Dino: The Essential Dean Martin

[Victor Pross]

Dino: The Essential Dean Martin

A Review by Victor Pross

Yes, I’m a Dean Martin fan. Imagine that? I can switch up from Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin to Dean Martin! I have a broad and vast taste in music spanning every decade and category: classical, country, rock, blue grass, jazz, blues, swing…I love it all. But let me recommend “The essential Dean Martin” for music lovers…and lovers in general.

This CD features a magnificent sound track, showcasing the full range of Dean Martin's talent. This is life loving--life affirming--music. It is romantic and benevolent as you could hope to find in music.

Dino had an unstudied nonchalance with any song he sang and a breathtaking rich and silky voice that can be enjoyed on this 30 track CD. The cynics and dead-hearts may very well dismiss this type of music as schmaltz, but if you have a sunlit benevolent sense of life--and are a romantic who wants an alternative to today’s shrill sounds and plastic sass--this CD is for you.

This is the cream of Dino’s long career. God, he makes it seem so easy, taking everything in stride. If you are a Dean Martin fan, this is a must-have CD. If you don't know if you're a Dean Martin fan, listen to this album and you'll become converted. Speaking from a technical basis, the mixing on this CD is outstanding and it really brings the luxuriant and brilliant orchestration out in full force. It sounds as if Dino and band are playing in your living room.

Like many, I first noticed Dean Martin's alluring voice as a kid. My grandfather was a big fan and he turned me on to his taste in music. Even as a ten year old boy I caught the Dino fever. Yes, I saw him in movies with Jerry Lewis and otherwise--but Dean Martin the singer is a must for all hopeless romantics, like me, and this essential collection delivers. You'll hear 30 of Dino's hit songs ranging from the late 1940s (like "Smile, Smile, Smile") to his classics of the late 1960s--"Gentle on My Mind".

There may be Objectivists who may not care for the idea that “You’re nobody till somebody loves you” but they can take comfort in Dino’s signature tune "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime".

[Click on the link and sample the music]:

http://www.amazon.com/Dino-Essential-Dean-...?ie=UTF8#disc_1

Personal faves:

Memories Are Made of This

Just In Time

Sway

Under The Bridges Of Paris

Love Me, Love Me

You Belong to Me

If

The Door Is Still Open to My Heart

Houston

Send Me The Pillow You Dream On

Everybody Loves Somebody

In the Chapel in the Moonlight

Somewhere There's a Someone

In The Misty Moonlight

Gentle On My Mind

Edited October 9, 2006 by Victor Pross

[Rodney]

“Everybody Loves Somebody” is one of my favorite recordings of all since childhood. I also liked “Houston,” which was expressive of my own wandering, independent nature (but that’s not the whole reason why I liked it).

I enjoyed his TV show, especially for his “coolness” and his sense of humor. Once, he was performing--really lip-synching--“Houston,” in which there occurs a harmonica solo. He pretended not to know it was coming, and kept singing; but at the first harmonica note, he acted surprised, immediately stopped, and quickly recovered by miming blowing on the instrument!

Edited October 9, 2006 by ashleyparkerangel

[NickOtani]

I saw a television movie last week about the relationship between Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. It was good. I vaugely knew they were once a comedy team and broke up, but I didn't know the whole story. The movie brought out how the personalities of each of these guys grated on the other. Dean was the suave, good-looking man who was laid back, easy going, and with a great singing voice. Jerry Lewis was the idiot, the guy with the slap stick, physical antics which got laughs. He could mimic in exagerated ways which poked fun at those he copied. He played the fool to Dean's straight man. However, the critics gave him credit for having comedic talent, for livining up Dean's act. Jerry did put lots of effort into his routines, and Dean seemed to be too causal about everything. He would show up at the last minute and not rehearse or work hard. When either of them showed up for a solo performance, they were introduced as one half of the team of Martin and Lewis, or Lewis and Martin.

Martin was also less uptight about morals than was Lewis. He would sleep around, cheat on his wife. Lewis felt more guilty about this than did Dean.

They finally broke up and did thier last routine at the Copacobana in 1956. Dean is the one who called it quits, but they both seem ready to be on their own.

Jerry kept making funny movies and was successful. Dean had some problems at first but then co-started in serious movies like "Rio Bravo" with John Wayne and Rick Nelson. He also fell in with the Rat Pact, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Bing Crosby, and others. His records kept selling, and he had his own variety show which did well. He did Matt Helm movies which, like in his variety shows, he simply walked through, playing himself. Later, he hosted the Celebrity Roasts which were wildly entertainint. Jerry is now doing the yearly telethons for MS.

Dean died in 1995. He never recovered from his son's death in an plane crash.

The television movie only cover up until the brake up between Martin and Lewis, but it got me interested in checking out a few of the classic movies from the video rental places. It was neat to see stars like Shirley McClaine when she was real young and sexy. And, I have my own copy of one of the Matt Helm movies.

While watching these things, I couldn't help but compare Dean Martin to one of my favorite stars, Elvis Presley. Martin did have a better singing voice. He also had more talent in many ways. (Bing Crosby could sing better than either of them and even Frank Sinatra, IMO.)

bis bald,

Nick

[Chris Grieb]

Nick; One correction Bing Crosby was never a member of the Rat Pack. He appeared in a couple of their movies but he was much too old. I saw the made for tv movie about Dean and Jerry. I have alway been totally underwhelmed by Jerry Lewis. The fact that the French think he is a great genius is proof to me that there is nothing to him. Dean Martin did very well and was a very talented man. His personna of an amiable drunk was beuatifully done and totally false. I enjoy his songs but he's not my favorite singer.