Customer Reviews

That's All (US Release)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I own both the CD and Mono LP version of "That's All," and without a doubt, the original vinyl sounds ten times better. I was stuned at how bad the mastering of this CD is. For example, on "Through A Long and Sleepless Night," the vocals only go through one channel. It seems whoever mastered the tracks for CD either didn't play it back after it was finished, or just is not a Bobby Darin Fan. If you own a record player, get it in it's original format. It does the album more justice. If not, still buy the CD, because "That's All" is, in my opinion, Darin's best among is short but amazing career.

I'm in my 20s and I never got the chance to experience Darin's music when he was still alive. But when you listen to the orginial LP, it's an experience that makes you feel like you're back in the late 50s and early 60s. Nothing comes close to the quality of vinyl. Record companies should consider making it a mainstream format again.

Beyond a doubt, "That's All" was (and is) among the greatest albums in the nightclub genre. HOWEVER, this CD sounds as if it were remastered from some,... worn-out cassette tape. Musically, this album rates 5 stars, and the music is SO great that I still give it 3, even though the sound "quality" is so utterly ...[wrong].

I originally bought this LP in 1959 because I liked Bobby Darin and the hits he'd had so far. But this collection of songs was so different from what he'd done before and so enjoyable that it changed my "14 year old" taste in pop music. The songs are all top-notch - not a loser among them. Of course, the ever popular "Mack the Knife" is here but also beautiful treatments of "Beyond the Sea" and "Through a Long and Sleepless Night". And even though it's been recorded by others no one can sing the title song, "That's All", with as much style as Bobby. I was thrilled when this came out on CD - my LP is scratched and about worn out!

'That's All' is one of the finest albums of all time (I was going to say lounge albums but that seemed too narrow).

Bobby Darin died just a few years after I was born so I didn't discover his music until about 20 years ago when I had started getting into Sinatra, Martin, Torme' and the rest of the 'whisky and velvet set'. I won't go as far as to say that Darin is the greatest of all the lounge singers but he's certainly up there with the very best of them. Nobody has done 'Mack the Knife' or 'Beyond the Sea' better than Darin- and his version of 'Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise'on this record is nothing short of brilliant.

Darin was a fairly progressive guy and it's reflected in his music. Unlike Sinatra, who loathed change in the music industry, Darin went with the flow and took chances that some of his fellow singers would have scoffed at (he also didn't have his bodyguards beat people up either- but that's another issue).

With all the 'best of' and 'greatest hits' out there on the market, few people venture out and buy the good old re-issues of the original recordings. But this is one fine album and I recommend it to anyone who loves music.

It's a pity that Bobby Darin died at such a young age. He still had a lot of great music left in him that I would have loved to hear.

This is the album that changed Bobby Darin's career forever. It proved the depth of his talent, and placed him in the leagues alongside Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. He became recognized as a seasoned, mature performer overnight. After just briefly listening to this CD, you'll see why. Every song is outstanding, plus the arrangements are equally incredible. This album is great listening pleasure, and sounds as good as when it was originally released. Every song is great, and they all take my breath away, especially "Some of These Days" and "That's the Way Love Is." His biggest hit "Mack the Knife" is on this CD, as well as "Beyond the Sea," one of his best songs ever. It's a classic.

This is the stuff friends!!!! Bobby has become the unknown swinger in a group which he clearly could keep up with. The arrangments here a wonderful and the vocals are hip. Having said this "WE NEED A BETTER REISSUE!!!! The versions of B.T.S and M.T.K on the greatest hits (from Atco) sound 100x's better, but it was remastered at a latter date, I think. This sounds terrible. There is too much reverb, the vocals are fuzzy, the band is too loud, and it just overall sounds like a cheap bootleg...Having said that, until the record industry supports great music over profit, this is what we'll have to deal with. Still, pick this up...This is REAL MUSIC, folks!

"That's All" was Bobby Darin's 2nd LP. Originally released in 1959, it won the Grammy for "Record of the Year" and a Grammy for Darin as "Best New Singer." Darin includes a hearty thank you for arranger Richard Wess who shines on the "side two" opener of the LP, "I'll Remember April." Its big band horn chart and the subtle punctuation of piano & strings allow Darin to vocally soar. On the standards, "Was There a Call for Me" has a blues feel with Darin diving into the emotional content. Gary Kramer's liner notes joke, "To know the complete history of 'Some of These Days,' you would have had to know Sophie Tucker when she was a young girl, and nobody goes back that far." Tucker recorded the song in 1913 which was followed by versions by Louis Armstrong (1929), Benny Goodman (1936), and even Billie Holiday in the 40's. It's a great big band number that Darin nails. The title track that closes the set is a great uptempo number with Wess' sterling horn charts. The album is of course most strongly remembered for its opener, "Mack the Knife," written by Kurt Weill in 1928 for "Threepenny Opera." Darin's swinging joyful delivery juxtaposes the sad tale of a serial killer who preys on women. The song rested at #1 for 9 weeks in 1959, an amazing feat. "Beyond the Sea" was also a top ten record and seems to capture the era of the late 50's with a part big band part rock pop feel. "That's All" was an important album for Bobby Darin. It peaked on the Billboard charts at #7 and remained on the chart for 52 weeks. It remains an entrancing work over 4 decades later. Enjoy!

Bobby Darin's "That's All" is deserving of credit, mainly for the two first tracks, 'Mack the Knife' and 'Beyond the Sea', which are indeed classics. His album overall, I'd say is pretty bold with relatively strong lyrics and emoting of his voice (extreme compared to other Big Band singers of the time, such as Sinatra), but it still remains pretty stable throughout the album. Bobby Darin's second album has matured somewhat since his first, but his youth and vigor remain, leaving a stylish, but playful sound behind. Yes, there are, in my opinion, a few weak points of the album, where songs get a little repetative, which is why I did not give him a 5, but the high points of the album make up for it. There are a few slow soft songs in the album ("Through a Long and Sleepless Night", "She Needs Me", "Where is the One"), but most are loud, fast, and swingin', such as the tracks "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise" (which is comical in the sense of the irony it uses as the song is not "soft" in the least bit) and "That's All," which really demonstrate Darin's general style. I must warn those who want to purchase an album that would set up a warm ambiance, that you'll find the mood more to be rousing than anything else; but, let's be honest: it's Bobby Darin nonetheless! Although this may not be the best cd to add to any first time Bobby Darin listeners' collections, I think all those Bobby Darin and Bop/Big Band fans out there would agree: this album is the most worthy of all the Bobby Darin selections, and it's definately a classic. 4 stars to you, Bob.

What a treasure to behold for Bobby Darin admirers or neophytes. Not only does he knock the listener out with the one-two-punch of "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea"(the core of his greatest hits for years)but he confirms his greatness by shaking out other gems like Hammerstein's "Softly as in a morning sunrise", a bluesy "Ain't necessarily so", "I'll remember April" while slipping in his own superb composition,"That's the way love is" without upsetting the lush arrangements of Richard Wess. For one,like myself, who never owned his initial albums yet admired his talent, this is a fresh look at the vocal ability he possessed. In the capable hands of Wess, he swings loosely through each song( pushed by imprompto vocal asides)so easily you would think Bobby was at the Copa. Amazingly, the familiar tunes remain freshly delivered, stamped with the unique Darin hipness. If you are still shaking your head and snapping your fingers from the available "Bobby Darin Story" ringing in your ears, get a belt of this.This ease never seems to let up and rewards the listener surprisingly who comes upon an unfamiliar tune like,"Where is the one." This is one remarkable initial offering from a talent deemed to soar to greater heights. It's as plain as Jane, that "That's All" begs for the availabilty of his entire recorded catalogue to his admiring followers or the new listeners who've been sneaking off and listening to Mathis.

Bobby Darin said one day he'd be just as good as Sinatra, maybe better. Well, if he ever did deliver on that promise, "That's All" was that day.

Ignore the rest of the album. "Beyond the Sea" is so good it's worth the price of the album for that track alone. Darin's performance is energetic, aggressive, and so in the pocket it just could not be topped. Like Sinatra, he makes it sound effortless and smooth, but with a harder edge than Sinatra would have had at that time.

Arranger Richard Wess deserves at least half of the credit for this masterwork of big band recordings. The arrangement is brilliant, subtley building from one muted trumpet theme into a sort of countermelody on saxes, then behind it all shimmering strings. It has great structure and builds excitement beautifully.

The key to this arrangement is contrast: After the first chorus, Wess delivers up an instrumental interlude for Darin that starts with blasting brass, followed by a thundering drum fill, immediately followed by the most lilting and gentle string passage imaginable. Then he hits you over the head again with the brass again, the drums again, then more brass, ending with a hard drum beat followed by the teriffic silence of absolutely nothing. The end of this instrumental passage with it's outrageous dynamics of loud versus soft is the musical equivalent of a freight train stopping on a dime. Just at this moment Darin fills the void with a long "I----- know beyond a doubt". This is exciting music, and Darin can't help but sound great with this kind of backing.

In short, buy the CD. Even if you hate every other track it's worth it. Thankfully, all the uptempo tracks are very good, and are fun to listen to, with Darin belting out lyrics as only he can. He's not as good on the slow numbers but still a very skilled performer all around. All in all you can't lose with this collection.