I Love You” and “Gemini” [see #1,552] to the table . . . . “Gemini”/ “Magical Musical Box” w[as one of] the only two singles from the album. Neither charted, but both became instant cult favorites.
Donald A. Guarisco adds:
This lesser-known cult favorite is not only one of the most musically ambitious outings of Del Shannon’s career, but also one of his most all-around consistent albums. [It] finds Shannon embracing psychedelia in a personalized way: Instead of imitating the whimsy of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, or the creepy freak-outs of Their Satanic Majesties Request, he uses the cinematic quality of psychedelic pop to provide a vivid backdrop for his songwriting.. . . . The overall effect is stunning, managing to fit the tag of psychedelic pop but still retaining the haunting, emotional kind of songwriting that distinguished Del Shannon’s music.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-further-adventures-of-charles-westover-mw0000468155
RDTEN1 bats clean-up:
It seems that by 1968 every musician under the sun was growing their hair long (nice sideburns Del), donning mod clothing and jumping aboard the psychedelic bandwagon. With his recording career in commercial limbo, Del Shannon was no exception to the rule. . . . . 1968’s The Further Adventures of Charles Westover . . . was an all-out assault on the realm of downer-psych. Instinctively you’d probably think the resulting album would be hysterically inept, however having listened to it . . . dozens of times, the set’s goofy, but surprisingly good. Unlike many of his competitors Shannon and his teamed pulled out all the stops in an effort to underscore his relevance. The twelve songs came complete with over-the-top orchestration, backward strings, harpsichords, sitars, female backing vocalists and supposedly deep and insightful lyrics. . . . Unfortunately as was to be expected, the change in musical direction was too much for old fans to handle. . . . Simultaneously younger psych-oriented audiences wanted nothing to do with what most of them viewed as a golden oldies act. . . . Caught in that demographic dead zone, the album failed to sell and by the end of the year Shannon had ended his longstanding professional relationship with Liberty. Shame since this was one of the best “reinvention” albums out there. Whereas many of his contemporaries slapped a psychedelic cover on a collection of the same old stuff, Shannon was clearly serious about exploring different musical idioms and remaking himself. The album should have been a massive hit.
Richie Unterberger tells us of Del:
[He was o]ne of the best and most original rockers of the early ’60s . . . . Although classified at times as a teen idol, he favored brooding themes of abandonment, loss, and rejection. In some respects he looked forward to the British Invasion with his frequent use of minor chords and his ability to write most of his own material. In fact, after hitting number one with “Runaway” in 1961, Shannon continued to chart for a year or two into the British Invasion . . . . Shannon happened upon a gripping series of minor chords while playing with his band . . . . form[ing] the basis for his . . . debut single, “Runaway,” one of the greatest hits of the early ’60s, with its unforgettable riffs, Shannon’s amazing vocal range (which often glided off into a powerful falsetto), and the creepy, futuristic organ solo in the middle. It made number one, and the similar follow-up, “Hats Off to Larry,” made the Top Five. Shannon had intermittent minor hits over the next couple of years (“Little Town Flirt” was the biggest), but was even more successful in England. . . . Del got into the Top Ten with a late 1964 single, “Keep Searchin’,” that was one of his best and hardest-rocking outings. But after the similar “Stranger in Town” (number 30, 1965), he wouldn’t enter the Top 40 again for nearly a couple of decades. A switch to a bigger label (Liberty) didn’t bring the expected commercial results, although he was continuing to release quality singles. A brief association with producer Andrew Loog Oldham . . . found him continuing to evolve, developing a more Baroque, orchestrated pop/rock sound . . . . Much to Shannon’s frustration, Liberty decided not to release the album that resulted from the collaboration . . . . By the late ’60s, Shannon was devoting much of his energy to producing other artists . . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/del-shannon-mn0000194018#biography
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