As it’s the centenary of Dean Martin’s birth tomorrow, I’ve lovingly dug up a Record Collector magazine review I penned of one of the King Of Cool’s compilation CDs from late ’99. Enjoy.
Thanks to three of its number prominently placed in high profile TV ads, not to mention a nicely timed Beeb documentary, The Very Best Of Dean Martin was, after a stuttering start, the surprise mega-hit album of 1999. Hoping to capitalise on its predeccessor’s success, this mid-priced 15-track ballad collection has also been compiled from the combined Capitol and Reprise years, and concentrates on some of the vocalist formerly known as Dino Crocetti’s lesser-known mushy moments, as well as a seductively superior stripped-down take of Everybody Loves Somebody.
Steve Pafford
First published: Record Collector, December 1999
