Venice Blue

Venice Blue
Studio album LP by
Bobby Darin
ReleasedMay 1965
Recorded1964–1965
GenrePop
Length29:20
LabelCapitol
ProducerSteve Douglas
Bobby Darin chronology
From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie
(1964) 		Venice Blue
(1965) 		Bobby Darin Sings The Shadow of Your Smile
(1966)
Singles from Venice Blue
  1. "Venice Blue"
    Released: March 1965[1]

Venice Blue is a studio album by American singer Bobby Darin, released in May 1965 by Capitol Records.[2] This was his final LP for the label.[3] The album was arranged and conducted by Richard Wess.[2] The album featured a number of arrangements by Ernie Freeman, inculding two Darin compostions.[2]

The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated July 10, 1965, and remained on the chart for 4 weeks, peaking at number 132.[4]

The single from the album, "Venice Blue" bubbled under" Billboard's Hot 100, for its sole week that began in the issue dated April 23, 1965, and peaked at number 130.[5] and number 94 on the Cashbox singles chart and stayed on the chart for three weeks.[6]

Venice Blue was released in the United Kingdom as I Wanna Be Around with a slightly altered cover using the same photo. A compilation CD was released by Capitol’s parent company EMI in 1999 including You’re the Reason I’m Living and I Wanna Be Around.[7] It was released as one of two albums on one CD also by EMI in 2002, along with Darin's 1964 album, From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie.[8]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
Record Mirror[11]

In his AllMusic review, critic JT Griffith wrote "Venice Blue is not a dramatic departure for Bobby Darin, but a solid collection nonetheless. Really of interest to fans looking to complete their collection. Well-arranged and well-sung, but not the most accessible album for the neo-swing set."[9]

Billboard notes "Darin sings and swings his heart out and proves there are furture standards being written"[12]

In its review of the album from November 1965 as I Wanna Be Around, Record Mirror noted that "His own "You Just Don't Know" is, surprisingly, a stand-out track."[11]

Track listing

[edit]
  1. "Venice Blue" (Bobby Darin, Charles Aznavour, Gene Lees) – 2:36
  2. "I Wanna Be Around" (Johnny Mercer, Sadie Vimmerstadt) – 2:12
  3. "Somewhere" (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim) – 2:34
  4. "The Good Life" (Sacha Distel, Jack Reardon) – 2:25
  5. "Dear Heart" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Henry Mancini) – 3:14
  6. "Softly, As I Leave You" (Giorgio Calabrese, Hal Shaper, Tony De Vita) – 2:57
  7. "You Just Don't Know" (Darin) – 2:25
  8. "There Ain't No Sweet Gal Worth the Salt of My Tears" (Fred Fisher) – 3:03
  9. "Who Can I Turn To?" (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley) – 2:39
  10. "A Taste of Honey" (Ric Marlow, Bobby Scott) – 2:36
  11. "In a World Without You" (Rudy Clark, Darin) – 2:39

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1965) Peak
position
U.S. Top LPs (Billboard)[4] 132

Singles

[edit]
Year Title U.S. Hot 100

[5]

U.S. Cashbox

[6]

1965 "Venice Blue" 133 94

Personnel

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bleiel, Jeff (2004). That's All: Bobby Darin On Record, Stage & Screen, Revised and Expanded Second Edition. Tiny Ripple Books. pp. 296–297. ISBN 9-7809-6759-7348.
  2. ^ a b c Bleiel, Jeff (2004). That's All: Bobby Darin On Record, Stage & Screen, Revised and Expanded Second Edition. Tiny Ripple Books. pp. 286–287. ISBN 9-7809-6759-7348.
  3. ^ Starr, Michael (2004). Bobby Darin : a life. Dallas: Taylor Trade Pub. p. 144. ISBN 9-7815-8979-1213.
  4. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums 1955-1996. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 198. ISBN 0898201179. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1982). Joel Whitburn's Bubbling under the hot 100, 1959-1981. Menomonee Falls, Wis: Record Research. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-8982-0047-8.
  6. ^ a b Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 84–85. ISBN 1-56308-316-7.
  7. ^ "You're the Reason I'm Living/I Wanna Be Around". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  8. ^ From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie/Venice Blu... | AllMusic, retrieved 2025-02-25
  9. ^ a b Griffith, JT. "Venice Blue > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 394. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  11. ^ a b Jopling, Norman; Jones, Peter (27 November 1965). "New albums reviewed by Norman Jopling and Peter Jones, Joan sings Dylan and Donovan on her new album "Farewell, Angelina"- one of her best yet" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 246. p. 8. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Billboard Spotlight Pick: Venice Blue". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 23. June 5, 1965. p. 52.
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