Skip to main content

Dean Martin

72
Dean Martin

Dean Martin

You know how sometimes you hear music growing up that you didn't like then so you stay committed to saying, "I'm not a fan of [inset band name here]." I was like that with Frank Sinatra (who my grandparents always played) & Dave Mathews Band (who my sister listened to religiously). I am now proud to say I have come a long way, I now can stomach a handful of songs from both artists! I say all this to inform you that although I had a distaste for Frank, I've always fuckin' loved Dino. I don't know if it's the non-conformist (of my contentious side) in me, the same reason I prefer the writing of X over King, whatever it may be: Dean Martin is the real king of the Rat Pack. HE started off as part of the comedy duo Martin & Lewis before he went solo. Martin spent the majority of career with Capitol Records (from 1948-1961) before he joined Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records (from 1962-1974). I'm not gonna' go through his 33 studio albums (or 30 compilation albums [how in the hell does that math check out?!]) but I will recommend you go check out the one compilation I go back to, 2004's Dino: The Essential Dean Martin. Let's not forget that in the '50's & much of the '60's music was sold on a singles-based format. It wasn't until epic albums like Pet Sounds & Sgt. Peppers that society was sold on album formats. (Side note: isn't it an ironic-twist of fate that in the age of MP3s & streaming we've returned to the singles format?) Listen, to me, Dino is a voice of a generation, the Greatest Generation. Dino is perfect for cocktail parties... hell- Dino's perfect for anything. His voice is like butta'. Although he's known for tracks like "That's Amore" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head," his recordings run deep and there are great hidden treasures in all of his releases. The orchestration is beautiful & could stand on its own. Dino brings back a certain era. That classic, pre-groovy late 50's/early 60's America-at-its-peak era. And for that- we thank you.
[Editor's Note: I think it would be suffice to say Dean Martin also had a very successful actin career staring in multiple movies and hosting his own late night variety show on NBC in the 60's and 70's.]
Milk comes in cartons.
It's...
Dean Martin

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Band

19 The Band The Band First known as the Hawks, the Band got their initial fame as Bob Dylan’s backing band. Remember when Bob Dylan sold out and went electric, angering fans so much that they called him “ Judas ”? Well, you can thank all of that to the Band. For a band that sounds so fucking American (seriously- no band has done the whole Americana roots music better than the Band) it’s pretty funny most of them were Canadian. After finally branching out on their own in 1968, the Band would release some of the best music ever recorded… and if you thought the Beatles had a hell of a run- check out the Band’s discography: 1968’s Music From Big Pink , 1969’s self-titled The Band , 1970’s Stage Fright , 1971’s Cahoots , 1972’s live-album Rock of Ages , 1973’s Moondog Matinee , 1975’s Northern Lights -Southern Cross , and 1977’s Islands. Lynard Skynard may have taken the crown for greatest southern rock band, but for a band full of Canadians and Americans, the Band really embraces a

Crystal Castles

61 Crystal Castles Crystal Castles If you ever wondered what it would sound like if the video-game character Mario was catapulted through a plate-glass window- you'd get close to describing Crystal Castles. Cut up vocals and soothing waves of synth, live shows known for "fan riots, crowd surges, and metal barriers destroyed" Toronto electronic-punk-bleep-pop duo Crystal Castles is music that could only be made in the post-modern / post-millennium era, with a fan base that remembers the 8-bit era. Some dance music is meant to be played in the dark, but few dance bands bring their own darkness. This is dance music for sociopaths. Crystal Castles is the brain-child of Ethan Kath. The band began as a Kath solo project in 2003, but the producer recruited a 15-year-old Alice Glass to add vocals. Glass recorded rough soundcheck vocals for five tracks, which were secretly recorded by an en engineer, and Kath uploaded the material un der the name Crystal Castles. After rele

Courtney Barnett

58 Courtney Barnett Courtney Barnett I first came on board with Courtney Barnett on her excellently titled debut album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit . Songs like " Depreston " and " Pedestrian At Best " spoke to my inner- nineties-child... someone who was just an infant during grunge and missed out on the prime years of that era- this was like a last-minute invitation to that party. Barnett has the energy of Nirvana with the pop sensibilities of Pavement. She first came on everyone's radar with the release of the song :Avant Gardener." If you l isten to " Avant Gardene r," an autobiographical account of trying to turn a life around through gardening, only to be foiled by a severe allergic reaction; it features some of the best lyric-writing in music today. There was something special about this Australian singer-songwriter. Like a grunge hangover. Few speak truth to mundanity quite like singer/songwriter Courtney Barne