By Jerry Pearce

Bobby Darin wasn’t just a singer; he was a versatile artist. A man of considerable talent and vigor, few could say he ever shorted an audience, even as a debilitating heart condition began to strip away at his anatomy. Entering the music business as a burgeoning teen idol famous for a distinctive rock and roll sound, Darin changed gears several times over the course of his short but wild career, soon joining the fray of swingin’ lovers with several albums devoted to standards as well as flirting with a period of folk music even later in life. Dying in 1973 at the tender age of only thirty-seven, critics and fans alike have claimed that the man lived his life and operated his career at twice the pitch of a usual performer during his lifetime, due to his constant fear of a young death that always sat ominously at the back of his mind.

Due to this lifestyle, Darin fans are left with a massive degree of recorded material from multiple record labels that one who didn’t know anything about the singer would think came from a man who lived three times as long. While you can find wonderful performances on the majority of Darin’s released output, “Pearce’s Picks” this week highlights three albums of unique concept and noteworthy performance from Bobby Darin that span his entrance into the fold of American standards to working in the shadow of one of his singing inspirations, Frank Sinatra, at the trademark circular tower of Capitol Records.

That’s All (1959)

Darin’s debut album for the Atlantic Records label (abbreviated “ATCO”) features his signature tune “Mack the Knife,” recorded a half dozen times by other artists before but made a number one hit in both the United States and England by Darin. Orchestrated by Richard Wess, the album is only a preview of things to come in terms of Darin excelling with standards. Other notable tunes include his equally famous “Beyond The Sea,” a stab at Gershwin with “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” as well as the high-octane arrangement cast onto the title tune, the Bob Haymes-penned “That’s All.” Darin broke the mold with his version, a swingin’ conga fest with the orchestra performing at full tilt, quite unlike the majority of other versions where it is performed as a slow ballad. Available on compact disc and iTunes. 4/5.

Love Swings (1961)

Stealing a cue from Sinatra, one of Darin’s finest albums for Atlantic actually had two different meanings contained in the title, both for the nature of the music as well as the story formed in the musical program. The first six tunes of the album describe the “up” period of a loving relationship, with everything happy and carefree between both parties, while the second set of six tunes sees the affair “swing” into the downside, with the songs focusing on the sadder moments of a relationship, and ultimately, the breakup. Arranged by the talented Torrie Zito, who would later serve as musical director for Tony Bennett in the 1970s and serve as arranger for several other high-profile musical projects, the album is a delight. The beginning portion of the record features Darin streaming straight ahead at full blast through several notable standards, including “Long Ago and Far Away,” “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was,” “It Had To Be You,” and “The More I See You,” only slowing down to deliver the poignant ballad “There Is No Greater Love” to some beautiful strings arranged by Zito. The second portion of the album is highlighted by beautiful readings of “In Love In Vain,” “Something To Remember You By,” and a jaunty “Just Friends.” Available on remastered compact disc, as well as digital download on iTunes. 5/5.

The Swingin’ Side of Bobby Darin (2005)

With his contract at Atlantic expiring, Frank Sinatra offered to sign Darin to his new Reprise label in the early 1960s. Wanting to avoid any type of conflict, a new offer at Sinatra’s former home, Capitol, soon surfaced, and Darin manager Steve Blauner immediately agreed to sign Darin to the Hollywood and Vine Tower. Darin’s time at Capitol (1962-1965) was perhaps his shortest tenure with a label, but produced some extraordinary big band work. “The Swingin’ Side of Bobby Darin” is a compilation album that features selections from the three standards albums Darin made at Capitol (including the 1962 debut, “Oh! Look At Me Now”) as well as some previously unreleased sessions, with the majority of arrangements credited to the great Billy May, and frequent collaborator Richard Wess.

Notable highlights include “I Got Rhythm,” “I’m Beginning To See The Light,” There’s A Rainbow Round My Shoulder,” “I’m Sitting On Top of The World,” and a unique ballad-like reading of “Fly Me To The Moon” arranged by Gerald Wilson. Although it was recorded as a single in 1963, it wasn’t released until two years later, during which time Sinatra’s hard swing Quincy Jones-arranged version with the Count Basie Orchestra had been hailed as the definitive version of the song and one of the great Sinatra performances of all time. Darin’s version is quite beautiful and melancholy however, and is among one of the prime tracks on this album. Highly recommended. Liner notes and a few photos of Darin at Capitol round out a superbly produced compact disc. 4/5.

Be on the lookout for new “Pearce’s Picks.”

Until next time, music lovers!

Jerry Pearce is an amateur singer in the vein of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Dick Haymes and has released two discs of standards music, Crossroads in 2010, and One Summer Night in 2016. Samples of his music can be heard on his YouTube Channel. To purchase his CDs use the form box below.

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