Studio albums 33 EPs 1 Box Sets 5 | Compilation albums 30 Singles 108 Retrospective live albums 3 | |
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This article contains a listing of Dean Martin's original singles, LPs, and compilations from his career. Martin recorded his first single, "Which Way Did My Heart Go" / "All of Me", for the small Diamond Records in July 1946. The majority of the singer's recordings were released on Capitol Records (1948–1961) and later on Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records (1962–1974). Martin had many hit singles during his lifetime, but only two went to No. 1 on the pop charts – "Memories Are Made of This" in 1956 and "Everybody Loves Somebody" nearly a decade later. A close runner-up was "That's Amore", which stalled at No. 2. Other Top Tens included "Powder Your Face with Sunshine" (No. 10), "Return to Me" (No. 4), "The Door Is Still Open to My Heart" (No. 6), and "I Will" (No. 10).
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After "Volare" reached No. 12 in August 1958, Martin experienced a bleak six-year period in his recording career without any significant single activity, exacerbated by changing pop trends and his focus on movie roles. Inexplicably, a song strongly associated with Martin, "Ain't That a Kick in the Head," never charted when released as a single. His highest-charting single during that span was "On an Evening in Roma" which barely registered at No. 59. It would take "Everybody Loves Somebody" to rejuvenate his chart decline.
"Everybody Loves Somebody" also introduced Martin to the Easy Listening charts. From 1964 to 1969, he had great success there, as 20 of his singles reached the Top Ten. The final year that the singer had any significant chart success on either chart was 1969, with "Gentle on My Mind", "I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am", and "One Cup of Happiness" doing moderately well. One major surprise came in the United Kingdom, as "Gentle on My Mind" reached an astonishing No. 2.
The crooner had only two singles chart on Billboard's Country chart – "My First Country Song" (No. 35), featuring Conway Twitty, was appropriately the first in 1983. As far back as 1959, Martin had expressed his love of country music ("My Rifle, My Pony, and Me"). Within a year of signing with Reprise, Martin had recorded his first country album, Country Style, released in January 1963. He continued to record country music prolifically until he retired, yet country radio refused to play his singles.
A total of 32 original studio albums were released in Martin's career. His most critically well-regarded projects were released on Capitol Records in the late 1950s – e.g. Sleep Warm (1959) and This Time I'm Swingin'! (1960). Nevertheless, the singer had no significant album chart success until he signed with Reprise Records in the early 1960s.
Without question, the Everybody Loves Somebody 1964 compilation album was Martin's best-selling album, narrowly missing the top spot at No. 2. The Dean Martin Christmas Album, released in 1966, became a perennial best-seller throughout the late '60s and early '70s, hitting No. 1 on Billboard's Christmas chart.
Other albums that made the Top 20 Pop Albums chart include Dream with Dean (No. 15), The Door Is Still Open to My Heart (No. 9), Dean Martin Hits Again (No. 13), (Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You (No. 12), Houston (No. 11), Welcome to My World (No. 20), and Gentle on My Mind (No. 14).
Martin virtually retired from the studio after November 1974, no doubt exacerbated by Reprise's decision to withhold the Once in a While project. The label believed Martin paying tribute to his influences would not sell well at the height of disco. The label finally reversed its decision four years later after embellishing the backing tracks with a more modern, disco-flavored rhythm section. Once in a While concluded the artist's lucrative association with Reprise.
His longtime producer, Jimmy Bowen, eventually persuaded Martin to record one more album for old times sake, and The Nashville Sessions, released on Warner Brothers, became a moderate success in 1983. The crooner's recording career ended in July 1985, when he recorded the non-charting single, "L.A. Is My Home". Interestingly, despite the singer's renown for his ease in front of audiences, no live albums were made available until after his passing in 1995.
Demand for Martin's recordings continues to be significantly high in the new millennium. Capitol and Collector's Choice Music re-released Martin's original studio albums. Bear Family Records, one of the world's leading reissue labels based in Germany, chronicled the singer's complete recording sessions in three lavish box sets. Capitol's 2004 compilation, Dino: The Essential Dean Martin, was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Country singer Martina McBride overdubbed her vocal onto Martin's original version of "Baby It's Cold Outside" two years later for Capitol's Forever Cool duets project, resulting in a Top 40 country/Top 10 Adult Contemporary hit, Martin's first single activity since "My First Country Song" 23 years earlier. The album featured overdubbed duets with McBride, Kevin Spacey, Dave Koz, Chris Botti, Shelby Lynne, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and more. A duet of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" with Scarlett Johansson was added to Martin's My Kind of Christmas CD.
Cool Then, Cool Now, an impressive two-CD/book released on Hip-O Records in 2011, examined the artist's signature hits along with a significant dose of lesser-known recordings.
It is believed that Martin's worldwide record sales exceed 50 million units.