Customer Reviews

Bobby Darin - Mack is Back [VHS]

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is an uncut tape Darin made for NBC in '73, and he exudes so much energy throughout that it's hard to believe he was so ill at the time, and that 9 months later he would be gone from this earth.
It's also a strange tape in that it doesn't feel dated...outside of the oh-so-'70's haircuts on the band (Darin makes fun of his "fake" !), it has such freshness and vitality, that it somehow feels as though it could have been made yesterday.

His breath control and phrasing are marvelous, in the up-tempo numbers as well as the ballads...the songs performed are: For Once in My Life/ Help Me Make it Through the Night/ Can't Take My Eyes off of You/ Bridge Over Troubled Water/ Beyond the Sea/ Higher and Higher/ Midnight Special/ If I Was a Carpenter/ Lonesome Whistle/ A Simple Song of Freedom/ You are My Sunshine/ Bo Diddley/ Splish Splash, and it ends with Mack the Knife, which is taken from the beginning of the show while he's still wearing his tie.

A few ad-libs are not miked well and are nearly inaudible, but most of them are fine and very funny. He plays the guitar in a flamenco bit, the piano and the harmonica, and his back-up band is terrific, as well as the trio of singers called The Last Chapter.
This is a fast moving hour and 12 minutes...and a wonderful record of this multi-talented showman. If you're a Darin fan, don't miss it.

Bobby Darin was (and still is) an original! What an excellent performer. There was nobody like him and this video proves it. I am only 39 at this writing (Jan. 2001) and believe that Bobby Darin is among the all-time greats. I discovered him while watching a television documentary and have since been listening to his music. But it is this video which spotlights his varied talents and love for different musical styles. He could do it all. What a loss to have such a magnificent entertainer die so young. This video should be shown to all performance arts students to show them what real stage presence is. This guy had charisma dripping out of every pore in his body. He never stopped moving and you can tell by watching this that he felt every note of every song. There are only a very few true performers and Bobby Darin is one of them. It is such a shame he was taken away from us so soon. It is also a shame in the midst of all of this horrible so-called music, younger people will never know what real entertainment really is. If you loved Darin, this video is a MUST! If you want to see what a true, talented entertainer does - this is the video! Bobby Darin had such a smooth and what appeared to be effortless vocal delivery and a totally unique and special vocal style and voice. Grab every Darin video and CD that you can. Talent does not come along like this anymore!

Bobby Darin's energy is absolutely remarkable in his last recorded performance before his death. He sings, dances, plays the harmonica, guitar, and piano with remarkable soul, feeling, and unabashed confidence. This is one of those shows where you walk out with your heart beating fast, feeling refreshed and alive.

Darin swings the big band numbers hard, croons better than Sinatra, rocks out with soul and power like James Brown and Jerry Lee Lewis rolled together, and whispers tender folk songs like a Dylanesque-poet bard.

Some reviewers may wish that he stay in one type (crooner, rocker, folkie, etc.) that is their particular favorite genre of music, but Darin will wow you with his command of all styles of music. Even more remarkably, he shifts genres seamlessly to maintain the continuity of the show, thus giving the audience an appreciation for all types of music and how they are inter-related and fused.

See this video and be energized at the remarkable last recorded show of a man that has been repeatedly called by fans and musicians "the greatest performer of the 20th century."

Even his elder and more famous rival, Frank Sinatra, said it best when he said, "Nobody does it better than Darin."

Too right!

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Get this DVD if you want to see Bobby become the music he loved so well. The material presents Darin as he was in 1973: a blend of everything he had learned as a human being and performer up to that point. No matter what your taste in music, Darin never lets you down. From "Beyond the Sea" to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" to "Midnight Special" to "Lonesome Whistle" Bobby Darin displays why he was such a unique performer; he could do it all. The extra bonus clips with Flip Wilson, Sandy, Dodd, and George Burns are priceless.

I just finished watching this performance on my locas PBS station. Before I saw this video, I had not heard or seen much of Bobby Darin. My father called my in to watch it and I throughly enjoyed it. I had heard him sing songs like, Mack the Knife, Beyond the Sea, and Splish Splash, but was really impressed at how versatile his singing was. I never realized how talented he actually was.

In the film, he was very enthusiastic. He had a good band with him and he played several instruments himself. He even made the audience laugh at times with his humor. This video really shows that Bobby Darin was on top, all the way to his untimely death.

He put on a very good performance and performed a good variety of music. As much as I enjoyed it, I think any Bobby Darin fan would like this video. I will definatly be buying this video and it is well worth the price. It's the kind of performance that I wouldn't mind watching many times. Bobby Darin was one of, if not the best singer this world has ever known and this video does an excellent job in showing that. The more I think about the film, the more I like it.

I just finished watching this concert and enjoyed every minute of it. Bobby Darin was an incredible performer and in my opinion, the best I have ever seen. From If I Were A Carpenter to Splish Splash, Bobby Darin tears it up on stage. It is amazing to watch this knowing that 7 months later, Bobby Darin would die from complications from blood poisoning and a bad heart. The only disappointing thing about the DVD is that Mac The Knife is at the end and is playing while some of the credits are playing. Otherwise, it is a great DVD with lots of bonus material.

I love Bobby Darin but I was previously disappointed in some of the other DVD performances I've seen of him. Most are grainy and features other guest artists, something I could car less about since I bought it to see Bobby.

However, this video is great. It's the entire taping of one of his last TV specials (he would die a few months later). The picture is crisp and the sound is excellent (although in 1970s mono). For a solid hour and fifteen minutes it's Bobby doing what he does best.

Portions of the taping were edited for TV broadcast, while other sections were not. When I say edited, they bleep out him saying "ass" a few times. That means we're seeing portions of his performance that were cut before the original broadcast.

The extras feature some nice home videos from the Darin estate with Dodd and Sandra Dee. There's a filmography with a few trailers and a complete discography.

If you're a Darin fan, you need this video. If not for the quality of the performance, then for the mere fact that is was one of his last.

Until I saw this DVD on public television, I had no idea that Bobby Darin was as talented as he is. I've been a fan for a long time, but never knew of his versatility. This program proved it.

Bobby sang his heart out and moved like the best young dancers of today. He did impressions, played harmonica, guitar and piano; told jokes and bantered with his band and audience. He exudes total confidence and is a very nice piece of eye candy, to boot. Watching it, you'd have no idea that he was very sick and would succomb to his heart problem just nine months later.

While I was a little disappointed in how little of his hits are showcased in this program, the versatility that he shows in performing others' material is fantastic! He puts his own spin on things and seems to be totally immersed in the music and enjoying himself. I especially enjoyed his "Bo Diddly" number.

Although this show was done back in 1973, the vibrant color and sound are as if it were done yesterday. I really enjoyed it.

What a shame that this was Bobby's last performance which was apparently never aired. But thankfully through the power of video and DVD, fans and future fans, alike, can enjoy this remarkable performer for years to come. I am only 38 years old, but I'd rather watch a show like this then sit through a lot of the "stuff" of today.

For a music disc this has lot of extras! I was impressed to see so much go into another concert video. This by no means is "another" concert DVD. The menus are stunning, the animation is great, and I can't stop watching it. I am really impressed with the menu interactivity and navigation. I've got nothing bad to say other than I would like to see more. Bobby Darin would be great for any retro freaks, as well as the established fans. Rock on.

"Mack is Back" is a must-have for any Darin fan. Other reviewers have commented that Darin was "trying too hard" to keep up with the times by performing a great deal of country, folk and R&B during this 1973 show for NBC. I beg to differ, however.

While songs like "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Midnight Special" may not be as musically sophisticated as "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea," that is not the point. The point is that Darin could do anything, in any genre, and do it better than so-called "legends" of those genres, like Paul Simon for instance. Darin's rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is soulful, bluesy and ga-zillions of times better than the Simon version. Ditto for every other song Darin performs that is not one of his own originals.

Darin was unusual. He wanted to excel in every genre, and did. He was also driven to do that to a degree that most of us aren't. As practically every biography of him has stated, Darin was always haunted by the fact that he was likely to die young. Therefore, there was a lot that he felt he had to cram into a short time. So for those who think that Darin was merely "trying to be hip", I disagree. Rather, it was more likely that he was always experimenting and trying new things because he might never again have the chance.

Plus, watching this performance, one would never guess that Darin would be dead in less than a year. He was quite ill at the time he did this, but you'd never guess that from his tour de force performance.

So to sum up, this is a great performance from a great entertainer. There never has been, and never will be, another one like Bobby Darin.