LIVE AT THE DESERT INN
LIVE AT THE DESERT INN (MCDO6227MD) was released by Motown on CD in 1986.
It contains a super live
performance of Bobby from February 6th, 1971.
JAZZTIMES Review (Of the reissued Concord CD)
By Christopher Loudon, September 2005
If you've seen Beyond the Sea, Kevin Spacey's ambitiously flawed Darin biopic, you know that the chameleon-like
crooner successfully resurrected his career in the early '70's by serving up the folk tines and soft-rock ballads he'd
grown to love in slick Vegas packaging.
This 1971 concert is a fine example of that closing chapter in Darin's multifarious,
if far too brief, showbiz legacy.
Gone are the signature pop hits (save, of course, the requisite "Mack the Knife"). Instead Darin proves equally compelling traversing
the more intelligent likes of such contemporary material as Laura Nyro's gently politicized "Save the Country," James Taylor's "Fire
and Rain," Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonite," Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter" (Darin's '66 comeback hit) and, sweetest of all,
a soaring rendition, complete with a phalanx of backup singers, of his own, beloved "Simple Song of Freedom."
Two previously unreleased bonus tracks add top-drawer interpretations of Nat Adderley and Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Work Song" and a "Beyond
the Sea" several degrees cooler than the 1960 original.
TRACKS
INTRO/MONOLOGUE
SAVE THE COUNTRY
MACK THE KNIFE
FIRE AND RAIN
HI-DE-HO
MONOLOGUE
BEATLES MEDLEY: Hey Jude, Eleanor Rigby, Blackbird, A Day in the Life
HIGHER AND HIGHER
I'LL BE YOUR BABY TONIGHT
MONOLOGUE
IF I WERE A CARPENTER
SIMPLE SONG OF FREEDOM
FINALE/INTRODUCTIONS
ENCORE: Chain of Fools, Respect, Splish Splash, Johnny B. Goode
LIVE AT THE DESERT INN can be purchased here.
Poster Ad for Desert Inn - Crystal Room
June 5, 1972.
(Thanks to Shiying for sharing this ad.)
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