Search - Bobby Darin: Seeing Is Believing on DVD

Revised review ! downgraded to 4 stars

James from the Hudson Valley | Upstate NY | 11/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The producers chose not to give any information about the performances. There are NO dates or locations (I contacted the company that put this out and they said there are no dates, these were in the Darin archives). They told me that they were mostly from Bobby's 70's TV show and there are two performances from the Ed Sullivan show. There is nowhere in the DVD where they identify Bobby Gentry or Connie Francis. That isn't as bad as the weird decision to abruptly end the song Beyond the Sea and tack the ending onto the end of the credits (which is in another menu, I found it by chance). What were these producers thinking??? Give us the unedited songs !
The following information is from another web site and it gives you more information that anything in the DVD:
"What a wonderful holiday surprise ! All previously unreleased live performances of Bobby Darin. See and hear Bobby perform "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Cry Me A River", "Caravan", "Artificial Flowers", "Dream Lover", and of course "Mack The Knife". 19 complete performances in all !
TRACK LIST
1 / Introduction
2 / Work Song
3 / I've Got You Under My Skin
4 / Mame
5 / Cry Me A River
6 / Dream Lover
7 / Medley: Polk Salad Annie, Proud Mary, Never Ending Song of Love (w/ Bobbie Gentry)
8 / Sweet Caroline
9 / Higher and Higher
10 / Happy
11 / I've Got My Mojo Workin'
12 / You Make Me Feel So Young (w/ Connie Francis)
13 / Artificial Flowers
14 / If I Were A Carpenter
15 / Caravan
16 / If
17 / Come Rain or Come Shine
18 / Beyond The Sea
18 / Mack The Knife
20 / Splish Splash"

In conclusion, I am happy to have this but think that the producers should have thought about these things before releasing the DVD. It just makes sense to explain why there are no dates (the performances from the TV shows should easy enough to find), whom he is singing with, and not to split up the performance of Beyond the Sea."

Great DVD! Darin Was An Incredible Talent!

bix lang | Davenport, Iowa USA | 12/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great DVD of a remarkably talented entertainer. Let me say from the start that I am a big Frank Sinatra fan from a family of three generations of Sinatra fans, but I must tell you that Bobby Darin had more stage presence, more rhythm, and tons more magneticism that Sinatra. In the years prior to his tragically untimely death, his voice---though not as powerful as in his youth, was growing deeper and richer (he could sing up a storm, particularly in the lower register) and he could hold a note, despite a terribly diseased heart, longer than any pop/jazz singer I've ever heard. Despite being only months from his death when most of the cuts on this DVD were filmed, his singing looked and sounded effortless---like he was at the top of his game. Listen to him sing the great standard jazz ballads "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Cry Me A River." His sense of timing and drama is unrivaled. On the uptempo tunes like "Artifical Flowers" and "Caravan" he swings like no other singer ever. He sings blues, jazz, pop, country...you name the genre and he sings it like nobody's business. You'll also see him play harmonica, vibraphones, piano, etc. This is a great DVD of a great entertainer whose life was cut far too short. He might have been the best of them all. It has been said by many in the entertainment industry that Darin was the only performer who intimidated Frank. After watching this DVD, you'll understand why. I recommend it with great enthusiasm."

Highly Entertaining

Mel Odom | Moore, OK USA | 12/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a kid, I was familiar with Bobby Darin's "Splish, Splash," and I'd even seen him on television a few times. In the 1970s when I was a teen he had a show on and I remember seeing it every now and then. His music is still with us, and every now and then his picture is too.

However, I'd never realized how talented he was until I got this DVD and watched it. Bobby Darin had a gift, not just for music or acting or handling business affairs, but for winning over audiences he played in front of. I watched as he won over the television audiences performance after performance, but he won me over too.

I love live music. There's nothing like it. But with Bobby Darin gone, this is as close as it gets. What I saw in his performances was a man in love with what he was doing. He shines with the zest he has for being in front of those people. I didn't get the impression he was all that aware of the camera, but he knew those people were in the room.

At 37, Bobby Darin succumbed to a diseased heart he'd dealt with all his life. He'd been told since he was a child that he'd have a short life, and he did. But it would have been fascinating to see what he would have been like if he'd had more time.

Kevin Spacey, an ardent admirer of Darin's, helped put together a biopic of Bobby Darin's life. The movie, BEYOND THE SEA, is on DVD now. I wish SEEING IS BELIEVING would have had some interviews, but it's okay because now this DVD has made me curious enough to seek out Spacey's movie.

Get the DVD and sit down with Bobby Darin for an hour. He was an excellent entertainer."

A Must For Fans. Revised to 4 stars. Original rating was mis

Queen of the Hop | London | 11/16/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"
Like every fan I'll enjoy anything Bobby Darin does but the standout numbers for me (that I hadn't seen before)were:

1. Got My Mojo Working. Especially wonderful to see Bobby play vibraphone - and harp.

2. Cry Me A River. Great Passion.

3. Come Rain Or Come Shine. Soulful, bluesy delivery.

4. I've Got You Under My Skin. The best swinging tradition fused with some funky vibes. Love that scatty bit in the intro.

5. Work Song. Bobby sings blues with great authority and credibility. Nothing illustrates this better than this number.

While I was happy to see great swing and blues performances, I was more than a little disappointed that "Carpenter" was the only "folk" song represented. This could be because not many were recorded for the NBC shows, but rather than see the umpteenth version of "If I Were A Carpenter", I would have loved to see "I'll be Your Baby tonight" (aired Jan 26th 1973).

Given the wealth of choice available, I couldn't understand the inclusion of repeat performances (Higher and Higher, we had that on Aces) and some anodyne songs like "Sweet Caroline" and "If" , when great numbers like "You've got a Friend", "Spinning Wheel", "King of the Road" and "Let the Good Times Roll" were on offer. But I guess that's just down to personal taste.

This was a great DVD for FANS to see some of Bobby's NBC performances which have not been seen since the original airing. But not great as an intro to Bobby's range and musical career."Mack Is Back", a DVD which features the unedited footage of Darin's night-club style performance for his final NBC show (plus banter and comedy routines) represents his musical versatility far better. But as a fan, its great to have these performances. I only wish we could see `em all.

Other reviewers have pointed out that it was annoying not to have the dates of the performance (they are readily available in Jeff Bleiel's excellent book "That's All"), the names of the duettists (Bobbie Gentry and Connie Francis) and the source of the clips. I agree. But what I find unforgivable is getting Tim Hardin's name wrong in the sleevenotes: Carpenter is credited to JIM Hardin. (Bobby would have been appalled) and Splish Splash is wrongly credited to MURRAY KAUFFMAN, rather than to his mother JEAN MURRAY who gave Darin the title. What's going on here guys??!!!






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