Venice Blue

1965 studio album LP by Bobby Darin

Venice Blue

Studio album LP by

Bobby Darin

Released| May 1965
Recorded| 1964–1965
Genre| Pop
Length| 29:20
Label| Capitol
Producer| Steve 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, including two Darin compositions.[2]

The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated July 10, 1965, and remained on the chart for four 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 ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
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 future standards being written"[12]

Cashbox said the album "includes a hand-picked batch of goodies from the recent vintage crop of pop hits, handled in the traditional Darin style."[13]

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) – 3:11

## 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]

* Bobby Darin – vocals
* Richard Wess – arrangements
* Ernie Freeman – arrangements
* Tommy Tedesco, Carol Kaye, René Hall – guitar
* Joe Mondragon, Chuck Berghofer – bass guitar
* Earl Palmer – drums
* Emil Richards – tympani, maracas, vibes
* Ray Johnson – piano
* Tony Terran, Bill Pitman – trumpet
* Dick Nash, Harry Betts, Milt Bernhart, Ken Shroyer, Lew McCreary, Lou Blackburn, Dave Wells – trombone
* Paul Horn, Bill Green, Plas Johnson – saxophone

## 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 January 24, 2025.
8. ^ From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie/Venice Blu... | AllMusic, retrieved February 25, 2025
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 December 28, 2024.
11. ^ a b Jopling, Norman; Jones, Peter (November 27, 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 April 11, 2024.
12. ^ "Billboard Spotlight Pick: Venice Blue". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 23\. June 5, 1965. p. 52.
13. ^ "Cashbox Album Pop Picks Reviews: Venice Blue". Cash Box. Vol. 26, no. 36\. May 29, 1965. p. 22.

* v
* t
* e

Bobby Darin

Discography

Studio albums|

* Bobby Darin
* That's All
* This Is Darin
* For Teenagers Only
* The 25th Day of December
* Two of a Kind
* Love Swings
* Twist with Bobby Darin
* Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles
* Things and Other Things
* Oh! Look at Me Now
* You're the Reason I'm Living
* It's You or No One
* 18 Yellow Roses
* Earthy!
* Golden Folk Hits
* Winners
* From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie
* Venice Blue
* Bobby Darin Sings The Shadow of Your Smile
* In a Broadway Bag (Mame)
* If I Were a Carpenter
* Inside Out
* Bobby Darin Sings Doctor Dolittle
* Bobby Darin Born Walden Robert Cassotto
* Commitment

Live albums|

* Darin at the Copa
* Live at the Desert Inn

Compilations|

* The Bobby Darin Story
* Aces Back to Back

Singles|

* "Splish Splash"
* "Early in the Morning"
* "Queen of the Hop"
* "Dream Lover"
* "Mack the Knife"
* "Beyond the Sea"
* "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey"
* "Beachcomber"
* "Artificial Flowers"
* "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby"
* "Multiplication"
* "What'd I Say"
* "Things"
* "You're the Reason I'm Living"
* "18 Yellow Roses"
* "If I Were a Carpenter"
* "Darlin' Be Home Soon"
* "Mame"
* "Happy"

Depictions|

* Beyond the Sea (film)
* Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin Musical
* Just in Time (musical)

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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