Dean Martin – Encore (compilation)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Music: B

 

 

So far, Koch has issued two Dean Martin DVD titles.  There is the five-disc Martin & Lewis set and Memories Are Made Of This, but the new Encore compilation is the best yet.  The sixteen chapters of Martin performances are the best yet in capturing the reason why martin was a star, even with how entertaining the previous releases were.

 

ON many of these performances, Martin is in really good form, the kind I remember growing up seeing and hearing him.  The unexpected gags and the timing in which they are delivered are especially typical of how he distinguished himself from the rest of the “Rat Pack” and he has guest stars on some of the following:

 

1)     That’s Amore

2)     Young & Foolish

3)     Money Burns A Hole In My Pocket (circa the Living It Up album)

4)     La Vie En Rose

5)     Mambo Italiano

6)     I’ll String Along With You

7)     Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams

8)     Without A Word Of Warning

9)     The Glory Of Love

10)  Pennies from Heaven

11)  Walking My Baby Back Home

12)  I Like Them All (Me Gustan Todos)

13)  Nevertheless

14)  You’ll Never Get Away

15)  Good Old Songs Medley(with Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra):

              Down By The Old Mill Stream

              The Old Gray Mare

              In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree

              That Old Feeling

              Down The Old Ox Road

              Old Rockin’ Chair

              That Old Devil Moon

              You’re An Old Smoothie

              My Old Flame

              Ol’ Man River

16)  Sometimes I’m Happy

17)  Dino’s Theme (an instrumental wrap-up without Martin)

 

Maybe it is just luck, but this flows very well and has some great moments within the great songs.  That’s Amore was made popular all over again by the Norman Jewison hit Moonstruck (1987), but only in passing.  Here, the song is in its complete, undeniable, fully ethnic and Italian form, without pop trivialization or joke.  Seeing Martin perform it furthers its impact.  Money Burns A Hole In My Pocket is not heard enough, but is always a joke amongst Italians about the lack of money, while the song is a great romantic gesture about wealth and love.  Though the Rosemary Clooney version is still definitive, Mambo Italiano is handled well enough by Martin.

 

While running through standards like La Vie En Rose, Pennies From Heaven, and The Glory Of Love, Martin comes up with another classic with I Like Them All, whose background vocals have been heard in a recent TV ad.  Here it is in its original pre-AIDS glory, the swooner and seducer in his element.  You’ll Never Get Away is a hilarious duet with Jerry Lewis from their TV series, and Sometimes I’m Happy is a great finale to the set, with Martin & Lewis joined by the Norman Luboff Orchestra.  This last song is a hoot and then some, reminding us of a time when showmanship meant something.  This adds up to an impressive set and is the best example of Martin we are likely to see before Martin Scorsese gets around to doing his Dino project.

 

The full frame image is from kinescopes throughout, with varying quality, but transferred well enough.  It is more watchable than a series of other such DVDs we have seen recently.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 is sadly monophonic throughout, though some of the performances seem sung over the hit records.  There are no extras, unless you count the concluding instrumental track as featured on the Memories Are Made Of This DVD.  Koch seems to have even more DVDs of Martin material in store.  I wonder if they can top this.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo