Sony Music’s first release of Dean Martin’s Reprise Records hits since Legacy gained the rights in 2013.
This collection features 17 of Dean Martin’s recordings that made the pop charts from 1962 to 1967, starting with the number one gold hit “Everybody Loves Somebody.” It also features “You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,” “Houston,” “I Will,” and “Somewhere There’s A Someone”.
Review:
In retrospect, it seems curious that Dean Martin first rose to fame as part
of a comedy team, since he was one of the strongest and most distinctive male
vocalists of his generation, a singer whose casual style often belied his gifts
as a song stylist. Martin first hit the big time in partnership with Jerry Lewis
in the late '40s, but when the duo split up, Martin soon proved he was perfectly
capable of winning a loyal audience on his own, and after a long and successful
tenure with Capitol Records, in 1962 Martin signed with Reprise Records, the
label founded by his friend and colleague Frank Sinatra. The Very Best of Dean
Martin is a collection of some of Dino's most memorable sides from his tenure
with Reprise, where he scored some of his biggest hits (including “Everybody
Loves Somebody,” which was a big enough hit in 1964 to dethrone the Beatles
from the top of the singles charts). While not a complete overview of
Martin's career, since it lacks his hits for Capitol, The Very Best of Dean
Martin is an engaging look at some of the finest moments from the second act of
his recording career.
All Music Guide – Mark Deming