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]
That's All | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 1959 | |||
Recorded | 1958–1959 | |||
Genre | Traditional pop, vocal jazz | |||
Length | 35:17 | |||
Label | Atco | |||
Producer | Ahmet Ertegün, Nesuhi Ertegun, Jerry Wexler | |||
Bobby Darin chronology | ||||
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Recording
editThe 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]
As we were cutting Mack the Knife on the first date, there was no doubt in anybody’s mind it would be a success. Everyone knew that this was going to be a number one record. Then I realized that having done the rock thing, Bobby was now going to have a big pop hit. We knew as we were cutting it, he’s going to become a major, major star. We were jumping up and down, and after the first take, I said, "You’ve got it! That’s it."
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
editReview scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
Billboard gave the album a postive results, saying "it features a wide-ranging group of ballads, including a good sprinking tunes"[8]
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'."[6] In an exploration of the evolution of "Mack the Knife", The Financial Times says:[9]
Bobby Darin took the song by the scruff of the neck and turned it into the swing classic widely known today. Unlike the Brecht-Weill original, which remains in the same key throughout, Darin’s version changes key, chromatically, no fewer than five times, ratcheting up the tension.
Track listing
editSide one
edit- "Mack the Knife" (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) – 3:10
- "Beyond the Sea" (Jack Lawrence, Charles Trenet) – 2:58
- "Through a Long and Sleepless Night" (Mack Gordon, Alfred Newman) – 2:40
- "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg) – 2:36
- "She Needs Me" (Arthur Hamilton) – 3:32
- "It Ain't Necessarily So" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:26
Side two
edit- "I'll Remember April" (Gene DePaul, Don Raye, Patricia Johnston) – 2:24
- "That's the Way Love Is" (Bobby Darin) – 3:04
- "Was There a Call for Me" (Woody Harris, Marty Holmes) – 3:11
- "Some of These Days" (Shelton Brooks) – 2:44
- "Where Is the One" (Eddie Finckel, Alec Wilder) – 3:30
- "That's All" (Alan Brandt, Bob Haymes, Clyde Otis, Kelly Owens) – 2:02
Personnel
editMusicians
edit- Richard Wess - arranger, conductor (of the Richard Wess Orchestra)[6]
- Hank Jones - piano
- Barry Galbraith - guitar
- Milt Hinton - bass
- Osie Johnson - drums (Mack the Knife)
- Don Lamond - drums [10]
- Doc Severinsen - trumpet[11]
- Joe Cabot - trumpet[5]
- Al DeRisi - trumpet
- Frank Rehak - trombone
- Chauncey Welsch - trombone
- Jerry Sanfino - tuba
- Romeo Penque - flute, clarinet
- Joe Soldo - flute
Technical
edit- Recording Engineers: Tom Dowd, Carl Lustig, Herb Kaplan, Heinz Kubicka
- Cover photo: Tom Palumbo
- Cover design: Marvin Israel
- Supervision: Ahmet Ertegun, Nesuhi Ertegun, Jerry Wexler
References
edit- ^ "That's All - Bobby Darin | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "ShieldSquare Captcha". Songfacts.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ "Bobby Darin-The Ultimate Performer By Jimmy Scalia". Bobbydarin.net. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ ""Mack the Knife"—Bobby Darin (1959). Added to the National Registry: 2015. Essay by Jimmy Scalia" (PDF). Loc.gov. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
- ^ a b "Richard Wess Albums". Freshsoundrecords.com.
- ^ a b c Griffith, JT. "That's All > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 394. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Billboard Spotlight Pick: That's All". Billboard. March 6, 1959. p. 31.
- ^ Cheal, David (15 January 2016). "The Life of a Song: 'Mack the Knife'". Financial Times.
- ^ "Meet Don Lamond: Studio Man Supreme," by Don K. Fish
- ^ "ShieldSquare Captcha". Songfacts.com. Retrieved March 14, 2022.