Oh! Look at Me Now (album)
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| Oh! Look at Me Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album LP by | ||||
| Released | October 1962 | |||
| Recorded | 1962 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 31:38 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Tom Morgan | |||
| Bobby Darin chronology | ||||
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Oh! Look at Me Now is a studio album by the American singer Bobby Darin, released in October 1962 by Capitol, his first for the label.[1] and arranged by Billy May.[2] The album features a collection of old standards arranged with an upbeat, contemporary sound.[1]
The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated November 17, 1962, and remained on the chart for six weeks, peaking at number 100.[3]
The album was released on compact disc by EMI on December 11, 2001, paired with Darin's 1964 album From Hello Dolly to Goodbye Charlie.[4] Eight of the 12 songs were released as part of the 1995 CD Spotlight on Bobby Darin.[5] Oh! Look at Me Now was included in a box set entitled Four Classic Albums Plus Box Set, which contains 3 of his studio albums, 1 compilation, and was released on July 1, 2016.[6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| New Record Mirror | [8] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [9] |
| Disc | [10] |
In his Allmusic review, critic JT Griffith wrote "The classic Billy May arrangements make the album one of Darin's most swinging albums and a surefire favorite with fans who have discovered him from the Swingers soundtrack."[7]
Billboard believed "The fine Billy May arrangements, employing mainly strings on the softies and swinging brass on the upbeaters, is most reminiscent of Sinatra and the selection of standard tunes"[11]
Cashbox in its Popular Picks of the Week Reviews stated that "Billy May has come up with some first-rate backings for the distinctive Darin sound"[12]
New Record Mirror noted "Magnificent maestro Billy May takes credit for the romping arrangements and just how he manages to maintain such a high standards"[8]
Hunter Nigel of Disc mentions that the album "features a fairish bunch of standards"[10]
Variety noted "He has a strong swinging vocal beat on the uptempo numbers and a pleasing mellow sound on the softer ballad items"[13]
American Record Guide describes the album as "an above-average one" and noted "Whatever his true personality, he is certainly poised and sure, and this is evident in his singing-which is good"[14]
In The Show I'll Never Forget, Sean Manning describes the album as "a wonderful Sinatra-school album.[15]
Track listing
- "All by Myself" (Irving Berlin) – 3:05
- "My Buddy" (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) – 2:34
- "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" (Al Jolson, Dave Dreyer, Billy Rose) – 2:40
- "Roses of Picardy" (Frederic Weatherly, Haydn Wood) – 2:11
- "You'll Never Know" (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon) – 2:55
- "Blue Skies" (Berlin) – 2:32
- "Always" (Berlin) – 2:21
- "You Made Me Love You" (James V. Monaco, Joseph McCarthy) – 2:51
- "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" (Eric Maschwitz, Manning Sherwin) – 3:02
- "I'm Beginning to See the Light" (Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges, Harry James) – 2:18
- "Oh! Look at Me Now" (Joe Bushkin, John DeVries) – 2:43
- "The Party's Over" (Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green) – 2:26
