James Darren
Even more than the typical teen idol, James Darren's roots in authentic rock & roll were tenuous. Darren began recording for Colpix in the late '50s at the beginning of a screen career that saw him star in numerous films, most notably Gidget. More at home with standard MOR, show tune-like material than rock, and not much of a singer in any case, Darren was nonetheless marketed as a pop/rock performer to his predominantly young female constituency. He ran off quite a few novelty-tinged hit singles in the early '60s, of which "Goodbye Cruel World," which made number three, was the biggest and best. Top Brill Building pop songwriters -- including the Goffin-King, Mann-Weil, and Pomus-Shuman teams, as well as Bob Crewe, Gloria Shayne, and Howard Greenfield -- gave Darren material, albeit material that was well below their usual standards. He recorded quite a bit after his early-'60s heyday, reaching the Top 40 in 1967 with "All" and charting as late as 1977 with "You Take My Heart Away." During the '90s, Darren co-starred on the Star Trek spin-off Deep Space Nine as hologram crooner Vic Fontaine, reprising songs from the series on the 1999 album This One's From the Heart.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
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Angel Face (Billboard Hot 100 - No 47)
Rock - Released by Music Manager on 5 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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James Darren Sings for All Sizes/Love Among the Young
Pop - Released by Stage Door on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Emaline (Original Mix)
Pop - Released by Parker Street Music on 27 Nov 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Her Royal Majesty
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 13 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Goodbye Cruel World (The Singles As & Bs 1961 -1962)
James Darren, Orchestra Stu Phillips
Pop - Released by Vocal Classics on 31 Mar 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gidget Goes Hawaiian
Pop - Released by JB Production CH on 21 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Sweet Lorraine (25 Wonderfull Hits And Songs)
Pop - Released by ITwinBirdz on 23 Jun 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Goodbye Cruel World
Pop - Released by JB Production on 26 Oct 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo