Customer Reviews

Bobby Darin - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This CD includes a few Darin classics--Splish Splash, Dream Lover, and Eighteen Yellow roses--and live performances of two other Darin classics: Mack the Knife and If I Were a Carpenter. This version of Mack, as other reviewers note, bears little resemblence to Darin's famous studio recording of that song, but it does have a snazzy rock 'n' role quality that I like. If you want the classic version, however, it is available on other CDs, including Atlantic's "Mack the Knife: Best of, Vol. 2" Darin CD and on the magnificent four-CD boxed set "As Long as I'm Singing." Darin's live recording of If I Were a Carpenter, found on the Best of Bobby Darin CD reviewed here, however, is a beautiful rendition of that song that compares favorably to his studio recording. Blue Monday, which probably comes from a demo session of the Fats Domino tune, finds Darin singing the blues, while On Broadway presents Darin's take on the classic tune. These two recordings, though enjoyable, probably find their audience mostly among true Darin fans.

Next, Darin takes the traditionally uptempo Fly Me to the Moon and converts it into a torch song worth listening to.

The highlights of this CD, however, come from two songs. On La Bamba, Darin does a fantastic uptempo interpretation of the soft Richie Valens hit. I prefer Darin's unique take--nobody was better at giving a shot of adrenaline to slow standards and in the process transforming the songs into his own creations (e.g., Lazy River, That's All, Nature Boy, You Must've Been a Beautiful Baby). Finally, Darin renders an uplifting and soaring ballad in Happy, the love theme written by Smokey Robinson for the movie "Lady Sings the Blues." Happy, Darin's last Billboard chart before his death in 1973, also is a must-hear.

That said, this CD is difficult to recommend. With Capitol's recent release of the three-CD "Darin: Capitol Years" import boxed set, "Best of Bobby Darin" offers nothing you can't find elsewhere. And elsewhere you'll find larger compilations with more hits. Still, this CD offers eight solid songs at a low price. But whether you're new to Bobby Darin or a long-time fan, you have many better choices.

There are a few Darin compilations that have the annoying feature of not telling you certain songs are live...this is one of them. Mack the Knife and If I Were a Carpenter are not the studio originals. If you're just looking for an album with Mack the Knife, look elsewhere because this live version doesn't even come close to the original. But, if you're looking for a unique mixed bag collection of Darin songs, this really isn't bad.

There are the original studio versions of a few early Darin rock n' roll songs like Splish Splash, Dream Lover, etc. His version of La Bamba is great, very unlike the original rock classic. Blue Monday is a catchy song with a good vocal performance. His slow and beautiful Fly Me To the Moon is also wonderful. But the highlight of this set for me is the live version of If I Were a Carpenter...also very different from the original, it is much slower, and contains some terrific acoustic guitar work and a lovely flute solo. I actually prefer it to the original.

I ordered this cd because it had "Dream Lover", "Splish Splash", and "Mack the Knife." However, the "Mack" song is live and it is not indicated on the cd. It's just not the same.

This is not a bad collection of song titles, but I don't think they chose the best versions. The live version of Mack the Knife included here is nowhere near as good as the studio version, for example. I also don't like his version of La Bomba, or On Broadway as well as the original artists' versions, either. The only real masterpieces here are Splish Splash, Dream Lover, 18 Yellow Roses, and Fly Me to the Moon, in my opinion. :-)

When I picked this up I did so against my better judgement. Being a Curb production, all the warning bells were going off. I mean, I KNEW Bobby's "greatest hits" did NOT include On Broadway, La Bamba, Blue Monday, or Fly Me To The Moon. The fact that that accounted for almost half the contents should have been enough for me to quietly put it back on the shelf.

But I was looking for one song in particular - If I Were A Carpenter - and since that wasn't very easy to find at the time, and since the price was relatively cheap, I thought "what the heck." After all, there was NOTHING on the front or back to say it was or wasn't a re-make.

More alarm bells then went off when I opened the CD and read the liner notes written by Wayne Newton where he indicates that Mack The Knife was a "live version." But I relaxed after reading on where Newton says "Also a big hit and also a total departure from his recognized style in 1966, his unforgettable smash - If I Were A Carpenter." Then I played it and, of course, it too was a "live" version bearing no resemblance to the original hit.

Stay away from this CD. Indeed, stay away from MOST things to emanate from Curb, unless they specifically state in bold letters "ORIGINAL HITS" as they do on their Gene Pitney CD.

Regarding Darin himself, another reviewer suggests that he does not get enough "respect" - ostensibly from the fans and within the industry. Well, let's see: after starting out with a group called The Jaybirds, and cutting a few unsuccessful sides for Decca in and around 1956, he first appeared in March of that year on the Tommy Dorsey TV show. In 1959, now a solo artist, he won Grammy's Best New Artist Award. In 1963, showing his talent as an actor as well, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Captain Newman, MD.

In July 1958 he scored his first of 25 Billboard Pop Hot 100 hit singles (Splish Splash - # 3) for the Atco subsidiary of Atlantic (his last there was Milord in 1964 - # 45 - released two years after he had left for Capitol Records), registered another 8 with Capitol from 1962 (If A Man Answers - # 31 from the film of the same name) to 1965 (Hello Dolly - # 79), 6 more back with Atlantic from 1966 (Mame - # 53) to 1967 (Darling Be Home Soon - # 93), 1 with his own label Direction in 1969 (Long Line Rider (# 79), and his last with Motown in 1973 (Happy - # 67), for a total of 41 Hot 100 hits.

Eight of these crossed over to each of the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts, and his first, Splish Splash, was not only a # 1 R&B, but also made it to # 14 on the Country charts. Along the way his hits were backed by some of the best orchestra conductors in the business, including
Richard Behrke, Perry Botkin, Jr., Bob Halley, Jimmy Haskell, Jack Nitzsche, Donald Peake, Shorty Rogers, Bobby Scott, and Richard Wess who, among others, backed him on the 1959 # 1 smash (9 weeks at that position) Mack The Knife (also # 3 R&B).

Many more hits would have undoubtedly followed had he not died from heart failure on December 20, 1973 at the age of 37. In 1990 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, and in 2004 a film about his life (Beyond The Sea) starring Kevin Spacey was released. You can't get much more respect than all of that.

This is the first collection of Bobby Darin's music I ever bought, and it provides a nice overview. I like it a lot, because it includes some songs you don't find very often, like his version of "On Broadway".

this is one of my favorite cds. bobby's live recording of mack the knife is the best!!!! 18 yellow roses is truly a sweet melody. i listen to this cd at least a couple times a week.

I bought the CD for one reason, to get the song Mac the Knife only to find that it was a live version (which is stated no where on the albume or upon reviewing the song list during purchase). The live version just doesn't match up to the actual original, far from it!

While some of the songs on this album sound like the original arrangements, many are not. I was most disappointed with Darin's most famous song, Mack the Knife. It's a live performance and very jarring if you're expecting the old tried and true version. A few of the songs are good but overall, I've heard better.

What you get is only 10 tracks,some are dull mono even though a perfect stereo version exists,others are live recordings,which may be an interesting addition to the proper studio versions,but not if you are looking for his HITS.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AND try "Best of Bobby Darin - Vol 1" also see my many Darin reviews on the UK amazon website