Mack The Knife - The Best Of Bobby Darin Volume Two

Bobby Darin

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 12, 1991)
• Original Release Date: November 12, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atco
• ASIN: B000002JOT
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,883 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Best known for his early rock hits such as "Splish Splash," by the early '60s Bobby Darrin had pretty much abandoned rock and recast himself as something of a finger poppin', tuxedo wearing, youth-camp version of Sinatra. Surprisingly, it worked. While he lacks Frank's chops, the swinging "By the Sea" and "Mack The Knife" are two of the best latter-day Sinatra imitations, and there's no denying his light touch on "Lazy River." He even had the guts to take on "Guys and Dolls," a song identified with the Chairman. As good as this album is, it only gives a fraction of Darrin's talents. For a broader picture (including his late 60's transformation into a jeans wearing folkie), check out Rhino's Darrin box, As Long As I'm Singing. --Steven Mirkin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the Sea..., September 2, 2000

By	Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Epitome Of Cool, March 14, 2000

By A Customer

Bobby Darin was such a multi-talented performer, that he is the ONLY one that Sammy Davis,Jr.(also multi-talented) didn't want to be on the same bill with-for fear of Bobby upstaging him. This was all in respect, not anger or jealousy. The man was THAT good, no GREAT. This collection is especially a must-have to go with Splish Splash: Best of Bobby Darin Vol.1, another terrific collection. Bobby Darin was the epitome of cool and it shows, especially in this collection. I own it on both cassette and cd and have no problems with the audio whatsoever. What a thrill it must have been to see him perform LIVE or even just to be at the studio whenever he was recording. The man knew his stuff, knew how every instrument & musical note was supposed to sound, & on many occasions was known to conduct the orchestra himself. Anyone working on an album with him gave him the utmost respect for his musical knowledge. It was a shame he died so young, otherwise I'm sure Bobby would still be making some contributions to music. At one time I read somewhere that Hollywood keeps talking about making a movie of Bobby's life, possibly based on the bio Dream Lovers written by Bobby's & Sandra Dee's son, Dodd Darin. I only hope they are careful in the search to cast the actors to portray both Bobby & Sandra. Anyway, this particular Best Of cd is very highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget Sinatra!, July 21, 2001

By	Jorge Reyes (Quebec, QC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This must be the best CD I've ever bought. The music is simply captivating, and it makes a perfect listen anytime. It goes from very relaxed songs (though not lazy as the Lazy River song might suggest) to charming lyrics like "Don't dream of anybody but me" and quite amusing ouvres like Mack the Knife or Artificial Flowers. Maybe I exaggerate with the Sinatra comment above, but if you ever want to get romantic about a girl, this is the music for it. I just can't get tired of listening this CD once and again; its music suits every possible mood (Try "Black Coffee" or "What a difference a day makes...")