Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Bobby Darin

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After searching through several CD stores and their computer data, I came upon the "ULTIMATE" of Bobby Darin's available CD catalog. This album is quality through and through. The selections are representative of his best work, from "Splish Splash" in the 50's to "Things" in the 60's. The recordings have been digitalized and sound super especially "Mack the Knife" (great studio big band sound) and "Dream Lover". I don't know how they do it but these recordings sound as if they were recorded last year, not 40 years ago. If you only want one Darin CD in your collection, this is the one. Check it out!!!

Personally, I prefer Darin's Sinatra-style stuff, and this CD does have a couple of tunes in this style. Mainly, however, these songs are from his early rock period when he was a teen-idol. Very enjoyable stuff nonetheless. Excellent sound quality.

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This CD highlights the big hits of Darin, though it omits a significant number of songs which were just as good, but never made the Hit Parade. What a tragedy that Bobby Darin died so young at 37. He is under-appreciated today and dwarfed by the huge shadow cast by Frank Sinatra. Though Darin didn't have the poignant and unmatched ability of Sinatra to phrase a lyric, his uptempo songs are nearly as good as the Chairman of the Board. He is cool, hip, has fine range and has an innate jazzy feel that infuses all of his swingier songs. The musical arrangements and musicianship displayed here is also exemplary. The orchestra that backs up Darrin is fantastic.

My personal favorite is "Beyond the Sea," one of the great swing pseudo-ballads of the 50's, recently resurrected as the backdrop of a TV commercial. Darrin proves he was the natural successor to Sinatra with his masterful vocal here. "Guys and Dolls" and "Down with Love" are nearly as good and showcases Darrin's talent. The best ballad is probably "Was There a Call for Me?" which reproduces the boozy hangover feeling of being dumped about as well as any song.

Darrin's later work was never as hip and contemporary-sounding as the music on this disc. This is an exceptional collection with many catchy, memorable tunes, and proves beyond a doubt that Darrin was an amazing talent.

Bobby Darin was living proof that the music of two generations could be one and the same. For a singer who got his start with Big Band and his grounding in jazz, Darin was amazingly successful in the early Rock & Roll days.

His big hits are all included here; "Splish, Splash", "Queen of the Hop", "Dream Lover" and "Mack the Knife" leading the way.

The album includes the jazz cuts "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home" and "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby", alongwith the beautiful, Big Band standards "Things" and "Beyond the Sea."

Those interested in the many influences that formed the early rock & roll movement will find this album fascinating, and Bobby Darin fans will be absolutely delighted. The Ultimate Bobby Darin is a truly outstanding production.

This CD best epitomizes the varried vocalings of Bobby Darin. Rockin' and Rollin, with SPLISH SPLASH, smilin' with YOU MUST HAVE BEEN A BEAUTIFUL BABY, cryin' with ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS, or swingin' with CLEMANTINE. This is a must own for any Bobby Darin fan, and will convert Sinatra fans over to the real deal.

This is a solid collection of Bobby Darin's hits for Atco Records. It is by no means complete, though. The most notable ommisions are the #24 hit "What'd I Say" and the #40 hit "Nature Boy". But still, it's a good sampler of some of Bobby's best known songs.

Bobby Darin came into this world as Robert Walden Cassatto. Due to rheumatic fever and a bad heart he was believed not to live past sixteen. When he heard that he was determined to do as much in his life as he could. DID HE SUCCEED OR WHAT?!! This cd contains the songs that made Darin. I never heard of Bobby Darin untill I sang "Mack the Knife" at a karaoke bar. When I looked at the name I was suprised to see the name Bobby Darin instead of Frank Sinatra(I was later to find out Darin recorded it first.) I went to the music store and looked for the name Bobby darin I found this cd. That is how I learned about him. I have became a very dedicated fan since then. This cd is a great album for Bobby Darin fans and people who want to learn about him. Bobby Darin died at age 37 during open heart sugery. It would be great if he were still alive.

What else can I say?

This is Bobby Darin at his finest!!! EXCELLENT!

The Ultimate Bobby Darin is a great place to start for anyone just getting to know how wonderful Darin was as a supreme entertainer. This CD is also good for casual fans and people who like classic pop vocals who merely want a sampling of Bobby's greatest hits. The quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is very nicely done.

"Splish Splash" was Bobby's first really big hit; and although Bobby's people had reservations about it at first the tune hit the charts hard! People loved the rockin' beat and Bobby sings this with lots of enthusiasm and soul. The guitar work enhances the electricity of the number to make "Splish Splash" even better. "Queen Of The Hop" is a catchy little tune that you could never quite forget; going to "the hop" to dance in the late 1950s was a very big deal for teenagers and young couples and so "Queen Of The Hop" is another tune that put Bobby Darin on the map for all eternity.

"Dream Lover" has Bobby singing his heart out with a great chorus to back him up; and listen for Bobby to outdo himself on "Mack The Knife." I think of all the songs on this album "Mack The Knife" is probably the song that is most associated with Bobby Darin even though of course others have performed this number. "Clementine" is a charming number even though the lyrics don't tell the happiest story; and Bobby does great on "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey." "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" has Bobby singing his best and the fast tempo of this ballad works very well. I love that keyboard solo as well!

Bobby sings my very favorite rendition of the classic ballad entitled "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby;" "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" features Bobby front and center--right where he belonged! This tune has Bobby taking an older tune and jazzing it up with a mighty fine arrangement to make it fit in with the popular music of the day. Genius! "Multiplication" is also very well done; and I really like "I'll Be There." "I'll Be There" is a very sweet tune that I could never tire of hearing when Bobby sings it; and "I'll Be There" is certainly a major highlight of this album.

"Artificial Flowers" is another sad song with a happy sounding melody just like "Clementine;" and it truly showcases Bobby Darin's singular ability to deliver a ballad with class. "Somebody To Love" is cute; and the CD ends well with Bobby Darin performing "Beyond The Sea," another song associated with this legendary performer. "Beyond The Sea" emits nothing but pure elegance and I'm sure you'll enjoy this number.

Bobby Darin could really sing out a tune and he performed much, much more than just these songs in his all-too-short life. Get this CD and enjoy the everlasting proof that Bobby Darin possessed more talent than so many other "celebrities" out there.

I found the 3-CD box set "Rock & Roll Legends," in which Darin has his own disc, to be better than this collection. Featuring LIVE versions of "Splish Splash," "Plain Jane," "Dream Lover," and "Mack The Knife," it also replaces the less-arresting "Artificial Flowers" with the ecstatic rapidness of "I Wish I were In Love Again" and "Don't Rain On My Parade." Also, it has the same ratio of mono to stereo tracks as this disc. The other two CDs in the box set include live performances by Jerry Lee Lewis & Gene Vicent. The only thing "Ultimate Bobby Darin" has going for it is the inclusion of the uber-classic, "Beyond the Sea."