Yes....Del Shannon's given name and a psychedelic masterpiece!
Silver Birch...just hypnotic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK0XKPuluNM
In September 1967, Shannon began laying down the tracks for The Further Adventures of Charles Westover, which would be highly regarded by fans and critics alike, despite disappointing sales. The album yielded two 1968 singles, "Thinkin' It Over" and "Gemini" (recently the subject of a Pilooski remix). In October 1968, Liberty Records released their tenth (in the US) and final Del Shannon single, a cover of Dee Clark's 1961 hit "Raindrops". This brought to a close a commercially disappointing period in Shannon's career. In 1972, he signed with United Artists and recorded Live In England, released in June 1973. Reviewer Chris Martin critiqued the album favourably, saying that Shannon never improvised, was always true to the original sounds of his music and that only Lou Christie rivaled his falsetto. In April 1975, he signed with Island Records.
-wiki
Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees, Dan Bourgoise
and Del Shannon in London - January 1967
ALLMUSIC GUIDE
Review by Donald A. Guarisco
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. The Further Adventures of Charles Westover 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. For instance, "Silver Birch" uses a swirling mass of horns and densely layered backing vocals to add a haunting quality to its tale of an abandoned bride, and "Color Flashing Hair" uses vertiginous string motifs and churning horns to re-create the feelings of obsessive love described in the lyrics. Shannon's work on this album also differs from usual psychedelic fare because it mixes some earthier textures into its sonic brew: "Be My Friend" enhances its lusty plea for feminine companionship with wailing harmonica and gospel-tinged female backing vocals, and "River Cool" laces its swinging beat with some deliciously soulful organ licks. 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.
~Seeing Music, Hearing Colours!~
Del Shannon “The Further Adventures of Charles Westover”
1968 Pop,Psych
-the vinyl jacket...one of my treasures -lk
Here’s a psych-tinged outing that you wouldn’t expect from Del Shannon, but that you couldn’t hear from anyone else. In case you don’t remember, Del broke out in 1961 with “My Little Runaway.” Although he failed to equal his initial success afterwards, until he turned his sights to a more open-minded audience in 1968.
Del used his birth name on the title for this album, an erie and rocking mix of great tunes. The opener, “Thinkin’ It Over,” really nailed me the first time I heard it. But don’t let this “Care of Cell 44"-like great rollicking opener distract you from the rest. There are songs with great guitar work and lush string and horn orchestration. Del gets bluesy on “Be My Friend,” takes it down with “Silver Birch” and gets trippy on “Colour Flashing Hair.” Plus there is the awesome, driving “I Think I Love You” with sitar-like guitar work and a droning orchestra. Many great gems on this record. There are also a slew of bonus tracks on the reissue, including a chiller remake of “Runaway.”
Del has this tenor that is nice but kind of scary. It’s hard to describe. He sings with delicacy here and grit there; he knows what he’s doing. This isn’t just another psych outing from some has-been trying to get into the new trend. Sure, that’s probably the motivation behind this record, but it is finely crafted in songwriting and orchestration, an album worthy of some of the best of its competitors. Nice work Del.
-rising storm.com
The original vinyl cover was seen as too "dark", so it was replaced with this sunshine in a field of flowers for CD release (kind of trivializes it for me).
I Think I Love You...sitars n' all
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGZXEvW27G0
Color Flashing Hair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77f18P7ppIw
River Cool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqaWwcbthTQ
Magical Music Box
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQIBt6vtKFQ
New Orleans (Mardi Gras)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrTagdrN8yo
This rocks psychedelic!
