Although largely forgotten today due to the onslaught of the British Invasion that obscured all the bowdlerized Elvis replacements, James Darren was at one time a major film and recording star. He “crossed over” from teen films like “Gidget” to being a macho man in “The Guns Of Navarone.” He first became popular for adolescent girls due to his boyish charm and songs like the hits “Goodbye Cruel World” and “Gidget,” but as this two disc, 57 reveals, he had an impressive run as a man destined for the Vegas Rat Pack, with some swinging albums in the Pre-Beatles 60s.
Besides popular tunes like “Her Royal Majesty,” the real allure here is how strong his albums like Album No. 1, Love Among The Young and Sings The Movies were. He out-Damones Vic on a fantastic take of “Sophisticated Lady” and “The One I Love Belongs to Someone Else” and is absolutely convincing on a hip “Until The Real Thing Comes Along.” The album dedicated to youth is also impressive, with a “Young At Heart” and “Hello Young Lovers” rivaling oldtimers like Blue Eyes and giving newcomers like Bobby Darin a run with “Too Young” and “While We’re Young” impressively convincing. This album is going to surprise you, and will definitely stump your friends on a Blindfold Test. Check it out!