Customer Reviews

The Hit Singles Collection

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"The Hit Singles Collection" comes to us courtesy of Rhino, which means you know you are going to get not only 20 choice tracks which include (almost) all of Bobby Darin's Top 40 hits but also solid liner notes from Bill Dahl. The chief attractions are the Top 10 hits, which would be "Splish Splash" (#3), "Queen Of The Hop" (#9), "Dream Lover" (#2), "Mack the Knife" (#1), "Beyond the Sea" (#6), "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" (#5), "Things" (#3), "You're The Reason I'm Living" (#3), "18 Yellow Roses" (#10), and "If I Were a Carpenter" (#8). As you can see, that is half the album right there. Overall the songs reflect the wide range of Darin's career, where he did everything from popular standards to rock 'n' roll with a bit of folk-rocker and Vegas hip cat in between. Darin is often dismissed as a junior grade Frank Sinatra, but you have to give him credit for refusing to be limited to a particular type of music. This was a man who sang songs written by both Kurt Weill and John Sebastian, and who covered Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones in his nightclub act.

Is this a complete hits collection? Well, there are a pair of Top 40 hits missing ("If a Man Answers" and "Nature Boy") and Darin easily had another dozen songs that made the Billboard charts that could have been picked over. But these would be minor quibbles over all and you will be hard pressed to find a better single CD collection of Darin songs than "The Hit Singles Collection." Darin died relatively young (in 1973 during open-heart surgery) and his election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 recognized that whatever his limitations his body of work is rather significant in terms of both the overall quality and the diversity. For those looking for something more ambitions Rhino also has a four-CD box set, "As Long As I'm Singing: The Bobby Darin Collection," which is more comprehensive in terms of not only hits but also B-sides and other obscure recordings. But I am happy with this one for now.

Bobby Darin started out as a songwriter with mixed results. He played several instruments in fact. Somebody heard his singing as he pitched his songs and suggested he record the songs himself. Good idea. He did get a contract to record. At the time, songs devoted to dancing were popular and the resulting "Splish Splash" and "Queen of the Hop" sold a million records each. The much better "Dream Lover" in early 1959 was also a big hit, but Bobby aspired to appeal to a greater audience and released "Mack the Knife", a more Sinatra-esque song which became the Record of the Year and sold TWO million records. During this period, he also succeeded with Hoagy Carmichael's "Up a Lazy River" from another era, his own jazzy take on the traditional (My Darlin') "Clementine" and "Beyond the Sea". Darin, born Robert Cossotto, seemed to be a lounge singer's lounge singer. Then he did "Multiplication". a bouncy song more attuned to the teen market. His "Things" ruled the summer of 1962. Not only did he have hits in 1963 with the country-flavored "You're the Reason I'm Living" and the Latin-beat of "18 Yellow Roses"; he also was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "Captain Newman, M.D." (He had more than one role in his career where he played a "disturbed" person). Darin later become more socially active during the protest years reflected, I believe, in his gentle 1966 hit, "If I Were A Carpenter", yet another departure from his known works. He later claimed to have been deeply affected by the death of Robert Kennedy in 1968 and went into seclusion for a long time, emerging without his hairpiece and wearing hippie-like glasses to perform. Before he returned to his old swaggering persona, he recorded a really good tune which is not in this selection called "Me and Mister Hohner" (his harmonica) and is worth a mention. After calling in his congratulations to Dick Clark on the 20th anniversary of "American Bandstand", Bobby Darin died during open heart surgery. He was only 37. In 1990 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1999 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, in both cases appropriately so. I recommend this good compilation of singles which is how most young people bought their music at about a buck a piece during those years.

Good selection of his classic songs.Any age group can appreciate Bobby Darin's contribution of music

I've been a huge Bobby Darin fan for many years. I have most of his LPs and this was the first CD that I bought. It has a great mix of his early rock and roll songs along with the classic standars he did. The only thing that's missing is the material he performed in the mid 1960s (ie Simple Song of Freedom, Long Time Movin', Jive...). Other then that this is a great CD for those of you that loved Beyond the Sea. I would suggest this to any one who is new to the Bobby Darin scene.

I wasn't familiar with Bobby Darin beyond "Mack the Knife" and "Splish Splash" until after watching Kevin Spacey's movie tribute "Beyond the Sea". At that point I needed to hear more Darin music, and so picked up this album. It's got lots of great songs and keeps you bouncing along with the upbeat music. The sound quality is great for a 60's era recording, and Darin has a fantastic voice and delivery. If you like Bobby Darin, or want an introduction to him, this is a fine way to start...but watch the movie too!

Alongside Sinatra, Ella, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, and others, Bobby Darin is an absolute must in everyone's discotheque.

Excellent Re-master. You can hear every note, and wonder at Mr. Darin's range. He was a master of all styles and this album just confirms that to any non-Darin fan. The songs take Me and all Baby Boomers on a Magical History Tour of Pop Music in the 50's and 60's. This talented entertainer was taken from us much too soon. You won't be sorry to have this one in your collection!

Every song on this CD will remind those of us who lived and loved the music of the 60's why it was so great and will forever remain so. Darin's voice and the artistry of his performance on each song is wonderfully smooth and easy to listen to. It is truly mood food ... whatever your mood might be.

If you want a great Bobby Darrin CD get this! After reading all the reviews I decided to buy it. Now I can truthfully say it will be one of my favorites!

This was worth every penny and I would have paid more!!! Sound quality was excellent and MR Darrin certainly knocks the socks of those who have tried to copy his unique style. Forget the pretenders Buble, Cullen et al And Mr Kevin Spacey should stick to Acting. Bobby Darrin was a master of singing able to sing from bubble gum 50s rock and roll, 60s folk, country to Swing. I need to turn up the sound system and have Bobby on continual play!!! If I could rate this an inifinite rating...I would!