Love Swings is one of the most unheralded and under appreciated
Bobby Darin albums. Released in July of 1961 and arranged by
Torrie Zito, it remained on the charts for only ten weeks and peaked at a disappointing number 92 .
Love Swings is an album of standards written by, among others,
Hoagy Carmichael,
Johnny Mercer, Rodgers & Hart, and Ira Gerswhin. Five of the 12 songs here are currently unavailable on CD, making this vinyl LP an essential acquisition for the hardcore
Bobby Darin fan. The title of this album is a bit misleading. Not every song here is upbeat. However, the concept of this album is intriguing. The liner notes explain: "Yes, love swings, but like a pendulum: back and forth." So this
Darin album has it all, the "moonlight and roses affair" and the "heartache and bittersweet memories." Side one contains songs that reflect the happier, giddier side of love. On it
Bobby Darin's natural buoyancy as a performer shines through in six up-tempo, truly swinging tunes. "Long Ago and Far Away" has a loungey bongoland feel, with a "solid sock" brass section. "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," "How About You," and "It Had to Be You" are such good, romantic staples that they are anthologized on various collections including The Best of Bobby Darin, Vol. 2 and As Long As I'm Singin': The Bobby Darin Collection. The two unreleased songs on the "happy side" are "The More I See You" and "No Greater Love," which are both outstanding. Side two contains the more poignant, mature songs, including the heartbreaking "In Love in Vain" (written by
Leo Robin and
Jerome Kern), "Something to Remember You By" (by
Howard Dietz and Arthur Shwartz), and "Skylark" (by Carmichael and Mercer), which are depressing ballads with beautiful, lush orchestrations.
Love Swings is
Bobby Darin's most interesting conceptual approach to an album. The sequence of songs takes the listener on an emotional journey from love's first stirrings and its delirious heights to the first disillusionments and melancholy lows.
Love Swings plays like two separate albums. While both sides are cohesive thematically, it is hard to listen to the sweet swinging sounds of side one and then eagerly flip to the more haunting and moody songs on side two. This is one of
Bobby Darin's most sophisticated albums and is deserving of being in print. If you like the brassy, swinging sound of
Two of a Kind and are not afraid of crying in your martini, then this LP may be your favorite
Bobby Darin album. ~ JT Griffith