by Bruce Eder
Del Shannon's debut LP for Liberty Records offers a bigger-than-life sound, encompassing elements of the elements of garage punk, folk-rock, the British invasion, all of it reshaped into something akin to Shannon's classic sound -- as a single, "The Big Hurt" (which utilized his all-but-trademarked melodion sound) even charted in the US top 100; and he even managed to work a trio of very satisfying originals in amid the covers of songs such as "Kicks", "Lightning Strikes", "When You Walk In The Room" etc. With Snuff Garrett producing and Leon Russell and Nick De Caro arranging, the record was little opulent but at its core were Shannon's powerful, expressive vocals and a basic rock 'n' roll sound that punched through any reverb, layered instruments etc.