More Bobby!
It has been a little while since my last comment. Crazy covid and the general fluctuations in life have broken my routine/s.
But, I’m back with an old favourite
Bobby Rydell.
In increasingly complicated times (or maybe they were always complicated and people never took the time to notice) music that is poppy, good natured and devoid of world event drama can take you to a good place.
That’s why people buy it. That’s why Hollywood musicals were all the rage during the great depression, that’s why disco was so big during all the social ills of the 70s. people want to dance or, just otherwise, be happy.
The answer may be “blowing in the wind” and the “times may be a-changin'” but that doesn’t mean that the day to day ups and downs don’t impact on an individual. They do, even if they occur, as they do here, in the middle of the Cold War with potential nuclear Armageddon around the corner.
Rock popsters like Bobby sang of the day to day highs (the new girl in town, the new love, the car, the freedom of youth) but also the lows (the girl dumping you, the girl cheating on you, and general teen angst).
Sometimes they would allude to or make veiled references to events but more than often than not they were just trying to tap into the concerns you had as a teenager.
And, it worked. And, singers today still do the same..
It’s been a while since I was a teenager but this music takes me to a place when I was a teen. Okay I was a teen some 20 plus years after this album was recorded but I was listening to a lot of this type of music when I was a teen (along with the California hardcore, paisley underground, Australian garage rock and whatever else I was listening to at the time….eclectic? perhaps but i watched a lot of old films on TV and spent a lot of time in op shops).
In many ways this music has dated better than some of its contemporaries.
I like the era, the culture and the prima facie simplicity of it all.
Of course it wasn’t as simple or innocent as it sounds, but I can disregard that, and, importantly, I can sing along and tap my feet. .
This album (bobby’s second) came out in 1960 and it covers all the bases at the time. Bobby rock ‘n’ pop is there but there is a some (rocked up) “swing” which was taking over the market as the young rocksters (posters) like Bobby Darin and Pat Boone had major hits and songs with big bands in a swinging style.
You have to keep your ear on what’s going on at time … assuming you want a career.
This paid dividends in chart placings though as per usual the album didn’t make the charts. Before the Beach Boys and Beatles the only rock act to have album sales of any note was Elvis.
Obviously though it sold enough for the label to keep releasing albums by Bobby.
Bobby, at 18 years old, is in fine voice. He has an assurance in his voice that is surprising …. it would be easy to mistake him for a, errrr 25 year old.
The “sings” side seems to be Side Two which concentrates on ballads, whereas the “swing” side is side one with all the up-tempo songs.
There is a great bounce to this album and the only downside in the female preppy chorus backing vocals like an updated Mitch Miller production. They take a back seat to the male backing vocals on the second side. It doesn’t distract to much though it does date the album and takes away any edge that may have been there. They
Then again, its meant to be light …
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
- Saints Go Marchin’ In – (Rydell, Day) – The old black gospel song that has been done by everybody. Just about all the trad posters had a go at it, as did the jazz vocalists and folksters. In rock it also featured heavily. Being a song in the public domain anyone could put their name to the song if they add a couple of lyric changes (hence the writing credit). Elvis did the song in 1956 during the “Million Dollar Quartet” jam session (which wasn’t released till 1990) and also recorded a version for his film, Frankie and Johnny (1966) and the Beatles did as the flipside to their first single (with Tony Sheridan on vocals in 1962). They were, clearly, aping Jerry Lee Lewis’ version from his self titled 1958 debut album. Bobby is perhaps, tapping in to the Jerry Lee’s 1958 version, or The Crew Cuts version from the same year or Fats Domino or Isley Brothers from 1959, or Jack Scott from 1960. Either way is is more rock and pop than gospel and it really moves along. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Saints_Go_Marching_In
- Chemistry – (Lowe, Mann) – Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann wrote Elvis Presley’s “Teddy Bear” plus a batch of other hits for other stars. They teamed up to form Cameo-Parkway Records in 1956. Accordingly they wrote a truck load of songs for Bobby who they had signed to the label. This sounds like a “Fever” rewrite and it is really well sung.
- Volare – (Modugno, Parrish) – First done in Italian as “Nel blu, dipinto di blu” in 1958 which was a big hit (#1 USA, #10UK), then done in English the same year by Dean Martin and another big hit (#12US, #2UK, #1AU).Connie Francis included the song in her album “Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites” from 1960. So it was popular with the Italians. Decades later, Rydell’s version was featured on the soundtrack of Richard Wenk’s 1986 comedy horror film “Vamp”. Dean’s version is legendary but this version is as good. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nel_blu,_dipinto_di_blu_(song)
- Hey Good Lookin – (Williams) – Originally by Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys in 1951. A staple of country musicians rock versions were done by Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent in 19858 before Bobby tackled it. This is pure po. I’m not sure what Hank would have thought but it works as pop.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey,_Good_Lookin%27_(song)
- Stop Foolin Around – (Lowe, Mann) – First recorded by Bobby. Fun.
- I’d Do It Again – (Ballard, Tobias) – First recorded by Bobby. More fun with the familiar story song … he passed up on “the blue eyed chick (who) walked past”
Side Two
- Toys – (Merill) – a nice sad ballad.
- An Angel Is Missing – (Ballard, Tobias) – First recorded by Bobby. An obscure cover version was done by Jimmy Capri in 1961. Angel-y backing vocals ram the point home. The love is “:heavenly” . Perfect artefact of the era.
- I Cried For You – (Lyman, Freed, Arnheim) – Written by Arthur Freed, Gus Arnheim, Abe Lyman and first recorded by The Collegians (1923). It has been done by many trad pop singers (including Frank Sinatra in 1956) and a rock n pop version by Connie Francis in 1958. It has a spoken mid section directed at the subject like Elvis’ “Are You Lonesome Tonight” from 1960, but so do tanley Kirkby’s recording from 1928 and Al Jolson’s recording from 1949. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Cried_for_You
- Where Is My Love – (E. Marshall) – – First recorded by Bobby.. written by songwriter Ed Marshall who is most known for writing ‘Venus’, for Frankie Avalon (#1, 1959). It is no dissimilar to “Venus” .. it could be a ballad version of “Venus” in an alternate universe.. That works on me.
- The Great Pretender – (Buck Ram) – Often done but First recording and first release by The Platters (1955) who had a mammoth hit with it (#1US, #5UK). Not an easy song to do as the original is so well known. Bobby does it admirably. The male bac king vocals are welcome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Pretender
- Please Don’t Be Mad – (Lowe, Mann) – First recorded by Bobby. Another solid song, well sung. This could be an Elvis song (Bobby sings it in a relaxed Elvis style) from the time with backing vocals not dissimilar to the Jordanians.
And …
Wow. This is just poppy rock. But, this is perhaps one of the great examples of early 60s rock ‘n’ pop. A minor masterpiece….. I’m keeping it.
Chart Action
US
Singles
1960 Volare – #4
UK
Album
—
England
Singles
1960 Volare – #22
Album
—
Australia
1960 Volare – #4
Album
—
Sounds
Saints Go Marchin’ In
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62wV3YPw5R4
Volare
Live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCfgTxcRIdg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5bBcepwgsw
mp3 attached
Hey Good Lookin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASU0-iDwO9w
I’d Do It Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK06tDXrwaM
An Angel Is Missing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwktrmR_w0s
The Great Pretender
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZU5NIRWQcs
Please Don’t Be Mad
mp3 attached
Others
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF4jVnW4jWo
Review
—
Bio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Rydell
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby-rydell-mn0000062270/biography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Lowe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kal_Mann
Website
Trivia
- Curiously … there are a couple of album title variations. I have listed the US pressing of the album title. The Australian press ling is “Bobby Swings Bobby Sings”. Perhaps they thought the “swing’ was going to go better than the “sing ” in the Australian market? The UK version of the album “Bobby Rydell Sings and Swings” is different again. In New Zealand they retained the title but reversed the cover art (and altered it). Oddly, it seems that the same track order runs through all the albums. So why the art and or title changes? Who knows.
RIP
Phil Spector 1939 – 2021
Krunoslav “Ki?o” Slabinac 1944 – 2020
Charley Pride 1934-2020
US – back sleeve
Australia
England
New Zealand
