Bobby Darin - Aces Back to Back (Audio CD & DVD)

In his all too short life, Bobby Darin accomplished more than most artists could ever dream. He was a teen idol, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, an Academy Award-nominated actor, a Grammy Award-winner, a folk rock stylist and a Vegas showman -- and that only scratches the surface. The consummate American performer, his artistry is far beyond what mere words could describe. Aces Back To Back, the long awaited Bobby Darin collection on HYENA Records, paints the entire picture. Produced by Joel Dorn, in conjunction with Darin's manager Steve Blauner and Darin's official archivist Jimmy Scalia, the CD/DVD set is the most comprehensive collection of Bobby Darin rarities ever released, drawing from long lost concert performances, previously unreleased radio broadcasts, out of print studio sessions and vintage film and television footage. High points include performances from his 1970s television variety show on which Darin delivers definitive renditions of his biggest hits including "Mack The Knife," "Beyond The Sea" and "Dream." Also included, for first time ever commercial release, are the fabled "Milk Recordings" that are among the only known Darin jazz vocal performances. The folk rock gems from his retreat to Big Sur are yet another invaluable addition highlighted by "Jive" and "Long Time Movin'." The DVD component includes performances from the aforementioned '70s television show, but the feature is the never before seen black and white documentary film that Bobby Darin was directing about his own life. Narrated by George Burns, the poignant footage captures Darin in the studio, with his family, performing around the world and finally from his comeback performance at the Coconut Grove. Aces Back To Back encompasses the brilliance of one of the 20th century's greatest artists like no retrospective that's come before! Album Description

Brilliance Back To Back.

Bobby Darin was music's most underrated performer. With the exception of Frank Sinatra, no one could dig into the soul of a song like him. He could take any song, either a swinger or a ballad, and make it his own, no matter who else recorded it. His versatility as a general performer was equally impressive, as he was an accomplsiehd musician, songwriter, dancer, actor, coemdian and impressionist. Almost all of these attributes are evident on this two disc set, one cd and one dvd.

The cd includes various performances from tv specials Bobby Darin did in the 1960s' and 21970s' with a few rarities thrown in. A good portion of them are covers of major hits of the day, among them a swingin' take on "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You," Neil Diamond's "Song Sung Blue," and a beautiful duet with Petula Clark on "All I Have To Do Is Dream" that puts The Everly Brothers to shame. He also sings such showtunes as "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big" and a fantastic "A Quarter To Nine".

Treacks 7-15, with a few exceptions, are available on other collections, but the last few tracks are rare and worth having. "Moon River" is great, and his cover of "All The Way," while not as good as Frank's, is lovely. "Mack The Knife" is excellent as always, and the closing "The Curtain Falls" is singularly moving.

The dvd is intriguing, containing footage from a 1967 Darin documentary narrated by George Burns that was never created. Here, we get a very personal view of Darin's life, as well as some excellent live footage.

The liner ntoes are incredibly well written by Joel Dorn, and the sound quality is fantastic. A must have for all music fans. February 25, 2008

Aces Back to Back

Good selection of his works but I wish there had been more of HIS works instead of covers from his TV show. The same applies for the DVD portion. I would have left off "Song Song Blue" and some of the others and used footage of him doing his own music (A Nightingale Sang in Barkley Square or I'm Begining to See the Light, for example) for a "real" audience instead of a TV studio audience. The Lost Documentary Footage was interesting to watch one time but I'll probably never watch it again. I'd have preferred the space be used for concert footage. October 10, 2007

A golden nugget shining brightly !!!

Bobby Darin remains a titan in the entertainment industry. Despite the passing of time since his death, many people the world over enjoy his artistry on CDs. This CD/DVD set captures some of Darin's finest moments and gives us a rare chance to look behind the scenes at the man who was Bobby Darin.

The CD track set begins with "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big." This live track is an auspicious way to start the set--the first track truly IS the beginning of a BIG, wonderful CD/DVD set. Bobby sings with all his heart; and his warm, masculine voice is nothing short of a finely tuned instrument. Awesome! "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big" swings well; and the musical arrangement sports a Vegas flavor with great use of the horns, drums and percussion. Great! "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" gives us more of that Vegas feel while Bobby swings brightly without singing a superfluous note. Wow! The female backup chorus bolsters "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," too.

"A Quarter To Nine" shines like gold; Bobby sings with just the right mixture of sensitivity and electricity to produce a show-stopping number. Great use of the horns, too! "Alone Again Naturally" begins with Bobby performing the opening verse his own way before he goes into the ballad with an arrangement that more closely matches the original one by Gilbert O'Sullivan. "Beyond The Sea" gets the royal treatment from Bobby as he sings one of his signature songs; the audience loves every minute of it!

"Up A Lazy River" lets Bobby perform a slower paced ballad. Bobby takes this number and makes it his own by changing the tempo here and there. Awesome! When the audience joins in by clapping along with the beat of the melody you know Bobby has his fans in the palm of his hand! "Dream Lover" appears to be a studio take; Bobby sings this with all his heart and the light musical arrangement places Bobby's vocals squarely in the spotlight. "Moon River" has a few quick key changes in the guitar arrangement that make "Moon Rover" all the better as Bobby sings this very passionately.

"Mack The Knife" is a live track of another Bobby Darin signature song; and Bobby sings this with energy, passion and panache! The CD track set ends with "The Curtain Falls" which I believe was recorded in November 1963 at The Flamingo in Las Vegas. Excellent!

But there's so much more. The DVD gives us great color footage of Bobby performing on TV variety shows; the image quality is very good. We see Bobby performing huge numbers including "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big;" "Song Sung Blue;" "Beyond The Sea" and "Mack The Knife." Awesome! In addition, we get plenty of black and white footage rarely seen before by anyone. We see Bobby perform more songs; we get a mini interview with George Burns about Bobby and great candid footage of a Bobby Darin recording session. There's footage of Bobby performing at The Cocoanut Grove in 1966--and much more, too.

The CD/DVD set comes with a 23 page booklet that contains an essay by Joel Dorn about Bobby. There are great photos, touching stories about Bobby's kindness and quotes from famous people who were influenced by Bobby's work. You get the song credits and the artwork shows great forethought and good judgment.

Bobby Darin may have passed away but he lives on very realistically through his legacy. Bobby could do anything he put his mind to doing; and the songs he performs on this CD/DVD set prove that very amply. We are better off for Bobby Darin sharing his talents with us. I highly recommend this not just for Bobby Darin fans but also for fans of classic pop vocals.

Enjoy!
July 9, 2007

Aces back to back here--a terrific CD, plus a charming collection of live video cuts.

Anyone who loves Bobby Darin will treasure every moment of this two disc set--one DVD of video cuts, including some never before released black and white film, and one CD of twenty songs, including most of his biggest hits. The DVD reminds the viewer of just how young Bobby Darin was when he died. It is obvious that several of these video cuts--including "Song Sung Blue" and "All I Have to Do is Dream," done with Petula Clark--are from TV performances. Though most of the cuts look like Vegas, with lots of finger-popping, toe-tapping, and stage movement, the TV cuts are static--as Darin does not wander from close-up camera range.

The black and white footage, which was done three years later, after Darin's return from a self-imposed three-year absence from performing, includes two delightful stories told about Darin by George Burns, who first introduced him to Las Vegas, and also features Darin traveling en route to shows, with some casual shots of Sandra Dee and their young son. The sound quality of the music suffers a bit here, and Darin is often drowned by the orchestra as he rehearses, but the intimate charm of these cuts cannot be overestimated, and viewers will be thrilled to see Darin "live."

The CD contains many of his most famous songs, along with a few lesser known--"A Quarter to Nine," "Jive," "Rainin'," and "Long Time Movin'." The mixing is highly professional, Darin sounds like a more mature performer, and his arrangements are imaginative, with a wide range of instruments from bongos to flute. Many arrangements are virtually identical to those now associated with Frank Sinatra on the same songs (including the finger-popping), though Darin's raw honesty and real emotion shine in ways one does not usually associate with Sinatra. Darin's "Alone Again, Naturally," is powerfully moving in ways I hadn't remembered.

Though some Darin fans may be a little disappointed by the lack of detail in the liner notes regarding when and where these recordings and video cuts were made, every Darin fan will rejoice in the one-two punch of this CD and DVD. Pure delight, a great tribute album. n Mary Whipple
April 18, 2007

Bobby Darin at his best

Both the CD and DVD are brilliant, lots of unseen footage and Bobby Darin at his best, King of Swing, Great version of you're too good to be true and a quarter to 9, lovely duet with Petula Clark, If you are a Bobby Darin fan then this is a must have cd/dvd. March 17, 2007

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