BOBBY RYDELL – Somebody Loves You - (Capitol) - 1965, comment, reviw, David Axelrod, Jimmy Wisner.

Bobby’s peak of popularity was over. His fortunes declined with the rise of the Beatles (and others).

People were ready for more beat, more soul, more experimentation and more attitude. The Beatles and other English acts supplies the beat, Afro-Americans supplied the soul, folk rockers supplied the experimentation, and the garage acts supplied the attitude.

The teen idol pop ‘n’ roll / pop rock singers of the early 60s had to evolve with the times, play to their existing market hoping it wouldn’t diminish, or find new audiences by tweaking their old style.

Very few evolved (well, not initially) but they knew they had to do something, so, most tweaked their sound, hoping to maintain their audience and find a new one.

Many acts (Frankie Avalon, Connie Francis, Tommy Sands, Bobby Vinton, Ray Peterson) did just that, and that is to tweak their sound and make adult oriented music (after all some of them were now in their twenties. Bobby Rydell was 23!). Musically, it wasn’t a big leap for them … just replace teenage themes with adult ones and add (more) orchestration.

Bobby Darin had been doing it with great success since the early 1960s.

For Bobby Rydell it was even less of a leap than most. He had always had an affinity for trad pop and had sprinkled his pop albums with trad pop and had tackled trad pop in three previous albums “Salutes the Great Ones” (1961) where he tackled Sinatra, Jolson and Crosby, “Rydell At The Copa” (1961) where he swings at a dinner club, and “An Era Reborn“ (1962) where he did big band.

The difference there was, at last on the studio albums he gave the trad pop a little rock ‘n’ roll zest but here the music is more straight. It is not without a little “roll” but it is a little smoother, a little less ragged. This is Capitol records after all and not his previous label Cameo. This was the big time and Capitol were masters of trad pop having had Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nelson Riddle, Les Baxter, Nat "King" Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee, Billy May and many others.

And Capitol threw a bit of money at him though they knew they had to keep the talent young (ish) to appeal to the youth, or so it was hoped.

Three tracks (tracks: A4, A5, B4) were arranged by H. B. Barnum (born 1936) who was a young Afro-American who was a rising star in the trad pop and pop worlds and went on to record and work with Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes and Lou Rawls, among many others.

The rest were arranged (and everything was conducted) by Jimmy Wisner (born 1931, died 2018) who was a pianist, arranger, songwriter, and producer, best known for his 1961 hit single "Asia Minor", released under the name Kokomo. Wisner was also on the ascent and worked in trad and rock including Freddy Cannon, Neil Sedaka, Bobby Vinton, Herbie Mann, Len Barry, Miriam Makeba, Judy Collins, Paul Evans, Spanky and Our Gang, Tony Bennett, the Cowsills, Carly Simon, Al Kooper, Iggy Pop, Barbra Streisand, Tommy James, Brigitte Bardot and others.

David Axelrod (born 1931, died 2017) was an American composer, arranger, and producer. And bona fide legend in the making. He worked in trad pop and with rock acts like The Electric Prunes and recorded a number of eclectic solo instrumental albums.

This is beautifully sung by Bobby who has mastered the lower range of his voice when required. These are bravura performances. The music is a mixture of dramatic, Vegas-style pop ballads, country-pop and straight trad pop (all the things Darin had been doing at the time) with the magnificent contributions of Barnum, Wisner and Axelrod. It’s great trad pop but, perhaps, because of the relative youth of all the central figures, or the times, it has a little quirkiness. There is a playfulness in the orchestration and vocals which doesn’t owe anything to the older trad pop stars. It’s great to listen to and sounds fully realised.

It all looked good on paper and the results matched it but the times were a changin’ (err, sorry about that) … and the public didn’t go for it.

Bobby didn’t record another album until 1976.

It’s a pity that this music couldn’t co-exist, in this age group, with all the new music coming through. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the youthful lounge music swingers brought up on their parents records and op shop finds rediscovered the joys of trad pop.

Tracks (best in italics)

Side One

Diana – (Paul Anka) – Paul Anka’s big hit from 1957, #2 US, #1UK, #1Australia, #1 Canada, #1 Holland. Wow, this is a totally different take on the song. Better? No, perhaps not because the original is so familiar but this has it's own joy 9and gravitas).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_(Paul_Anka_song)

Stranger In The World – (H. Greenfield, J. Keller) – Greenfield and Keller were prolific pop songwriters famous for writing the themes to “Bewitched” (1964), “Gidget” (1965) and “Venus in Blue Jeans” by Jimmy Clanton (#7, 1962). This is first done by Bobby I believe. This is good, not great but really, actually quite good trad pop.
It's A Sin to Tell a Lie – (Billy Mayhew) – often record trad pop standard dating back to the mid-30s. done by everyone including pat Boone (1960), Fabian (1960), Tony Bennett (1964), Not too bad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Sin_to_Tell_a_Lie

You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You – (Morgan, Stock, Cavanaugh) – A trad pop standard first recorded by Nat "King" Cole (1945) but forever associated with Dean Martin who recorded it twice, in 1960 (for Capitol) and 1964 (for Reprise). The 1964 version peaked at #25 Pop (#1 Billboard's Middle-Road Singles). This version swings, but swings less than Dean's versions. It's still a treat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_Nobody_till_Somebody_Loves_You
Come To Me – (Beveridge, Prior) – first done by Julie Grant (1964) the song is an adaptation of "Si tu as besoin d'un ami" written by Richard Anthony and Franck Gérald and sung by the former (1964). Dramatic and quite European (not surprisingly, 'cause it is originally). It sounds a little like a film theme song to a spaghetti western (ahead of the curve). I like it.
Bellazza – (R. Valente, J. Wisner) – first done by Bobby I believe. A variation on the "Volare" mood, and quite good.

Side Two

Please Don't Stay Away – (P. Andreali, V. Poncia) – done by The U.S. Four in 1962. Pete Anders and Vini Poncia recorded as the Videls, the Tradewinds and the Innocence. As song writers, they penned “Do I Love You” and “(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up” both for the Ronettes and many other 60s’ songs.
Don't Be Afraid To Love Me – (C. Taylor, T. Daryll) – first done by Bobby I believe. This sounds like something else, especially in the high voice (and slightly jarring) parts. I don't know what. I like it though
Dansero – (Hayman, Daniels, Parker) – First done by Richard Hayman and His Orchestra (1953) but also by Joni James (1958) and Eydie Gorme (1963) and others. A dancing "groovy" treat.
Time Out For Tears – (Abe Schiff, Irving Berman) – First done by Savannah Churchill and The Four Tunes (1948), and then done by Ink Spots (1950), Nat "King" Cole (1950), Teresa Brewer (1958) and many others. Another good cover.
Theme Of Love – (F. Day, J. Wisner) – first done by Bobby I believe. Serious with mucho gravitas. I like this. There should be more of this. People can't sing anymore …

And …

There are so many good songs here from a "mature" Bobby. This is quite a treat and as good as anything by Frank or Dean at the time. Great "easy listening" … really, really good. I'm keeping it.

Chart Action

Singles

1965 Diana #98

Album

—

England

Nothing

Sounds

Diana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH12vybQDhM

It's A Sin To Tell A Lie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZS3wcddmOs