Bobby Darin Live From Las Vegas CD

The official soundtrack for the 100th birthday of Las Vegas. This 8 part series features the artists who help put Las Vegas on the map, Bobby Darin being one of one of those artists. Live versions of 'My Funny Valentine', Mack The Knife & Beyond the Sea are included. Capitol. 2005.

Personnel: Bobby Darin (vocals).
Ensemble: Russ Morgan & His Orchestra .
This stellar nightclub performance, from November 11, 1963, somehow remained under wraps for nearly four decades. Thankfully, it was discovered and issued, first in 2000 by independent mail-order specialists Collectors' Choice Music, then in 2005 by Capitol as part of the Las Vegas Centennial Collection series. In addition to the unique qualities of an unheard vintage recording, Bobby Darin had also cited this run -- at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas -- to be his last lengthy tour or nightclub engagement due to increasing health concerns. So, it is indeed a special affair. It was rare for a performer to be so accepted as both a sophisticated balladeer as well as a rebellious rocker. Live From Las Vegas reveals both sides of Darin's underappreciated talent of interpretation. Handling ballads such as "My Funny Valentine" and "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" with sensitivity and control, Darin conversely rips open up-tempo numbers such as the "Hits Medley: Splish Splash/Beyond the Sea/Artificial Flowers/Clementine." Darin also swings through a spellbinding version of his trademark, "Mack the Knife." This in no way sounds like a man suffering from a rheumatic heart condition. In addition to the music, Darin offers up several spoken word interludes. The aptly titled "Comedy Routine" features several impersonations by Darin as set to "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)." However, when introducing the closer, "The Curtain Falls," Darin is somber, leading to an emotional climax -- not only for this performance, but for a brilliant live career as well. There is little information given in the liner note text regarding the brilliant orchestra heard accompanying Darin during this run. However, their efforts are noted by the star and rightfully so, as they swing right along with him -- never overpowering, but infinitely enhancing, underscoring, and punctuating the proceedings. ~ Lindsay Planer
Gifted singer and songwriter Bobby Darin was nothing if not the ultimate showman. How else to describe a man who could deliver a high-energy performance encompassing swing, country, jazz, gospel, R&B, and rock & roll without a single misstep or letup of intensity? Heard here performing at the Flamingo in Las Vegas in 1963, Darin is a man at the pinnacle of his career. He hadn't yet been wounded by public indifference to his highly underrated late-'60s folk-rock phase; he was still the unshakably confident crooner with the world at his feet and the audience in the palm of his hand. The eclectic nature of his artistry is encapsulated in a medley here that moves through Darin's early rock & roll hit "Splish Splash," the Sinatra-swing-style "Beyond the Sea," and the country chestnut "Clementine" with seamless grace. Darin even sounds authoritative tackling the spirituals "Mary Don't You Weep" and "I'm on My Way Great God." LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS is the sound of a man on top of the world.

JazzTimes (p.111) - "Bobby Darin's Vegas compilation is primo Darin, capturing him at his cocky best in 1963 at the Flamingo."