Dean Martin had been recording singles and EPs for more than six years when he stepped into the studio on November 20, 1952 to cut his first 10," eight-song LP. Called
Dean Martin Sings, it featured songs from the
Martin and
Jerry Lewis film The Stooge, a near-drama about a singer who needs his comic partner more than he realizes; the film was shot in 1951 but not released until 1953. Only one song, "A Girl Named Mary and a Boy Named Bill," was actually written for the score, which otherwise consisted of semi-standards from the 1920s and '30s, notably "Just One More Chance," best-known as a hit for
Martin's primary influence,
Bing Crosby, and "I Feel a Song Comin' On." The versatile
Martin gives unusually chaste and precise readings of the songs, paying more attention to the material than he did when given less interesting contemporary material for his singles. The result was a consistent effort that suggested
Martin had more to offer musically than just being
Jerry Lewis' straight man. When the 12" LP began to supplant the 10" version, Capitol added four songs previously released on singles, "Come Back to Sorrento (Torna a Surriento)," "When You're Young," "Oh, Marie" and the hit "That's Amore," and reissued this album in the 12" format. (Note: subtitled "Songs from the Paramount Picture the Stooge" on its 10" version,
Dean Martin Sings is sometimes referred to as the original soundtrack album for The Stooge, but it actually consists of
Martin's studio recordings of songs used in the film.) ~ William Ruhlmann