Bobby Darin
Encouraging Signs for Album and Video Releases

For the Bobby Darin fan, the years since his death (1973) have produced little in the way of additional album releases or video material. There are, however, a number of encouraging signs that this may be changing, albeit too slowly.

Leading the way on the reissue front are the Japanese with re-releases of That's All and Darin at the Copa. The American pressing of That's All (1959) did not hold up very well, particularly the stereo edition, so this release is especially welcome. The domestic company, Bainbridge, issued Darin at the Copa in 1981 and did a very good job of it. The Japanese have also released a 16 track LP called Singles. The cover is the same as the back cover of The Bobby Darin Story, with the songs all from the ATCO years. It is unfortunate that they didn't remove the offensive ping-pong stereo from several of the cuts, but the superior pressings are most welcome. These three releases join the previous Japanese albums of Winners and Oh! Look at Me Now, and it is hoped that more are on the way.

Two releases come from the United Kingdom. One is The Legend of Bobby Darin, and it contains 20 ATCO selections. The contents differ somewhat from the Singles album, with the addition of "My Bonnie," "I Got a Woman," "Nature Boy," "I Can't Give You Anything but Love," and the reinstatement of "Early in the Morning" and "Artificial Flowers."

The gem of this import group is The Versatile Bobby Darin which contains 14 songs from the Capitol years. The pressing is excellent and the extensive liner notes by Stan Britt are intelligent and informative. The song selection is also tastefully done, with the emphasis on standards and ballads, with the obligatory "You're the Reason I'm Living," and "Eighteen Yellow Roses" included. The album opens with "The Days of Wine and Roses" and closes with a Darin original, "A World Without You." Both songs are presented in a pleasantly understated style showing that interpretation and intensity are more important than sheer volume. Unlike most other reissues (Rock 'n' Roll con Bobby Darin - Spain; The Star Collection - West Germany; Sold Out - New Zealand), it is a pleasure to have material from something other than the ATCO vaults.

A curious release appeared in 1984 - Hits by Bobby Darin. This is a nine-song collection of Capitol material, and it is available on cassette only. What makes it particularly collectible is the inclusion of four songs in true stereo for the first time, "If a Man Answers," "The Things in This House," "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" and "Be Mad Little Girl." Because the number of the cassette did not coincide with numbering system, it was attempted to find out more about the album. But Capitol offered no help and it is still not known where this cassette originated. It does, however, carry a U.S. copyright, and no other country is mentioned.

America has been lax in releasing material. There has been only one single from Atlantic added ("Early in the Morning"/ "I'll Be There") to bring the total to 10, and nothing from Capitol and Motown. Recently, ATCO reissued Two of a Kind with Johnny Mercer on its Super Saver Series. It is the same as the original release except for a new number (90401). The album is plagued with pre-echo in both the record and cassette formats. It is surprising that this is the album they would choose to issue because there are several that are more deserving to be in the active catalog that go unnoticed. It is rumored that more are on the way.

It is known that the companies all have unreleased songs in their vaults. It is documented that there are recording sessions that include such unreleased songs as "My Reverie," "Since I Fell for You" (both recorded the same day as Splish Splash"), "The Breeze and I" and "The Lamp Is Low." It seems from the recording dates that "Birth of the Blues," "My Funny Valentine" and "Splish Splash" could have been included in the Darin at the Copa album. It is also possible that "Bobby Blues" was instrumental selection along the lines of "Beachcomber" and "Autumn Blues." Darin's return to the parent company Atlantic in 1965 produced another live album that went unissued called Darin Returns to the Copa. None of these songs has been released. Nor has "Good Day Sunshine," "Young Girl," or "The Biggest Night of Her Life," to mention a few.

Capitol had an album titled As Long As I'm Singing, which contained the still unreleased "Just in Time," "The Sweetest Sounds," and "This Nearly Was Mine." The songs are done in a big band style, not unlike those done for From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie. The [above] three songs were on a Here's to Veterans disc, but it is not known what else was to be on the album.

Motown has been the worst offender regarding Darin. They are reissue-happy (how many ways can you find "Endless Love"), yet they ignore Darin. It is possible that they did not part friends, and Motown has no interest in issuing any more material on Darin. Darin 1936-1973 is still available, but there are many songs begging for release, such as "Soft Spoken Woman," "Catch the Wind," and "Oh Lord, Where's My Baby."

Videos on Darin are also few and far between. Of the 13 movies in which he appeared only State Fair and Run Stranger Run (theatrical release title: Happy Mother's Day Love, George) have been available commercially. (State Fair, from Magnetic Video, is out of print.) His best performances, Pressure Point, Hell Is for Heroes, and Captain Newman, M.D. remain unreleased.

That Darn Cat from Disney has a Darin vocal that for some reason was not on the soundtrack album. He had been replaced by Louis Prima and Bobby Troup.

He appeared on television often, yet there is very little available showcasing his performances. Probably the best example of his ability along these lines was a tape from Home Theater called The Darin Invasion. This was an hour long Canadian special with guests George Burns, Linda Ronstadt (singing "Long Long Time"), Pat Carroll, and the Poppy Family. Bobby sings "If I Were a Carpenter" and "Simple Song of Freedom, among others. This tape no longer exists.

Still available from Video Yesteryear in Connecticut is JukeBox Saturday Night, which contains what seems to be an appearance on The Kraft Music Hall. Darin sings "Falling in Love with Love" with Diana Ross and the Supremes, and solos on "I Wish I Were in Love Again." The company warns you that this tape is not up to its usual standards. They are right; the sound is not good, and the black and white image is rather washed out.

Video Yesteryear does not warn, however, about Bobby Darin & Friends. This is a 1961 special with Joanie Summers and Bob Hope. The sound is average to begin with, and deteriorates shortly into the extended duet with Joanie. According to TV Guide, the program was shown in color, but the tape is black and white. Also from the same company is Mercury Star Time, hosted by George Burns with guests Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, George Jessel and the Kingston Trio. On this, Darin sings "Clementine" and does a soft-shoe routine with George Burns.

Darin hosted his own TV series in the summer of 1972 and returned in January of 1973. He had taken an extended sabbatical, but now he had returned to performing, and he was in better voice than ever. None of the shows has turned up commercially or in syndication, but there is a so-called "working" tape in black and white of the final TV show, with outakes and superb performances of several songs.

Various programs show up from time to time, such as his appearance on The Sonny & Cher Show, on which Bobby sings "Sail Away" and works in several comedy skits. Darin's appearance on Laugh-In produced only mild laughs, unlike a much earlier showing on The Jack Benny Show. While he was doing his own show, he went in to do a Midnight Special segment which gave us "If I Were a Carpenter" and a medley which included "Dream Lover" and "Splish Splash."

A 45-minute interview on a David Frost show gives us the only video performance of Darin doing "Mack the Knife" and shows him performing on drums and piano on another number. He is surprisingly self-effacing for a person who had gained the reputation of being quite an egotist. Speaking of "Mack the Knife," MGM/UA has recently released a video called Rock 'n' Roll Heaven, which has Darin signing that tune. There may be videos of Darin performances on the recent tapes of American Bandstand from Vestron.

It is regrettable that Dick Clark has not seen fit to do the memory of Darin justice. Even in Clark's most recent American Bandstand" retrospective, he omitted Darin's name from the list of artists missed most. From a man who claims Darin was his closest friend and all-time favorite performer, he certainly seems to be doing very little to foster his memory.

Darin's TV appearances weren't limited to just his musical talents, but also included acting endeavors. One of his better dramatic performances was on an episode of Cade's County. Although the ending is weak, Darin's portrayal of a psycho who thinks he's Billy the Kid is quite good. A part on an Ironside show was effective, with Bobby playing a small-time hood. A vignette from Night Gallery is of interest to Darin collectors. He also appeared on episodes of Wagon Train and Dan Raven, both in 1960. The latter was the premiere episode, titled "The High Cost of Fame." Other non-singing roles included Run for Your Life, The Danny Thomas Hour and Hennesey.

At press time, there is no material of Bobby Darin on compact disc. As the format becomes more popular, it is hoped that there will be a collection along the lines of discs for Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, the Everly Brothers, and Jackie Wilson. The discs themselves can easily handle 20 to 25 songs and reproduce them with remarkable clarity and a restoration of sound quality that vinyl cannot match. ATCO would do well to put That's All and This Is Darin on a single disc, and as a bonus, include an unreleased track or two.

One final word on unreleased material. In 1976, a three record set appeared called The Original Bobby Darin. The compilation contains all previously released ATCO songs except for the inclusion of "Sunday Kind of Love," which was recorded May 19, 1959, the same day that most of the songs for This Is Darin was completed. Although price guides list this album in the $18-$20 range, it seems to be very scarce. More information is needed about this collection, such as: Was this a limited time TV offer? Was it available nationally? How long was it available? Where are the copies now?

As a collector, one is never satisfied with what one has. It is hoped that the few audio and video offerings on Darin will increase substantially in number in the foreseeable future. Bobby Darin would have been 50 years old on May 14. It would have been an appropriate tribute to have his contributions recognized in new video and audio collections.