Mack The Knife - The Best Of Bobby Darin Volume Two

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Best known for his early rock hits such as "Splish Splash," by the early '60s Bobby Darrin had pretty much abandoned rock and recast himself as something of a finger poppin', tuxedo wearing, youth-camp version of Sinatra. Surprisingly, it worked. While he lacks Frank's chops, the swinging "By the Sea" and "Mack The Knife" are two of the best latter-day Sinatra imitations, and there's no denying his light touch on "Lazy River." He even had the guts to take on "Guys and Dolls," a song identified with the Chairman. As good as this album is, it only gives a fraction of Darrin's talents. For a broader picture (including his late 60's transformation into a jeans wearing folkie), check out Rhino's Darrin box, As Long As I'm Singing. --Steven Mirkin

Product description

What a tragedy that Bobby Darin died so young at 37. He is under-appreciated today and dwarfed by the huge shadow cast by Frank Sinatra. Though Darin didn't have the poignant and unmatched ability of Sinatra to phrase a lyric, his uptempo songs are nearly as good as the Chairman of the Board. He is cool, hip, has fine range and has an innate jazzy feel that infuses all of his swingier songs. The musical arrangements and musicianship displayed here is also exemplary. The orchestra that backs up Darrin is fantastic. My personal favorite is "Beyond the Sea," one of the great swing pseudo-ballads of the 50's, recently resurrected as the backdrop of a TV commercial. Darrin proves he was the natural successor to Sinatra with his masterful vocal here. "Guys and Dolls" and "Down with Love" are nearly as good and showcases Darrin's talent. The best ballad is probably "Was There a Call for Me?" which reproduces the boozy hangover feeling of being dumped about as well as any song. Darrin's later work was never as hip and contemporary-sounding as the music on this disc. This is an exceptional collection with many catchy, memorable tunes, and proves beyond a doubt that Darrin was an amazing talent., ISBN13: B000002JOT ISBN10: B000002JOT Material Type: audioCD