Bobby Darin CD Profile: Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles

Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles (Atco 33-140, March 1962)
CD Release: Collectors' Choice CCM-401, 3/9/2004
Recording Dates: November 7, 8, 10, 14, 1961, Los Angeles, CA
Producer: Ahmet Ertegun
Arrangements: Jimmie Haskell
Musicians: Jimmie Haskell (cond, p?); Plas Johnson, Nino Tempo (sax); Red Callender (b); Earl Palmer (d); Darlene Love, the Blossoms (backing vocs).

Side 1:
What'd I Say (Ray Charles) (November 7)
I Got A Woman (Ray Charles/Renald Richard) (November 14)
Tell All The World About You (Ray Charles/Percy Mayfield) (November 7)
Tell Me How Do You Feel (Ray Charles) (November 7)
My Bonnie (Ray Charles) (November 7)

Side 2:
The Right Time (Lew Herman) (November 8)
Hallelujah I Love Her So (Ray Charles) (November 10)
Leave My Woman Alone (Ray Charles) (November 10)
Ain't That Love (Ray Charles) (November 10)
Drown In My Own Tears (Henry Glover) (November 8)
That's Enough (Ray Charles) (November 14)

NOTE: The backing vocal group for this LP, The Blossoms, had previously backed up Ray Charles in the mid-1950s.

Comments: Bobby's tribute to his idol Ray Charles packs a soulful punch that is positively astounding. Bobby understood this music, felt it down to his toes, and he gives these tunes the bluesy cry and rave-up shout they deserve. Jimmie Haskell's arrangements do both Bobby and Ray proud. Pure gold. Includes liner notes by Jimmie Haskell.

Bobby Darin's "Commitment" LP on CD for the First Time Ever

The Edsel label in the UK will continue its program of fantastic Bobby Darin re-issues in September, with the release of the historic "Bob Darin: Commitment" LP from 1969 (never before available on CD). This was the second of Darin's 2 albums on his own Direction label, and the only album he ever released under the name 'Bob Darin.' Like his first Direction album ("Born Walden Robert Cassotto," coming from Edsel on 08/21/2007), "Commitment" is composed entirely of original material, and thus stands as one Darin's most heartfelt and honest artistic expressions.

Standout tracks include the sly and clever "Distractions (Part 1)," the biting "Song For a Dollar," the snappy wordplay of "Me and Mr. Hohner", and the irresistibly catchy "Jive." Bobby Darin was a first class songwriter with a playful approach to language, and this album found him in top form.

Edsel has also included 10 tracks of additional material from the Direction era, under the title "Rare Darin." Among these tracks, "City Life" and "Route 58" are true gems, as they both represent insights into Darin's past and his personal and artistic struggles. Of course, the rest of it is pretty darned nifty too, especially the live tracks from a 1969 appearance at the legendary Troubadour in Los Angeles.

A pre-order listing for the "Bob Darin: Commitment/Rare Darin" CD will be posted on the DarinLand.com site soon. Keep an eye on this space for updates.

Meanwhile, here are the full details on the upcoming "Commitment/Rare Darin" CD:

BOB DARIN
COMMITMENT + RARE DARIN
EDSS 1015

COMMITMENT
Me And Mr Hohner / Sugar-Man / Sausalito (The Governor's Song) / Song For A Dollar / The Harvest / Distractions (Part 1) / Water Color Canvas / Jive / Hey Magic Man / Light Blue

RARE DARIN
Baby May / Sweet Reasons / Maybe We Can Get It Together / Rx-Pyro (Prescription: Fire) / City Life / Route 58 / Distractions (Part 1) [live at The Troubadour 1969] / Long Line Rider [live at The Troubadour 1969] / Simple Song Of Freedom [live at The Troubadour 1969] / Monologue; Questions [live at The Troubadour 1969]

2 new Bobby Darin CDs out today!!!

Today is the day: the Edsel label re-issues of Bobby Darin's classic LPs, "Sings the Shadow of Your Smile," "In a Broadway Bag," "If I Were a Carpenter" and "Inside Out" are finally back in print. "Shadow" and "Broadway" are together on one disc, "Carpenter" and "Inside Out" are together on another. And both discs are packed with amazing bonus tracks.

This is nothing short of a minor miracle, when you consider the glorious Bobby Darin recordings to be found on these discs:

"Shadow" boasts the intensely romantic "I Will Wait For You," the delightfully playful "Cute," and Bobby's own brilliant composition, "Rainin'." "Broadway Bag" ranges from the cool rhythm of "Feelin' Good" to the explosive joy of "It's Today" to the melancholy beauty of "Once Upon a Time."

"Carpenter" has another fabulous Bobby original, "Amy," plus the smilin' classic "Lovin' You" and the heartbreakingly powerful "Until It's Time for You to Go." "Inside Out" includes the warm and gentle "About You," the kicky and ironic "Bes' Friends," and another fabulous Darin original, "I Am."

It's a good day to be a Bobby Darin fan.

HA CHA doesn't even begin to cover it... :)

Review your favorite Bobby Darin CD or DVD

The DarinLand.com website needs reviews of Bobby Darin CDs and DVDs. Go to DarinLand.com, page through the Darin CDs and DVDs, find your favorite, then click the "write a review" button at the bottom of the page. Let other fans know what you think! Once your review is approved, it'll appear on the site, with your credit, and it might also be selected as the Featured Review for that release. Thanks!

Bobby Darin sings "On Broadway" from the "18 Yellow Roses" LP

Check out Bobby Darin's driving, building, brilliant rendition of "On Broadway," from the "You're the Reason I'm Living/18 Yellow Roses and 11 Other Hits" 2-fer CD. Love the way the tune just gets more and more intense, till it finally busts out with them drums!

Hear it on the DarinLand MySpace page...

http://www.myspace.com/darinland

This is HA CHA CHA HOT!

Bobby Darin sings "Once Upon a Time"

In honor of the recent re-issue of the Shadow of Your Smile/In a Broadway Bag 2-on-1 CD, here is a video clip of Bobby Darin singing one of my favorite numbers from the In a Broadway Bag LP... the tender and beautiful "Once Upon a Time."

Bobby Darin lost albums: "It's You or No One"

When talking about the great Bobby Darin LPs, critics tend to cite titles such as "That's All" and "Love Swings." But there are so many Darin records that were somehow lost in the shuffle, records like his 1963 Atco release "It's You Or No One." It's not just a shame, but a downright tragedy that more fans don't know how amazing an album this is.

Like "Love Swings," "It's You or No One" is a concept piece, with bright, warm arrangements by Torrie Zito on Side One, exploring the "It's You" part of the title, and darker, melancholy arrangements by Bobby Scott on Side Two, falling gently into the "No One" part of the title.

The last song on Side One, "All or Nothing at All" (Johnny Mercer/Victor Schertzinger), does a magnificent job of setting up the lost love theme of Side Two. Darin's vocal sizzles with passion as he declares "Half a love just never appealed to me. If your heart never could yield to me, then I'd rather have nothin' at all." Coming on the heels of the joyous "I've Never Been in Love Before" (Frank Loesser), "All or Nothing At All" reveals what could be a hint of desperation, as Darin reaches out for the love he thought was there, and finds the commitment is only half-hearted.

When Side Two commences with "One Little Item" (Libby Holden), we find Darin "in a crowd, so noisy and loud" when his former love walks in. The strings here are astounding, trembling with the flutter in Darin's chest as he describes his reaction: "When she nears me, how she cheers me, her eyes so warm, so gay. But what can all this matter to me? Those eyes aren't looking my way." As the tune comes to a close, Darin lays his pain out for all to see: "She's everything I told you. I swear by stars above. There's only one little item... I'm not the guy she loves." Again, the use of strings is dramatic, magnificent and perfect. The woodwinds are also used to powerful effect.

Recorded in January of 1960, less than a week before Darin would work with Bobby Scott on the "Winners" LP, and a little over a year before he would work with Torrie Zito on "Love Swings," "It's You Or No One" was, in some ways, a warm-up for both of those collaborations. Both arrangers had the opportunity to take a set of songs, match them to a mood, and get a feel for the deeply personal way Darin approached a ballad.

Of course, to call this album simply a "warm-up" would be to deny the fact that it stands on its own, as one of the most evocative, emotionally honest, and utterly effective artistic statements on love and loss ever recorded. Darin's vocal is powerful beyond words, and his ability to draw the listener into the very heart of his story is brilliantly represented.

So, why was such a fantastic piece overlooked? Possibly it was because of Atlantic's odd releasing strategy. Like several other Darin records, this album was recorded and then left on the shelf until years later. As stated above, it came out in 1963, after "Love Swings," and after Darin had left Atlantic for Capitol. It seemed at the time that Atlantic was just clearing out the vaults and releasing whatever Darin material they still had lying around. This perception by the public and the press could have stamped "It's You" as a leftover, not worth checking out.

Again, this is a true tragedy, because "It's You or No One" is one of Bobby Darin's finest and most honest artistic and personal expressions. Any Bobby Darin fan that does not have this record is missing out on something astounding.

--Michael M