That's All (Bobby Darin album) explained

That's All
Type:Studio
Artist:Bobby Darin
Cover:Bobby_Darin_Thats_All.jpg
Released:March 1959
Recorded:1958–1959
Genre:Traditional pop, vocal jazz
Length:35:17
Label:Atco
Producer:Ahmet Ertegün, Nesuhi Ertegun, Jerry Wexler
Prev Title:Bobby Darin
Prev Year:1958
Next Title:This Is Darin
Next Year:1960

That's All is an album by American singer Bobby Darin released in 1959 and arranged by Richard Wess. It was on the Billboard LP charts for 52 weeks and peaked at number seven. It also includes Darin's US No. 1 hit "Mack the Knife", which spent nine weeks at the top spot, and "Beyond the Sea", which was a Top 10 hit.[1] At the second Grammy Awards (and the first to be televised), Darin won Record of the Year and Best New Singer.[2]

Recording

The first of several successful collaborations between Bobby Darin and arranger/conductor Richard Wess, That's All launched the young singer from the realm of teen pop into the adult market, and comparisons with Frank Sinatra.[3] Publicist Harriet “Hesh” Wasser persuaded Wess to work with the twenty-two-year-old. Darin recorded "Mack the Knife" on December 19, 1958, and Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records, knew they had caught lightning in a bottle, later recalling:[4]

Darin and Wess would team up again for This is Darin (1960), From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie (1964), and Bobby Darin Sings the Shadow of Your Smile (1966).[5]

Reception

Music critic JT Griffith called That's All Darin's "most important record" in his Allmusic review, also writing it "broadened his appeal and secured his imortality [sic]... [It] might not be a new fan's first Darin purchase. However, it is an important release in the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's career. This LP proves that not every rocker suffers the 'sophomore slump'." In an exploration of the evolution of "Mack the Knife", The Financial Times says:[6]

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Mack the Knife" (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) – 3:10
  2. "Beyond the Sea" (Jack Lawrence, Charles Trenet) – 2:58
  3. "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" (Mack Gordon, Alfred Newman) – 2:40
  4. "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) – 2:36
  5. "She Needs Me" (Arthur Hamilton) – 3:32
  6. "It Ain't Necessarily So" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:26

Side two

  1. "I'll Remember April" (Gene DePaul, Don Raye, Patricia Johnston) – 2:24
  2. "That's the Way Love Is" (Bobby Darin) – 3:04
  3. "Was There a Call for Me" (Woody Harris, Marty Holmes) – 3:11
  4. "Some of These Days" (Shelton Brooks) – 2:44
  5. "Where Is the One" (Eddie Finckel, Alec Wilder) – 3:30
  6. "That's All" (Alan Brandt, Bob Haymes, Clyde Otis, Kelly Owens) – 2:02

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Notes and References

  1. Web site: That's All - Bobby Darin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic. AllMusic.
  2. Web site: ShieldSquare Captcha. Songfacts.com. March 14, 2022.
  3. Web site: Bobby Darin-The Ultimate Performer By Jimmy Scalia. Bobbydarin.net. March 14, 2022.
  4. Web site: "Mack the Knife"—Bobby Darin (1959). Added to the National Registry: 2015. Essay by Jimmy Scalia. Loc.gov. March 14, 2022.
  5. Web site: Richard Wess Albums. Freshsoundrecords.com.
  6. News: The Life of a Song: 'Mack the Knife'. Financial Times. 15 January 2016. Cheal. David.
  7. "Meet Don Lamond: Studio Man Supreme," by Don K. Fish
  8. Web site: ShieldSquare Captcha. Songfacts.com. March 14, 2022.