Search - Dean Martin :: Swingin' Down Yonder

Dean sold these songs without even trying...BRAVO, DEAN MART

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 06/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Swingin' Down Yonder is one of Dean Martin's earlier record albums pressed here onto a digital CD that makes it all sound great! The artwork is very good and this is a must-have for fans of Dean Martin. I'm very impressed; and this shows us a fine portrait of what Dean Martin could accomplish as a singer even in his younger years. His voice is also in excellent form.



"Carolina Moon" starts the CD with Dean Martin crooning his very best; his excellent diction enhances his performance and the musical arrangement fits perfectly with the vocals Dino sings. The number also has Dino swinging brightly to make this a strong beginning for this album. "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee" is a number Al Jolson loved to sing; and this rendition would have made Al Jolson very proud indeed! The Dixieland-style musical interludes adds a lot of pep and zest to this number and that's awesome. "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee" is a great song. In addition, "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" features Dean Martin swinging gently to make this number shine. The brass works well as Dino croons this to perfection--and beyond!



"Alabamy Bound" is easily a classic pop tune; and Dean Martin aces this seemingly effortlessly. "Alabamy Bound" shines brighter than silver and gold when Dean Martin sings this very well. Dean truly gets into this number to make it his own--he sings this with all his might and just one listen proves it! The tempo is nice and quick as it should be for this number, too. "Carolina In The Morning" again features Dean Martin squarely front and center--and that's right where he belongs! "Carolina In The Morning" certainly gets the royal treatment from Dino who never misses a beat; and this tune is another one on this album that also has a Dixieland-style beat.



"Georgia On My Mind" has a fine musical arrangement and although nobody could outdo Ray Charles on this tune, Dean sure does come close! Dean croons this well and his performance is very smooth. "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?" gives Dean Martin another chance to take the spotlight and bat out another exquisite number--and he does not disappoint! The brass again sounds wonderful and Dean never sings a superfluous note. "Three Wishes" is another pretty melody.



"Have A Little Sympathy" won't ever bore me when I hear Dean Martin singing this; and the album ends strong with Dean Martin performing "Under The Bridges Of Paris." "Under The Bridges Of Paris" has some great accordion playing and Dean Martin sings this flawlessly; his uncanny sense of timing also makes this a fine ending for this CD.



Swingin' Down Yonder is, as I said, a definite must-have for Dean Martin fans. Dean truly sings his very best here and there are quite a few ballads that stand out as some of his best recordings from the mid 1950s. People who enjoy classic pop vocals will also appreciate this album.

"

Nothing could be finer than Dino singing Dixieland

Mark C. Gionfriddo | 04/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In a review of Dean Martin's "Live In Las Vegas" CD which I wrote last June, I suggested that it would be fabulous if the Capitol Records vaults were opened and Dino's delightful concept album from 1955, "Swingin' Down Yonder", would again see the light of day. I don't know if the `powers that be' read my review and responded to my plea; that's my idealistic hope and just a timely coincidence. But just the same, I am very delighted to report that this great album is now available once again on disc.



I personally consider "Swingin'" to be fabulous, and I don't believe I'm using the term loosely. While Frank Sinatra had already refined the idea of assembling songs related in mood and/or subject matter into a long playing work of art, the concept form had not yet been tried by Dean. Since his arrival at the label in 1948 as a package deal with his comedy team partner Jerry Lewis, Dean had had only limited success as a solo recording artist with single releases of novelty tunes like `That's Amore' and `Sway'. I call this particular album `fabulous' because it marries the usually easy-going crooner with a style of jazz music that is exciting as well as infectiously happy. What an ingenious idea, and it works.



Dean recorded this album, his second Capitol effort, during two dates in September/October 1954 and also in early February of 1955. The opening strains of the first track, `Carolina Moon', are completely deceptive; upon hearing Dean's crooning accompanied by Spanish styled guitar riffs, the listener expects to hear Dean in a more typical setting for him, the dreamy ballad. But then Dick Stabile's musicians kick into high gear for the next 30 minutes and Dean never looks back.

It's a neat trick, and highlights the fascinating new Southern direction that Dean takes us.



Listeners familiar with the songs of the great South will likely recognize all of the selections, like "Mississippi Mud", "Dinah", and "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?"- while others will be delighted to discover these old chestnuts from 1912-1937 as they get dusted off and given the Dixieland-like big band treatment, thanks to brilliant arrangements from Dave Cavenaugh. Although the typical Dixieland combo would be quite smaller than the large group assembled here, Cavenaugh does a tremendous job of slimming the textures down, alternating small combo passages with larger group sections, utilizing trademark Dixie sonorities like tuba and clarinet in clever ways, all the while combining this great early jazz form with big band swing.



As for Martin, he is often unfairly relegated to the shadow of Sinatra, the latter inarguably being the greater interpreter of American popular song. Not only does Dean sound committed to the Dixie concept here, he sounds captivated, even invigorated by it. It will be very difficult for you to keep your toes from tapping when you hear him romp through "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee" and "Alabamy Bound". When he sings `Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning', you're ready to pack your bags and grab that first train to Charlotte. He even channels the great Al Jolson in tribute while singing "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans", one of my favorite tracks of the album. "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" is also a standout. Martin sounds like he is wearing a wide smile as he sings- his voice caresses every note as he smoothly and effortlessly maneuvers through the athletic intervals of the challenging tune.



A few small caveats: the disc includes four bonus tracks from 1949 and 1954 which actually don't have anything to do with Dixieland- and they can't help but disturb the concept a bit. (Collector's Choice Music, which started a project long overdue of releasing all of Dino's Capitol albums, seems to be going the route of the Sinatra Capitol CD releases, adding on single tracks without apparent reason.) But who would dare complain about bonus tracks? I'm just elated that all of these long out of print albums by Dean will be available once again. A newly written essay by James Ritz (co-producer of the series with Gordon Anderson) caters toward audiophiles, sometimes lingering a bit too much on Billboard chart information and not enough on Martin, but I suppose that's to be expected. And it's disappointing that the original album back cover had to be reduced in size in order to print EMI's legal download/copyright warning. Such is the world we live in, a far cry from 1955. But these are very minor issues. The music is what matters. Put this CD in your machine and enjoy this sparkling, lively album, one of Martin's earliest and best."

A splendid album!

Patrick Murphy | Toronto, Canada | 05/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This has to be one of Dean's best albums. A terrific collection of songs, great band and arrangements, nice rich sound and first-class vocal stylings. Indeed, I've never heard Dean sing better. While the voice is inimitably his, the slightly exaggerated self-caricature that crept in during the 60s is absent. The album could almost be titled "Dean Sings Al Jolson --- But Better"."