Search - Dean Martin :: Everybody Loves Somebody

A few nitpicks, but essential for Dino's fans

R. Riis | NY | 12/10/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hard as it is to find Dean's Reprise recordings on CD, this CD almost automatically qualifies for the highest rating. Adding to that that this disc features a mix of hit singles and album tracks makes it a required purchase for fans. I've docked it a notch for a few drawbacks : a better balance of selections from across all of the Reprise LPs (10 of the 24 tracks are from one LP, "Houston") would have made a more representative collection, and the track order could have been better (disc one features one marching beat after another, which becomes a bit wearing; disc two varies the pace for a much more enjoyable listening experience). There is also no booklet or any sort of liner notes, dates, etc. Still, this is well recommended and the agreeable price makes this a good value as well. For further collection building, the "All the Hits, 1964-1969" import CD collects the rest of Dino's Reprise chart hits (with 11 of its 20 tracks not included on "Everybody Loves Somebody") and "Hurtin' Country Songs" (which only overlaps with "ELS" on 3 of its 15 tracks) is also recommended."

A great joy for established Dean Martin fans

Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 08/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 3 CD Dean Martin box set from the UK features a grand total of 84 great Dino performances, running more than three and a half hours in total. This collection holds a greater appeal to established Dino fans than to newcomers or the curious, though. Two of the CDs are made up of old recordings mastered from old radio transcriptions. The 31 ballads of Some Enchanted Evening and the 30 varied tracks of Everybody Loves Somebody are all wonderful, but they lack the fullness of sound to be found on later Dean Martin recordings. They also, with the exception of the classic song Everybody Loves Somebody, can not boast of any of Dino's most popular and familiar recordings. Many of these songs may well be unfamiliar and new to Dino fans, however; I for one had never heard the vast majority of recordings available here, making this box set something of a thrill to my Dino-loving ears. The third CD is the true gem of this collection, though. This amazing live album gives us Dean Martin at his most entertaining best. The date is February 8, 1964, and the setting is the immortal Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Those looking for the world's greatest crooner's delivery of impeccably romantic love songs should look elsewhere, though, as this performance lives up to its subtitle: An Evening of Music, Laughter and Hard Liquor. Dean is in full character as the fun-loving, alcohol-consuming entertainer he portrayed so well, and there is probably more comedy than singing over the course of this 58+ minute performance. I believe only On a Slow Boat to China is sung without some kind of interruption or comedic break, and most of the songs feature Dino's own reshaping of the lyrics. After quasi-serious renditions of Memories Are Made of This and That's Amore, Dino launches into a monologue of almost seven minutes. The man is absolutely hilarious; he had me laughing heartily nonstop and the live audience rolling in the aisles. A lot of give-and-take with the band appears in Dino's cover of Bing Crosby's June in January, then after a terrific delivery of the song You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby, Dean goes back to pure comedy. More Laughs With Dean features another six and half minute monologue. From there, we get a most extraordinary medley of "throw-away" comedy songs, as Dean gives his own special twist to some old, familiar songs. The Pretty Songs medley that follows is less than serious in and of itself, as is the medley of Dean's classic Volare and On An Evening in Roma. This is followed by almost ten minutes of hilarious dialogue, after which Dean wraps up the show with his closing theme of Mr. Wonderful. Rarely have I laughed so much and enjoyed a performance so completely as I did this historic recording of Dean Martin Live From the Sands."

THE Worst Dino cd I EVER Bought !

Nikki | Waterloo, Iowa | 07/31/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this at a Sam Goody at the mall and I was appalled that they would release [material] like this. The sound quality is attrocious (I have RECORDS with better sound) The song selection was poor and it was sloppily put together. The artwork is not any better than the sound either. I listened to it and most of the tracks you can find much better versions of elsewhere. I am a huge Dean Martin fan but the only semblance this had to the Dino I love is the name. Most of the time it doesn't even sound like him. It's not the worst cd i ever bought but but the worst cd i've bought with Dean Martin's name on the cover. There's a reason it's cheap. I gave it two stars because it could have been worse but not by much. Also anything with Dino's name on it deserves at least two stars, no matter how bad."