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Bobby Rydell Salutes the Great Ones/Rydell at the copa

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If you're looking for rare Bobby Rydell CDs, this is the collection for you. This collection pairs two very different albums originally released as LP records in the 1960s.

"Bobby Rydell Salutes the Great Ones" highlights "Tin-Pan Alley" type of standards of the 1920s and 1930s - sung with the Bobby Rydell panache. If you like Bobby Darin, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, or Fred Astaire, this album is for you.

The second album, "Rydell at the Copa" was a recording of a live performance at the Copa back in the 1960s. Since the entire performance is on the album, it showcases the multiple talents of Bobby Rydell - including some hilarious comedy sketches and impersonations!! If you're familiar with Bobby Rydell's music - you'll love this live perfomance album.

Along with Fabian and Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell was one of the "Boys of Bandstand," a trio of Philadelphia-based pop singers whose appearances on the original American Bandstand rocketed each to teen idoldom in the lull between Elvis and the Beatles. It's no accident that the students in Grease attend Rydell High. Like Fabian and Avalon, Rydell was a pop singer whose hits crossed over to mingle with rock `n' roll tunes on Billboard's Top 100. His biggest hit, "Wild One," feints towards the pop-rock with which Bobby Darin began his hit-making, and Rydell's second big hit, "Volare," was a finger-snapping nightclub gem in league with Darin's "Mack the Knife. Rydell and Darin's paths often crossed in the middle of the Great American Songbook, which both vocalists covered extensively.

This pair of albums from 1961 (Rydell's third and fourth original releases) fully indulges the vocalist's love of (and talent for) singing classic American songs. Among the material are Tin Pan Alley and Broadway chestnuts by Arlen & Mercer, George & Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Stephen Sondheim, and the jazz standards "Frenesi," "So Rare" and "The Birth of the Blues." Rydell also found a strong attraction to material made famous by Al Jolson, including "Mammy," "April Showers" and "There's a Rainbow `Round My Shoulder." The arrangements swing nicely and Rydell is an enticing singer. He hasn't the gravitas of the previous generation (Sinatra, Bennett, et al.), but the drama in his Broadway style give these songs some real verve.

In the summer of 1960, at the tender age of 19, Rydell launched a two-week stand at the Copacabana, a New York City it-club that had hosted the legends of nightclub entertainment. Greeted on the stage by a powerful horn chart, Rydell launched into a zesty take on "A Lot of Living to Do," the swinging mambo of "Sway," and a bouncy rendition of "That Old Black Magic." He sounds confident and comfortable, and though every note isn't pitch perfect, he more than makes up for it in joie de vivre. A fifteen-minute, thirteen-song medley fills the middle of the set, showing off Rydell's range (both "Wild One" and "Volare" are worked into the mix) and his preternatural maturity as a showman.

The set's hidden gem is "Don't Be Afraid (To Fall in Love)," a ballad written by Cameo co-founder Kal Mann, and orchestrated with a terrifically moody horn chart by Joe Zito. Collectors' Choice reproduces the original track lineups in stereo, reprints both front and back album covers, and adds liner notes by James Ritz with fresh remembrances from Bobby Rydell. It may strike some as odd to begin the reissue of Rydell's catalog with his third and fourth albums, but as noted earlier, these songs cut deep into the heart of his artistic direction. For a tighter view of his popular chart hits, check out 2005's Best Of, but for the seeds that would bloom into his long-term career as an entertainer, this is a great place to start. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

This excellent two-fer CD has all the songs from two of Bobby Rydell's record albums entitled "Bobby Rydell Salutes the Great Ones" and "Rydell at The Copa." The quality of the sound is excellent and I like that they used the record album artwork. We even get liner notes by both James Ritz and Bobby himself!

"Mammy" from "Bobby Rydell Salutes the Great Ones" starts the CD off with Bobby singing his heart out--and it's wonderful to hear him interpret the lyrics with heartfelt emotion. "That Old Black Magic" gets an early `60s treatment that works well and Bobby never lets go of a single superfluous note! I'm very impressed. "All of You" is very good; and listen for other gems including "Frenesi" with that terrific percussion and more; another evergreen tune entitled "April Showers" that shines bright in Bobby's more than capable hands; "Everything's Coming Up Roses;" the beautiful "There's A Rainbow ' Round My Shoulder" that sounds great with those key and tempo modulations; "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big" which was written by the great Steven Allen--how Steve must have loved Bobby's rendition of his tune! "So Rare" just plain sounds great; and there's also the very fine "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams." In addition, "The Birth of the Blues" sounds fresh and new when Bobby performs it; and I really like "Nice Work if You Can Get It."

Then we get the songs from "Rydell at The Copa." "A Lot of Living to Do" has Bobby squarely front and center--and that's quite all right by me! "Sway" is done to perfection and beyond; and the live version of "That Old Black Magic" from Bobby's appearance at The Copa lacks nothing--this music is all THAT good.

There's a brilliant medley of "They Don't Write Them Like That Anymore" that offers up some potent nostalgia; Bobby does this with style and I love it! "Homesick That's All" is faultlessly performed by Bobby and I like the musical arrangement for this number, too. "Old Man River" gets an energetic treatment that I'm not too used to hearing but it all holds its own very well; and "Don't Be Afraid (To Fall in Love)" is very romantic. The live version of "Mammy" is lovely to listen to; and the CD ends strong with Bobby Rydell performing a medley of "Bless Them All" and "Bill Bailey."

Bobby Rydell fans should consider this to be a must-have for their collections; and anyone who enjoys evergreen standards with a twist will enjoy this, too.