Search - Dean Martin :: Dean Martin - All-Time Greatest Hits

John D. from ARLINGTON, TX
Reviewed on 11/30/2010...

Classic Dino. It'll having you swaying to every track.

All Time Favorites

Joseph Panzarella | West Islip, New York | 01/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a good disc to grab up most of Dino's biggest Capitol recordings. Seven of the twelve tracks are Italian numbers which is not unusual, this is Dino we're talking about. The swinger on the disc is "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You", and in my opinion the best ballad on the disc is "Innamorata". There really are no filler tracks here, each song is pure Dino."

A solid Dino CD despite a disappointment here and there

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 04/19/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've owned this CD for over eight years now so I guess it's about time I reviewed it for Amazon. I have never let this one gather dust at the back of some shoe box in a closet somewhere. Indeed, just the opposite is true--whenever I feel anxious and just want some soothing, beautiful music to listen to in order to calm down I grab this CD and pop it into my CD player.



One reason why this song set never fails to sooth me is the beauty of the songs Dean Martin sings here. His voice is in excellent form and the musical arrangements are all very good, even if the horns are a little too loud at the beginning of "You Belong To Me." The song "Sway" is romantic, too; and "Standing On The Corner" is a classic '40s and '50s type crooner guy song about how beautiful women are.



The CD ends with "Come Back To Sorrento" which is somehow a type of flourishing last note for this song set. It fits in well and the songs have been very well organized.



Now I have to consider the other side of the coin. As Amazon notes, whichever group of people who made this CD could have (and should have) been more generous with the music we get here. Of course it's all great; but with 12 songs in 33 minutes they could have added at least one more song. The CD also represents only Dean's "all-time greatest hits" recorded during his contract with Capitol Records. I would say that for a few bucks more you should consider buying the CD entitled Dino: The Essential Dean Martin instead. That CD has selections from both the Capitol years and the Reprise years (after Dean left Capitol Records he recorded on the Reprise label). It's a much more comprehensive selection. But, if you're on a budget--or, if you don't know much about Dean Martin and just want an inexpensive CD to start out with, then maybe you should pick this CD after all. Just be aware that some will argue--with good reason--that the songs on this CD are not ALL of Dean Martin's "all-time greatest hits."



Similarly, the liner notes, although very well written by Don Ovens, do not discuss the work Dean did at Reprise Records. The history of Dean's professional career is encapsulated pretty nicely, however, in the one page essay. Songs credits are also given which is something I always like to see.



In short, this is a very relaxing CD full of beautiful music that is great for persons on a budget or people new to Dean who just want to try a Dean Martin CD without spending too much money. While it is not comprehensive, I also would recommend it for fans of classic pop vocals.

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