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I meant to add that the recording of "Distractions" is worth the price of the CD alone. For years it has been unavailable on CD--I had to find a copy of it on a 45 RPM. "Long Line Rider" was also a minor hit in the turbulent late sixties--holds up well today.

Little-heard Darin but great material

Bobby Darin had a lot of phases in his professional career. His early rock 'n' roll efforts gave way to some great pop and big band interpretations during the later Atlantic/Atco years. He was gonna be bigger than Sinatra, he said. The Capitol years were a mixed bag, some pop, but the beginnings of what you hear in this CD from his late career, folk/protest, Direction-label phase. What you hear on this CD is vastly different from the oldies radio material most people are familiar with. He's thoughtful, does great intepretations, has some fun, and proves he was as versatile and as memorable a singer as you could want. There have been critics of this recording who say different masters should have been used, the stereo is wrong, etc., but I think it's one of the best. Definitely belongs in a complete Darin library.

Great music!

If you listen to oldies radio stations, they never play Bobby's work from this period, and that's a shame because it's so good. Most stars only imitate themselves, but Bobby had such talent he was able to interpret each genre of music authentically, and with talent and originality. His "Rainin'" always makes me cry. His renditions of the Tim Hardin songs are thoughtful, soft, and caressing, especially "Misty Roses," and although Tim Hardin's own versions of his songs were very good, Bobby's voice is so beautiful! The lyrical quality of "Amy" is so lovely. His political songs are great, too.