Venice Blue

Venice Blue is a studio album by American singer Bobby Darin, released in May 1965 by Capitol Records.^[1] This was his final LP for the label.^[2] The album was arranged and conducted by Richard Wess.^[1] The album featured a number of arrangements by Ernie Freeman, inculding two Darin compostions.^[1]

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)

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]

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."^[5]

Billboard notes "Darin sings and swings his heart out and proves there are furture standards being written"^[7]

Track listing

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

Chart (1965)	Peak position
U.S. Top LPs (Billboard)[3]	132

Singles

Year	Title	U.S. Cashbox [8]
1965	"Venice Blue"	94

Personnel

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

References

1. 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.
2. Starr, Michael (2004). Bobby Darin : a life. Dallas: Taylor Trade Pub. p. 144. ISBN 9-7815-8979-1213.
3. 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.
4. "You're the Reason I'm Living/I Wanna Be Around". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
5. Griffith, JT. "Venice Blue > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
6. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 394. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
7. "Billboard Spotlight Pick: Venice Blue". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 23. June 5, 1965. p. 52.
8. Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 84–85. ISBN 1-56308-316-7.