Bobby Darin (3)

BOBBY DARIN - SINGS RAY CHARLES (1962)

1. What'd I Day
2. I Got A Woman (aka I've Got A Woman)
3. Tell All The World About You
4. Tell Me How Do You Feel
5. My Bonnie
6. The Right Time
7. Hallelujah I Love Her So
8. Leave My Woman Alone (aka Leave My Man Alone)
9. Ain't That Love
10. Drown In My Own Tears
11. That's Enough

Bobby’s last recording project for Atco (three other albums of material recorded earlier were released subsequently, see below) was his homage to his hero Ray Charles, made with ace arranger Jimmie Haskell and sidemen Red Callender, Plas Johnson, Nino Tempo and Earl Palmer—no wonder Bobby said "Making this album was one of the biggest kicks of my life!" Indeed, Bobby takes to the R&B material like the natural he was, and his sheer joy in performing these songs really shines through on these 1962 record.

BOBBY DARIN & JOHNNY MERCER - TWO OF A KIND (1961)

Shared by Jon. Thanks a lot.

1. Two Of A Kind
2. Indiana
3. Bob White
4. Ace In The Hole
5. East Of The Rockies
6. If I Had My Druthers
7. I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None Of My Jellyroll
8. Lonesome Polecat
9. My Cutey's Due At Two-To-Two Today
10. Medley: Paddlin' Madelin' Home/Row Row Row
11. Who Takes Care Of The Caretaker's Daughter
12. Mississippi Mud
13. Two Of A Kind

Give a pair of medals and hefty raises to the two fellows at Atlantic who thought of pairing Bobby Darin -- then 24 -- and Johnny Mercer -- then 51 -- and backing them with the charts of Billy May. These two singer/songwriters, occupying opposite poles of a yawning generation gap, take some often hoary old Tin Pan Alley tunes and kid and swing the hell out of them, with May providing the same kind of hard-swinging, sly-witted big-band backings that he gave to Sinatra. Listen to the way they play with the syncopation on "Bob White," dancing all over the May beat and ad-libbing wisecracks all the while -- and no one can resist the charm of the two composing a song together (the title track) and then interrupting it with some horseplay and switching to "Indiana." Mercer has never sounded looser or more swinging on records -- he thrives on the Billy May beat -- and Darin just about keeps up with him, throwing in several brash impersonations of Dean Martin, Elvis, Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and other icons. Interestingly, Mercer's "Lonesome Polecat" comes closest to the rock & roll rhythms that propelled Darin to fame and sent Mercer into seeming eclipse. The music world hadn't heard this brand of impeccably timed, back-and-forth joshing since the heyday of Hope and Crosby (or perhaps Mercer and Crosby) -- or the inspired Nashville rivalry of Red Foley and Ernest Tubb. Don't miss it.

BOBBY DARIN - IN A BROADWAY BAG (1966)

1- Mame
2- I Believe In You
3- It's Today
4- Everybody Has The Right To Be Wrong
5- Feelin' Good
6- Don't Rain On My Parade
7- The Other Half Of Me
8- Once Upon A Time
9- Try To Remember
10- I'll Only Miss Her When I Think Of Her
11- Night Song

In a Broadway Bag, released in June 1966, was Bobby Darin's second LP for Atlantic Records. Though The Shadow of Your Smile included five songs from Oscar nominated films and a number of other standards, it is on In a Broadway Bag where Darin took the concept to its logical end. This is a complete album of outstanding songs from current and recent hit musicals. It begins with "Mame," which, as a single before the show had even opened on Broadway, became a one of the biggest hits of the year. As a result, the song became a staple of Darin's live act, and often opened his show. His success with "Mame" inspired him to learn more about Broadway shows and to compile In a Broadway Bag. The LP showcases upbeat songs, including "Don't Rain on My Parade" from +Funny Girl, "I Believe in You" from +How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, "It's Today," also from +Mame, "Everybody Has the Right to be Wrong" from +Skyscraper, and "Feeling Good" from +The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd. In a Broadway Bag has its share of ballads as well, including Jerry Orbach's tune "Try to Remember" from +The Fantastiks, "Night Song" from +Golden Boy, "Once Upon a Time" from +All American, "I'll Only Miss Her" from +Skyscraper, and "The Other Half of Me" from +I Had a Ball. The Shadow of Your Smile began the second highly successful period in the artist's career, after the "Splish Splash" and "Mack the Knife" days. In a Broadway Bag continued that success, and "Mame" was his biggest hit in three years. In a Broadway Bag is generally considered one of Bobby Darin's best (and certainly most cohesive) LPs.
~ JT Griffith, All Music Guide