Rock On! (Del Shannon album)

Last updated
Rock On!
Rock On! (Del Shannon album).jpg
Studio album by
Released1991
Recorded1989–1990
Studio Rumbo Recorders, Sunset Sound, MC Studios, Posh Studios
Genre Rock
Label Silvertone
Gone Gator/MCA [1]
Producer Mike Campbell, Jeff Lynne
Del Shannon chronology
Drop Down and Get Me
(1981)
Rock On!
(1991)
Home and Away
(2006)

Rock On! is an album by the American musician Del Shannon, released posthumously in 1991. [2] [3]

Contents

Edsel Records included the album in the 2023 Stranger in Town: A Del Shannon Compendium box set. [4]

Production

The album was produced by Mike Campbell and Jeff Lynne. [5] Shannon unexpectedly committed suicide in February 1990 with work on the album mostly complete. [6] [7] Tom Petty and some of the Heartbreakers played on Rock On! [8] Richard Greene played fiddle on "Let's Dance". [9] "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am?" is a cover of the Tams song. [10] George Harrison played guitar on "I Got You"; he also contributed backing vocals to "Hot Love", a B-side to "Callin' Out My Name". [11] [12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Calgary Herald C [14]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Goldmine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Los Angeles Daily News Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]

The Calgary Herald lamented that "you'll hear a tired-sounding old rocker making one more half-hearted stab at a comeback." [14] The Edmonton Journal noted that "Shannon was always a first-class writer of merry melodies and ringing country guitar licks that poured upbeat empathy on our saddest moments." [17] The Indianapolis Star panned the production, writing that "the 10 songs are Electric Light Orchestra layered over '60s-style rock." [18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Del Shannon, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Walk Away" Del Shannon, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne 3:37
2."Who Left Who?" 3:20
3."Are You Lovin' Me Too" 3:14
4."Callin' Out My Name" 3:44
5."I Go to Pieces" 3:59
6."Lost in a Memory" 3:35
7."I Got You (The Birds' Song)" 3:41
8."What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am?" Ray Whitley 3:15
9."When I Had You" 4:17
10."Let's Dance" 3:31

Personnel

Production:

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References

  1. Mackie, John (18 Jan 1992). "Recordings". Vancouver Sun. p. D23.
  2. Simels, Steve (Sep 1991). "Rock On! by Del Shannon". Stereo Review. Vol. 56, no. 9. p. 67.
  3. Cook, Richard (May 29, 1991). "Comeback, Come Shine?". Punch. Vol. 300, no. 7844. p. 54.
  4. "Stranger in Town: A Del Shannon Compendium". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  5. Graff, Gary (6 Oct 1991). "Shannon Lives in Song". The Province. p. B5.
  6. 1 2 Kampert, Patrick (7 Nov 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 8.
  7. Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 1075. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
  8. Gnerre, Sam (December 2, 1991). "Del Shannon rocks on with last album". Daily Breeze. p. C5.
  9. 1 2 Shuster, Fred (November 9, 1991). "Shannon's Last Album Is No Runaway". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L17.
  10. Catlin, Roger (September 19, 1991). "Petty's Return Recalls Legacy of Del Shannon". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 4.
  11. 1 2 Cohen, Stephen Elliott (Dec 21, 2007). "Rock On". Goldmine. Vol. 33, no. 26. p. 44.
  12. Shapiro, Marc (2003). Behind Sad Eyes: The Life of George Harrison. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 228.
  13. "Rock On!", AllMusic
  14. 1 2 Obee, Dave (27 Oct 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C5.
  15. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1250. ISBN   9781846098567 . Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  16. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 629–630.
  17. Metella, Helen (3 Nov 1991). "Record Reviews". Edmonton Journal. p. D4.
  18. Hawn, John (2 Dec 1991). "Del Shannon Rock On!". The Indianapolis Star. p. B4.