Two of a Kind

( 1 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Richard S. Ginell
Give a pair of medals and hefty raises to the two fellows at Atlantic who thought of pairing Bobby Darin -- then 24 -- and Johnny Mercer -- then 51 -- and backing them with the charts of Billy May. These two singer/songwriters, occupying opposite poles of a yawning generation gap, take some often hoary old Tin Pan Alley tunes and kid and swing the hell out of them, with May providing the same kind of hard-swinging, sly-witted big-band backings that he gave to Sinatra. Listen to the way they play with the syncopation on "Bob White," dancing all over the May beat and ad-libbing wisecracks all the while -- and no one can resist the charm of the two composing a song ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Richard S. Ginell
Give a pair of medals and hefty raises to the two fellows at Atlantic who thought of pairing Bobby Darin -- then 24 -- and Johnny Mercer -- then 51 -- and backing them with the charts of Billy May. These two singer/songwriters, occupying opposite poles of a yawning generation gap, take some often hoary old Tin Pan Alley tunes and kid and swing the hell out of them, with May providing the same kind of hard-swinging, sly-witted big-band backings that he gave to Sinatra. Listen to the way they play with the syncopation on "Bob White," dancing all over the May beat and ad-libbing wisecracks all the while -- and no one can resist the charm of the two composing a song together the title track and then interrupting it with some horseplay and switching to "Indiana." Mercer has never sounded looser or more swinging on records -- he thrives on the Billy May beat -- and Darin just about keeps up with him, throwing in several brash impersonations of Dean Martin, Elvis, Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and other icons. Interestingly, Mercer's "Lonesome Polecat" comes closest to the rock & roll rhythms that propelled Darin to fame and sent Mercer into seeming eclipse. The music world hadn't heard this brand of impeccably timed, back-and-forth joshing since the heyday of Hope and Crosby or perhaps Mercer and Crosby -- or the inspired Nashville rivalry of Red Foley and Ernest Tubb. Don't miss it.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 9/17/1990
  • Label: East/West Records
  • UPC: 075679048424
  • Catalog Number: 90484
  • Sales rank: 4,245

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Johnny Mercer Primary Artist, Vocals
Bobby Darin Indexed Contributor, Vocals, Track Performer
Billy May Track Performer
Technical Credits
Billy May Arranger
Ahmet Ertegun Producer
Johnny Mercer Composer
George Mitchell Composer
Bill Putnam Engineer
Stephen Innocenzi Mastering
Stanley Green Liner Notes
Loring Eutemey Cover Design
James Dempsey Composer
Howard Cover Photo
Walden Cassotto Composer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Hoagy Sings Carmichael
    Never Before...Never Again
    Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil

    Darin and Mercer Equal Magic

    Magnificent pairing of the soon-to-be legend and the legendary Mr. Mercer. The arrangements by Billy May are also superb. I was so happy to see this album back in print because I learned about it many years ago while still in school and was lucky enough to have a vinyl copy that I wore out. Tasty music tastefully done. This is one of my top ten all-time favorites!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review