Search - Dean Martin :: This Time I'm Swingin' / Pretty Baby

THE ABSOLUTE BEST OF DINO!!!!!!!!

Nikki | Waterloo, Iowa | 08/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Dean Martin at his absolute BEST! These two albums are simply the best LPs he ever put out. Every song on both albums is the quintessential Dean Martin. The man and the music that everyone thinks of when you hear the name Dino. They were recorded in '57 and '60 before he changed over to the Reprise label and started recording country ballads that most Dino fans find dissappointing. His years at Capitol are FAR superior to the years he wasted at Reprise (I blame Frank for this). I have a few of the 2-fer cds of his years at reprise and it's not even close. These songs are perfectly arranged and ably conducted by Nelson Riddle and Gus Levene, who are simply the best at complimenting Dean (as if he needs any help!) Dean effortlessly delvers each song with perfection and melifluous cadence you can't find anywhere else. The first album is loose, easy and relaxing even though the title says otherwise. The second album is just as smooth, but most of the songs do feature an unnecessary choral background that only draws attention from Dean (this is the only drawback from a perfect album). "I Can't Give You Anything But Love"(my favorite) "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You", "Heaven Can Wait" and "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me" are simply Dean at his best. Even the artwork is great which features the original album covers. If you own only one Dean Martin album i strongly urge that it be this one. It deserves more than 5 stars and is worth every penny! You will NOT be dissappointed!"

A Piece Of Nostalgia

Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* | CA USA | 04/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dean Martin's music had been part of our household when I was growing up. He was one of my late parents' favorite singers and they collected a good number of his albums. Influenced by my late parents' music, Mr. Martin had become one of my favorites too and I especially loved his "Pretty Baby" album. My late parents must be beaming with pride up in Heaven knowing that I've been enjoying their kind of music, the music I grew up with and still appreciate to this day.



This compilation CD was taken from two of his best-ever albums, "This Time I'm Swingin'!" and "Pretty Baby." The first twelve tracks were superbly arranged and conducted by the great Nelson Riddle and taken from the album "This Time I'm Swingin'!" and highlights a couple of songs from "My Fair Lady," "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" and "On The Street Where You Live." Other highlights are "Just In Time," "Until The Real Thing Comes Along" and "Someday" (You'll Want Me To Want You).



The last twelve tracks were from my all-time favorite album "Pretty Baby" and fabulously orchestrated by Gus Levene. All the songs in this album are so remarkable and Dean Martin's favorite songs that he has often sung and his interpretations with his back-up singers (I love it!) are so splendid. My very favorites are "The Object Of My Affection," "Only Forever," "I Don't Know Why" (I Just Do), "Once In A While," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Sleepy Time Gal," "Nevertheless" (I'm In Love With You) and "It's Easy To Remember."



Listen to this CD and you'll be transported back in time. It's one of the simplest ways to enjoy the music of our parents and reminisce the good old days. It's a piece of nostalgia!

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What a wonderful pairing of two albums on one CD--DEAN MARTI

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 07/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD has a magnificent 24 tracks from two record albums Dean Martin put out when he was still recording with Capitol Records. Yes, I agree somewhat with reviewers who write that the first set of songs (from the album This Time I'm Swingin'!) is stronger than the second set of twelve songs from the album Pretty Baby; but overall this is still a wonderful CD. Dean's voice is in fine form and I liked the way the two different styles of songs are placed here on this single CD. There are the songs from This Time I'm Swingin'! which highlight Dean's voice with the incredible work of Nelson Riddle; while on the other hand the last twelve songs represent what Dean could accomplish with a chorus backing him up and the talents of Gus Levene.



The CD opens strong with the vibrant "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me;" other BIG highlights from the first twelve songs are "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" (my personal favorite) and "On The Street Where You Live." "Until The Real Thing Comes Along" is just as beautifully orchestrated. Wow!



The second set of twelve songs that Dean did with Gus Levene gives a different feel to the second half of the CD. This truly IS more of a "Ray Conniff" type of musical arrangement with Dean squarely in the middle but still not quite as strong because the chorus detracts from his performance just a little. Nevertheless, I loved "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)" because Dean's voice and the musical arrangement is perfect! Dean does this song flawlessly--as he did all his songs. There's an interesting rendition of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" and "Pretty Baby" is beautifully written and orchestrated.



The quality of the sound is wonderful. You'd never know these recordings were made so many years ago! The liner notes also include reproductions of the front and the reverse of both record album jackets--tough to find these days! The liner notes include the song credits, too--a nice plus!



In short, the reviewers are right--you simply can't be without this CD if you want to have a Dean Martin collection. These albums are unfairly getting more difficult to find as the years go by and that's a terrible shame. I also highly recommend this CD for fans of classic pop vocals. Moreover, fans of Nelson Riddle will be delighted because the first twelve songs are orchestrated by Riddle himself. You just can't miss with this one! Great job, Dino! SMILES

"