Splish Splash, I was taking a bath!

With tracks ranging from jazz to country to 50’s rock and beyond, this CD affectionately captures the diverse musical talents of one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of the fifties and sixties – the late great Bobby Darin. Spanning some of the best of Bobby’s work from 1958 to the early seventies, the collection includes a sprinkling of better-known material and more than a smattering of unexpected surprises.

Bobby’s seemingly effortless ability to feel at home with any type of music deservedly earned him the reputation of being one of music’s great pop chameleons. During his all too brief lifetime (1936-73), Bobby Darin enjoyed commercial success with 50’s rock and roll, swing, country, jazz, ballads and show tunes. This CD is a testament to his versatility and comprises examples of musical excellence from most of the pop styles that he pursued.

The Tracks

Of the 10 tracks on this CD, all with the exception of “Splish Splash” and “Dream Lover”, are in stereo. The former of these recordings is in binaural and the later in mono. Generally speaking the sound quality, particularly on the eight remaining tracks, is excellent.

”Splish Splash” and “Dream Lover”

These self-penned compositions stem from Bobby’s early and all too brief rock and roll career. Both were commercial successes in the late 50’s with “Splish Splash” making the top 10 and “Dream Lover” hitting the #2 spot on the US charts.

“Splish Splash” is a classic 50’s full steam ahead rock number driven by Jerry-lee Lewis influenced vocals, a honky-tonk piano and a wild saxophone. The lyrics of this feel good song are suitably inane and are essentially about a fellow who is disturbed while relaxing in the bathtub when his friends unexpectedly hold a party in his lounge room. The lyrics also include some clever references to other great rock songs of the day like “Peggy-Sue” and “Good Golly Miss Molly”. Of interest, “Splish Splash” had something of a revival in the mid-70’s due to it being used on a semi-regular basis in the Happy Days TV show (“Potsie” did a pretty good version of it as I recall).

In contrast “Dream Lover” is medium tempo ballad about the woes of some poor youth who is lamenting when his “dream lover” will show. Notwithstanding its hokey content, this song is without doubt one of the finest produced 1950’s pop songs ever made. It is also complemented by excellent and perfectly suited vocal performances from Bobby and his backing singers. The song has been covered numerous times over the years by a range of artists; none however have matched the punch of the original.

“Mack the Knife” and “If I Were a Carpenter”

These tracks are not Bobby Darin’s original recordings of the songs, but in-concert versions recorded I suspect in the early 70’s. By all accounts they are excellent performances and I would go as far to say that they are possibly better than the original works.

“Mack the Knife” was Bobby’s biggest hit (his only US#1) and its release in 1959 signaled his departure as a rock artist. Bobby’s jazz influenced finger-snapping upbeat delivery of the song is strangely very much at odds with its gruesome plot about a contract killing. The orchestral backing on this version of the song is magnificent. That being said there is no doubt that Bobby Darin is in the driver seat here, and that it is his impassioned vocal performance that brings the number home.

“If I Were a Carpenter” (1966: US#8) was the biggest hit of Bobby’s foray into folk music in the mid to late 60’s. The performance on this CD is one of Bobby’s finest recordings. Backed by a gentle guitar, a bongo drum and a most beautiful sounding flute, Bobby gives a sincere vocal performance that amply demonstrates he was one of the outstanding folk singers of his generation.

“La Bamba”

As many would know, Ritchie Valens had a hit with this song in the late 50’s (1958:US#2). Interestingly, Bobby’s interpretation takes this traditional huapango song (originally played at weddings) back to its east Mexican origins. (A huapango incidentally is a nonsense song, the significance of the lyrics only being understood by the author) Th performance on this collection is fast paced and augmented by wild playing on the flute, bongo and acoustic guitar (including instrumental solos on each instrument). Keeping with its traditional feel, the song commences with a vigorous handclapping introduction and there is generous use of male backing vocals. In short this is a fine performance and makes for a great listen.

"18 Yellow Roses"

Bobby’s versatility as a singer songwriter is most aptly demonstrated by his recording of the self-penned country tune 㥾 Yellow Roses” (1963: US#10). Sounding more like the country legend Marty Robbins than Bobby Darin, this cornball statement about the relationship between a father and daughter, is very much country music in its most traditional style.

"On Broadway"

Backed by some fine bass and piano playing, Bobby takes the Drifters’ hit “On Broadway” and transforms it into an exciting finger-snapping jazz classic. The song starts slowly and gradually builds in tempo until the big finale verse where Bobby powerfully growls out the lyrics. In short, the performance represents jazz music at its best and it is impossible to find fault with this recording.

Other tracks

The remaining tracks on this CD are the standard “Fly me to the Moon”, Bobby’s last charting single “Happy (Love Theme from “Lady Sings the Blues”)” and a cover of Fat Domino’s “Blue Monday”.

“Fly me to the Moon” and “Happy” showcase Bobby’s considerable talents as a contemporary balladeer. His voice in both numbers is powerful and demonstrates a tenderness rarely seen in his earlier work. Both numbers also have the benefit that they are particularly well produced and use an orchestral backing to great effect. Unfortunately, “Blue Monday” is not in the same caliber. Recorded in the early seventies, it adds nothing to Fats Domino’s original work and comes across somewhat dated.

Liner Notes

The liner notes for this release were written by Wayne Newton. Bobby Darin was in part responsible for Wayne Newton’s initial breaking into the music business and it is clear that they became life-long friends. The liner notes do not contain much detail about the recordings on the collection, but they make for an interesting read and include numerous statements of admiration for Bobby’s contribution to music.

Recommendation

Although not quite the “Greatest Hits” that its cover suggests, this CD has the benefit of not only being an essential purchase for the Bobby Darin fan (due to the rarity of 6 of the tracks) but also an excellent introduction to Bobby Darin’s music for the casual buyer. As is evident from my discussion of the individual tracks, the range and quality of the performances on the collection are most impressive and I would highly recommend it as a potential purchase.

Rating

4.5 stars.

If you like this CD, what other titles would I recommend?

The Final Curtain - Bobby Darin