| | Dean Martin Swingin' Down Yonder CD Dean Martin Discography of CDs
 (1 Customer Review)
Additional personnel: The Dixie-Cats.
Producers: Lee Gillette (tracks 1-4, 7-10), Voyle Gilmore (tracks 5, 6, 11, 12).
Compilation producer: Bob Furmanek.
All tracks were recorded between 1950 and 1955. Tracks 1-12 originally released on Capitol (576) on August 1, 1955. Includes original release liner notes.
This is Dean Martin's second LP.
Dean Martin sounds unusually engaged on his first 12" LP to be recorded as such, a concept album of songs relating to the South and recorded in Dixieland style. Always stimulated by good material (when he could get it) that showcased his flair for the lighthearted, Martin essays songs associated with such predecessors as Louis Armstrong, Al Jolson and Bing Crosby, and he is surprisingly credible in such company, maybe because he knew songs like "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" and "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans" thoroughly and got a kick out of singing them. This is even true of the fruitier material, such as "Mississippi Mud" and "Alabamy Bound," making them almost acceptable, and of songs that have weathered better, such as "Georgia on My Mind." On the whole, this is an excellent thematic collection that is convincingly sung. (Swingin' Down Yonder was reissued on CD in 1991 with eight bonus tracks, all of them from singles recorded and released between 1950 and 1952. They were songs in the same vein, such as "Muskrat Ramble" and "Bye Bye Blackbird," also in Dixieland arrangements, and were equally well-performed.) ~ William Ruhlmann Swingin' Down Yonder Music Dean Martin Swingin' Down Yonder Songs Swingin' Down Yonder Music Review Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)  This seldom-heard Dino is a Must
This is a side of Dino that finds him truly enjoying the music, part Dixieland, and a little bit country. This is a delightful mixture of some of the most classic songs in the great American Songbag, from Satchmo;s Sleepy Time Down South to Gene Autry's "Be Honest With Me". HIs version of "Georgia On My Mind" is eclipsed only by Ray Charles' version, and his reading of "Dinah" and "Carolina Moon" sound perfect, and tip their hat stylistically to Tommy Ducan, Bob Wills' lead singer, whom Dean Martin greatly admired.
Unfortunately, the musicians on the album are not identified, and it will take a more thorough Dino scholar than myself to name names, but I suspect the great Jack Teagarden may be on trombone.
The confusion surrounding this CD is that Capitol has re- and re-re-leased this LP twice, and the seven bonus tracks are different on the two versions. The Smiley Burnett classic, often heard by Merle Travis, "Hominy Grits", is on one version , and not the other. Capitol # CDP 794306 2 is the one you want if you want Hominy Grits, Bye Bye Blackbird, and Mack David's "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't shine", which was also done by Elvis Presley on his Sun Sessions. All in all, whichever version you pick up, you've done the right thing, but having both is best, even with the 12 tunes-in-common. This stuff, in LP form, is long out of print, and collectors are asking over $100 for LP in good condition, due to its short run and also the fine quality of the music. If you're a Dino fan, this is a must-have!
Submitted by signsong (Sedgwick, Maine, USA) 
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