Bobby Darin - The Atco/Atlantic Years
(Part One)

by Gisele Dubson
	Bobby Darin, September 1958: Darin’s start as a recording artist with Decca Records in 1956 held really little hint of his future greatness. Bobby Darin, the first album for Darin at Atco, shows the young singer/songwriter in the process of finding himself. Four of these songs were actually recorded in Nashville in May 1957, before Darin landed his Atco contract. These include Wear My Ring, Talk To Me Something, Just In Case You Change Your Mind, and I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In A Five And Ten Cent Store).
Several of the songs on this album were released first as singles that failed to sell. No matter; Ahmet Ertegun, one of the founders of Atlantic Records, had good reason to have faith in what was yet to come. On this first album, Darin sings in a warm, sweet baritone that barely presages his future mastery of rhythm and lyric reading. His singing here is highly reminiscent of Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, and Little Richard. The rock ‘n roll numbers are rollicking, the teen ballads drip with appropriate longing, but Darin himself sounds like an amalgam of the above-named singers, as though he is trying to fit in a groove already made. Here and there are flashes of the witty, sassy Darin to come, such as the yay-yeahs that start off Brand New House. Even that is evocative of Ray Charles, but it has real Darin infused in the delivery as well. There are a few well-placed grunts in Actions Speak Louder Than Words that would later become a Darin trademark. Of course, the jewel in the crown of this album is one that Darin wrote himself, Splish Splash. This recording gave Darin his first Gold Record. Appropriately, it is the first song on the LP, and it is what this album will always be remembered for. As he tells the story of a young man who is caught unawares by a party in his own apartment while he is taking a bath, Darin’s singing is full of energy and good humor. His delivery of the song seems looser, less forced than on some of the other tracks. There is a sax solo that adds a bit of heat to the arrangement, designed to get the teen listeners moving with the grooving. As a performer and a songwriter, Darin is now perfectly at home in the rock ‘n roll idiom: “I was a rollin’ and a strollin’, reelin’ with the feelin’… splish, splash, yeah!” This ditty has since woven itself so deeply into popular culture that, almost 50 years later, we continue to splish splash along with Darin. The cover art for the album shows Darin looking young and appealing to his teen audience, wearing a sweater. The liner notes are enthusiastic about the prospects for the performer, making him appear closer in age to his target audience, stating that at the time of his first TV appearance in 1956, he was 17 years old. Actually, he was two months away from his 20th birthday. But, as we will see, when Darin crossed over to the standards on his next album, he took his teen audience with him into a sound that would also appeal to adults.
	That’s All, March 1959: This is the album that really put Bobby Darin on the map. If he had never had another recording session in his life, he would still be remembered today for the first two tracks, Mack the Knife and Beyond the Sea. The material for this album was recorded in December 1958. Before That’s All made its appearance, the single Dream Lover was released, a song still directed at teens, but oriented a bit more to adult audiences in terms of the orchestration with strings and percussion.
In May 1959, Darin delivered Dream Lover on the Ed Sullivan Show in a polished, crooning performance quite different from the gyrations he put into Splish Splash for the American Bandstand crowd. The stage was being set for the arrival of the That’s All material, Darin’s smashing crossover into adult pop standards. Dream Lover is an example of Darin moving into another genre, not just to sing a song in it, but to write his own material that demonstrates his mastery of the new form. In this case, Dream Lover helped his transition to the adult standards territory he wanted to conquer next. Not all of his future transitions would be as well managed as this one, leading to confusion in the listening audience as to what Darin was doing and who he was musically. He would pick up a new genre (rock ‘n roll, standards, folk, blues, jazz, protest music), master it in short order, and then as quickly move on to what interested him next. As satisfying as this was to his musical curiosity, it most likely cost him a measure of commercial success. That’s All has something featured in many of his albums, with Darin writing in a style that seems beyond his years (That’s The Way Love Is), and taking ballads up-tempo to mark them with his own style (That’s All). Musicians who worked with Darin have said that he was always urging them to play faster. These up-tempo arrangements would leave many lesser singers in the dust, but Darin managed to pack a maximum of excitement into his delivery. That’s All is a showcase of new and old songs and sophisticated arrangements by Richard Wess, with whom Darin collaborated closely, particularly on Mack the Knife. Earlier versions of this tune by Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby are in a light Dixieland vein. Darin and Wess conjure up a portrait of the murderer MacHeath that has a touch of menace lacking in any other version. It is an almost loving portrayal of murder and mayhem. Bobby Darin was only 23 years old when That’s All was recorded, but to listen to him, it’s hard to imagine that he had not been fronting big bands for many years. He was an amazingly quick study; he seemed to know things that other performers of his generation had to spend years learning.
	This is Darin, January 1960: This is Darin was recorded before That’s All had taken off with the public, and once again features Richard Wess, and many of the same musicians as on the previous album. Credit is also given to Buddy Bregman for work on All Nite Long and I Can’t Give you Anything But Love.
The liner notes celebrate Darin’s triumphs at the 1959 Grammys, as well as his live performances at places such as Copa, the Sands Hotel, and the Cloister. There is a nice range of material on the album, which unfortunately is difficult to find on CD. Darin swings hard on such numbers as All Nite Long, bumps and grinds naughtily through I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, and melts the listener in ballad mode with Don’t Dream of Anybody But Me. My personal favorite is Darin’s version of the Duke Ellington tune Caravan. His attack on the lyrics is just devastating: “Thiiiiiissssss is so exciting, you, you’re so so so inviting, resting in my arms, as I thrill, thrill to the magic charm of you,” then the horns and wonderful drum work invite us to hop up on the caravan. This album did not have the breakout hit of Mack, but overall charted better than That’s All. If you can find a copy of it, hang on tight and never let go.
	Darin at the Copa, July 1960: Pianist Bobby Scott has said that he thought it was too early in Darin’s career to consider a live album, that many of Darin’s later performances at the Copa in New York City were superior to his debut engagement. That may be true, but Darin fans are lucky to have this snapshot of Darin’s live act at this point in his career.
His Copa set features songs from the first three albums, as well as medley material that he never recorded in a studio, including spirituals such as Swing Low Sweet Chariot and Lonesome Road. Darin’s interaction with the audience is completely engaging. Unfortunately, at some spots, you can hear the audience more clearly than you can hear the 17-piece band (“17 men,” as Darin introduced them, “who play ever so beautifully.”) Darin also plays drums, piano, and the vibraphone in this act, showing that, despite his lack of formal training, he really was a musician as well as a singer and songwriter. His mastery of this nightclub audience at such a young age is noteworthy. On the liner notes is a bit of a review from journalist Dorothy Kilgallen that must have delighted Darin to no end: “Darin has a good voice, fine arrangements, and the nerve of a bank robber”—a totally charming, disarming bank robber. The photo on the album cover shows Darin on the tiny Copa stage, about 3 feet away from his audience. This was the perfect venue for so tactile a performer, a place where he could be close enough to his audience to physically touch them. The next-to-last piece on the record features Darin at the piano, playing and singing the Ray Charles number I Got a Woman, adding a nice rhythm and blues touch to the evening. As it happens, this was Darin’s final album in his career to chart in the Top 10. Though he continued to have respectable sales numbers, it was his live performances for which he eventually came to be known best, and we can hear the beginning of that on this album.
	For Teenagers Only, September 1960: This album is not available in CD form, though all of the songs can be purchased online in digital format, and this era of Darin’s work is fairly well covered by the first CD of the Rhino boxed set, The Bobby Darin Collection. The album itself is a sought-after item because of a very nice photo spread of Darin and a pullout poster. Copies are usually available on ebay and from sellers of vintage vinyl.
As the title tells us, Darin was not ready to abandon his teen audience even while he was ruling over adult listeners in the nightclub scene. Except for two songs recorded in the summer of 1959, the rest of the material is from 1958, and it is instructive to listen to the change in Darin’s voice from the previous albums. The songs range from rocking to liltingly sweet. On the rock ‘n roll numbers, the sax from Splish Splash makes an appearance. Darin’s vocals are lively, reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis. The final number, Here I’ll Stay, is a ballad, and we can begin to hear the power in Darin’s voice, modulated by nice breath control. It is amazing to consider that just a couple of months after this, he would record Mack the Knife. This album is a must for anyone who reveres the rock ‘n roll era and wants to get a good picture of Darin’s beginnings as a recording artist.
	25th Day of December, October 1960: Christmas albums were once a staple product for many pop singers. Bobby Darin’s entry into this form stands in appealing contrast to the usual holiday treacle. Conducting and arrangements were handled by Bobby Scott. The album is a compelling combination of traditional Christmas hymns such as Holy, Holy, Holy, and lesser known American spirituals. The two forms contrast nicely in a celebration of the Christian holiday.
The material has a refreshing lack of commercialism; it is not slick, but deeply felt. Darin’s voice is strong and rhythmic on the spirituals, reverential for the Ave Maria. He is backed by a delightful choir identified only as the Bobby Scott Chorale. When I listen to them and Bobby going to tell it on the mountain, I cannot stay in my seat. I simply must get up and move in ways that I’m sure the singers moved during the performance. These are recording sessions that I would dearly love to have seen. This album is a witness for Darin’s deep affinity for gospel music. It is an album that can be enjoyed at any time of the year.
	Two of a Kind, February 1961: This album was not a commercial success upon release, but I find it to be a true delight. Bobby Darin pairs up with lyricist Johnny Mercer, who wrote or collaborated on at least 1000 songs. His song writing partners included Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, and Henry Mancini, among others. Together, Darin and Mercer wrote the title song, and all the rest come from the Tin Pan Alley tradition, with a few lyrics cunningly updated by Mercer.
Some listeners feel that Darin takes a back seat to Mercer on this album, but I think that Darin holds his own with the older performer, who was also a sometime singer. They both do some marvelous scatting. The swinging horn arrangements by Billy May update these old songs nicely. My personal favorites are Indiana and Bob White. What is most impressive about this album is the easy rapport of the two performers. Their laughter and spoken asides are preserved as they banter back and forth during the songs. Darin easily slips in impressions of Groucho Marx, W.C. Fields, and Dean Martin, among others. It is said that Johnny Mercer, while flattered that the young pop singer wanted to record with him, was also afraid that, rhythmically, Darin would perhaps be unable to keep up with the veteran performer. When you listen to this album, I think you will agree that Mercer need not have worried. To pair any other young singer of Darin’s generation with the rich musical heritage resident in Johnny Mercer would be simply unimaginable. Darin makes it look inevitable, just a very fun and natural partnership. Though this album did not chart in its day, I notice that in CD form, it is one of those you can always find a new copy of, so obviously many people out there are still listening and enjoying this delightful pairing of Mercer and Darin.
	Bobby Darin Story, 1961: This is a compilation of Darin’s early hits, drawing from his albums and singles to this date, including Splish Splash, Dream Lover, Mack the Knife, Bill Bailey, and the delightfully mordant Artificial Flowers, among others. It is a nice introduction for listeners who are new to Darin, because it draws evenly between his rock ‘n roll and adult material.
It also features Darin talking about the songs and his career to this time. He introduces Mack by saying that he would sing this song for as long as he lived. He also gives some helpful advice about when to turn the vinyl record over to hear side two. I would buy this CD for Lazy River alone, a Hoagy Carmichael standard that Darin claims as his own. His voice has a shimmering quality here that starts out light, then turns around to attack the lyric with energy and verve. “I ain’t goin’ your way, get outta my way,” sings Darin in a neat summation of his entire career. Darin’s voice and the arrangement are drop-dead thrilling on this tune. All of these songs are available on other albums and compilations, but it is a must-have to hear the portions with Darin speaking about his work.
	Love Swings, July 1961: This is one of my all-time favorite Darin albums. Some of the tunes have been included on compilation CDs released in recent years, including I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (a Rodgers and Hart composition sung wonderfully by Darin), It Had To Be You, and I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan, but those single songs don’t give an adequate idea what a gem this album is. This and five other Darin/Atco albums were finally released in CD form about three years ago for grateful fans, with new liner notes by music writer James Ritz.
The band swings hard, yet the arrangements are lushly romantic. Darin had begun work on two albums that were shelved by Atco in order to release Love Swings first. The Atco producers were faced with an embarrassment of riches from Darin’s recording sessions at this time, and I think it is notable that they decided to release this album ahead of the others. Darin’s vocal style continues to mature; he plays with the beat, lagging behind it and then jumping ahead and waiting for the band to catch up with him, a real treat for the listener. Side one starts with an exciting up-tempo arrangement of a song that is generally sung as a really languid ballad, Long Ago And Far Away. Darin’s vocal on this song bubbles over with excitement and the thrill of a new romance, at one point bursting from singing to a delightful shout of exuberance. The selection of songs outlines the discovery of a new love, celebration, loss of that love, loneliness, and regret. Side two of the original album contains the songs about love lost, and they amply illustrate that Darin also knew his way around a ballad and could, indeed, sing without snapping his fingers (though we fans delight in hearing every snap!). “It’s only human,” he sings, “for anyone to want to be in love,” and his voice ever so gently caresses the word “love.” On side one, Darin is joyously swaggering through It Had To Be You; on side two, he sings with a most tender heart on Skylark. I guess it is these two sides to Darin that have always fascinated me so (what Connie Francis called his tender toughness), and they were never on better display than on Love Swings. I also love the picture on the album cover with Darin smiling broadly and wearing a nautical cap.
	Twist with Bobby Darin, December 1961: Darin is back in the rock ‘n roll genre with this album, which contains material mostly recorded around the time of his first two albums, including the witty Multiplication, written for the first movie in which Darin had an acting role, Come September (but do go hunting for his incendiary singing cameo in the movie Pepe, which was his first silver screen appearance).
Multiplication is a humorous song in which humans are instructed to look at the mating habits of the animal kingdom. Darin is rocking and witty on this and other tunes. He wrote Bullmoose, which is on this album, a minor rock ‘n roll gem. Irresistible You (“your magic hands,” oh my!) and You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby are also standouts. He has a very attractive hiccup in his voice on the final song, I Ain’t Sharin’ Sharon. These are all very danceable tunes, full of youthful energy and good spirits.
	Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles, March 1962: This album was near impossible to find for several years, but I’m happy to say it is now available on CD. Bobby Darin’s admiration for Ray Charles was well known. Once, while he was waiting around for something to do at Atlantic Records, Darin was playing some bluesy chords on a piano. Producer Ahmet Ertegun thought that Ray Charles was on the premises! But it was Darin, paying homage to the rhythm and blues style he loved. Sings Ray Charles is a product of that abiding affection.
Bobby Darin was only 25 years old when he recorded this album, but he displays the blues stylings of a mature performer. I Got a Woman, which appears here in a studio recording, was featured as part of Darin’s live act for the Copa album. Darin was able to use backup singers who had previously worked with Charles, and the song The Right Time features a glorious vocal accompaniment by Darlene Love. Darin’s vocal responses bounce off of hers in a wonderfully loose, seemingly spontaneous manner. There is something very moving to me about Darin’s singing here and his appreciation for this type of music. This was not a genre in which Darin would have had a ready-made audience waiting to snap up these recordings, but he did them anyway, and I so admire that. What’d I Say (which was nominated for a Grammy) and I Got a Woman do show up on compilation CDs, but the true Darin fan will want to hear this entire album, including Drown In My Own Tears. It is Ray Charles material, but Darin put his own individual stamp on all of these tunes.
	Things & Other Things, July 1962: The release of this album capitalized on Darin’s final hit single for Atco, Things, thus the name of the album. Darin sings the title track in an easy country style. He is adept at placing a strategic break in his voice, as in “there’s not a single sound, and there’s no-body else around,” in a way that is peculiarly his own.
Things & Other Things is composed of singles recorded over a three-year period. As a result, it does not have a unified sound or theme in the way that Love Swings or Sings Ray Charles have. It is a good place to bag rare Darin singles that you won’t find elsewhere unless you are still collecting vinyl. It is notable for the haunting Lost Love, in which Darin sings in an unusual soft, lilting manner that is totally winning. He plays piano for the instrumental Beachcomber. Songs like You’re Mine are going in search of teen listeners. Oo-Ee Train chugs along nicely. A banjo backs Darin in Jailer Bring Me Water, along with hand claps and a loose vocal accompaniment. Nature Boy is another highlight of this album, with a slightly Latin-sounding arrangement. Darin slides through the melody in an exotic manner, ending with a pleasing falsetto trailing off. After that comes the theme music for the movie Come September; it doesn’t particularly belong here, but there it is, for completeness’ sake. The album finishes with a 1961 recording, Sorrow Tomorrow, a plaintiff Darin vocal backed by acoustic guitar. I get the impression Atco was cleaning out its Darin closet with the release of this album, but as we shall see, after his departure for new musical territory at Capitol Records, Atco still had some very delectable Darin material up its sleeve.
Ed. Note: STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO
Reference sources for this article include: The Official Bobby Darin Website, and “That's All: Bobby Darin On Record, Stage & Screen” by Jeff Bleiel, plus various album liner notes.