New Bobby Darin CD: “Sings Doctor Dolittle/Born Walden Robert Cassotto”

The good news coming from UK label Demon/Edsel just never seems to stop. First, they gift Bobby Darin fans with re-issues of the "Shadow of Your Smile/In a Broadway Bag" and "If I Were a Carpenter/Inside Out" 2-on-1 CDs... and now, they're bringing us a 2-on-1 disc containing the "Bobby Darin Sings Doctor Dolittle" and "Born Walden Robert Cassotto" LPs. Yes, you read that right: for the first time ever, "Bobby Darin: Born Walden Robert Cassotto" will be available on CD. The release date for the "Dolittle/Born Walden Robert Cassotto" disc is 08/21/2007. You can pre-order it now at the DarinLand.com site.

HA... CHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bobby Darin sings "I Got Rhythm" in 1961 (and dances too!) (video clip)

Here he is, in all his singing, dancing glory, the one, the only, the multi-talented Mr. Bobby Darin. This clip is taken from his 1961 TV special, "Bobby Darin and Friends," and it serves once again to demonstrate the limitless nature of this man's talent. Just watch him move. He has the music surging through his nervous system. He is the music, shaped into the flesh and blood marvel known as Bobby Darin.

To see the clip, click this link:

Bobby Darin sings "I Got Rhythm" in 1961

HA CHA!

Bobby Darin sings "Beyond the Sea" on an early TV Special

Here's a bit more gold from that early Bobby Darin TV special, "This is Bobby Darin": a beautiful rendition of "Beyond the Sea," courtesy of the man who made the tune his own...

Bobby Darin sings Clementine (His New Single!)

I love hearing Bobby Darin referring to this tune as "the brand new single record" in this clip. And of course, Bobby can't resist doing a little schtick during the intro. It just gets better and better!

Bobby Darin: Alabamy Bound (The Hit Single That Could Have Been)

Many of Bobby Darin's early hit singles had essentially the same set of traits that rocketed them up the charts. The formula for a Darin hit seemed to be one part finger-snappin' rhythm, one part sly or humorous lyrics, and a heaping splash of Darin's undeniably thrilling vocal style. "Splish Splash," "Mack the Knife," "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," and "Things," all released between 1958 and 1962, showed time and again that this recipe was a virtual guarantee of a place in Billboard's Top Ten. But somehow, this trend was overlooked when Darin recorded the Buddy DeSylva/Bud Green/Ray Henderson chestnut "Alabamy Bound" with arranger/conductor Jimmie Haskell in September of 1962. Instead of being released as a single, or even as an album track, the recording languished on a shelf, until it finally appeared in 1995 as part of Capitol's "Spotlight on Bobby Darin" CD.

The choice not to release "Alabamy Bound" back then seems even stranger when you consider the fact that the tune's arranger, Jimmie Haskell, was at the helm for several of Darin's hit singles, including the abovementioned "Beautiful Baby" and "Things." The latter had reached #3 on the charts only months before "Alabamy Bound" was recorded.

One listen to the tune (check it out at the DarinLand Myspace) confirms it has the same Darin magic that made "Mack," "Beautiful Baby" and "Things" so irresistible. Haskell's arrangement for "Alabamy Bound" is simply brilliant. This man knows what to do with a train song. Haskell's train is not chugging lazily along, but roaring down the track, with horns and drums kicking out with an infectious intensity. Darin sings the song with a perpetual smile in his voice, loving every line. When he talks about puttin' his "eight-and-a-halfs in an upper berth" you know he's getting a charge out of the entire experience. And when Bobby Darin is charged up, he tends to pass that spark right over to the listener. This, my friends, is how hits are born.

While it is unfortunate this tune never had the chance for the chart-topping success it so richly deserved, we can at least be glad we have it to enjoy now, along with all the other amazing Darin performances available on CD and DVD.

Bobby Darin sings "When the Saints Go Marching In"

Holey moley, what a performance! Young Bobby Darin drives the crowd into a frenzy with a medley that begins with "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and builds to an incredible rave-up version of "When the Saints Go Marching In." Just watch those hands and those snappin' fingers as they guide the audience and drive the melody home. By the time he's done, he's got the whole room whoopin' and hollerin' like they're at an old-time revival meeting. Do it, Bobby!