A Soulful, High Energy Show From Start To Finish.
Before jumbotrons and expensive fireworks displays were the basis of a great live show, all that was needed for a great concert was true talent and an intimate connection with your audience. Bobby Darin had both of these, and this 1960 show is proof.
From start to finish, "Darin At The Copa" is absolutely excellent. Though he had been around for a mere two years, Darin was already proving his versatility as an artist, going from teenybopper sensation to sophisticated adult pop crooner in less than two years. Both sides of Bobby are on full display, as he punches out 14 classic performances with the precision and skill of a prized fighter.
The show's setlist is an eclectic mix of Bobby's biggest hits ("Mack The Knife," "Dream Lover"), gospel spirituals (the opening medley of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "The Lonesome Road"), new takes on old folk tunes ("Clementine," "Bill Bailey"), classic showtunes (a lovely "I Have Dreamed"), covers of modern day hits (Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman") and staples from the Great American Songbook (a scorching "Love For Sale," the sly "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To," the playful "Alright, O.K., You Win," and the closing "That's All), all performed with the same amount of passion and energy that Bobby put everything he ever recorded. The result is nothing of short of a winning performance from one of popular music's most blessed performers.
"Darin At The Copa" is a fantastic live album that belongs in everyone's collection.
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Darin at the Copa
The first and, I suspect, the most commercially successful of all the "At the Copa" albums released in the early 60's.
It reveals a cock-sure Darin, all of 23, facing and winning over an "adult" (tee-hee!) audience not used to such brashness.
Perhaps he was brash, but he wore it well. On others far less talented, it would have spelled d-o-o-m!
I have always loved this man (as an entertainer,silly!) and even though I have the CD version of this album, I have to this day kept the original LP.
They will never make 'em like that again!
If you purchase but one live album, make it this one!!
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