Customer Reviews

A Winter Romance

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an import entitled "Winter Romance". However, it is not the original configuration of the release by Dean in 1959 bearing the same title. It does include all the original songs from the 1959 release and for you collectors out there, it is not the original "ski chalet" album cover either. This import includes additional songs that were not included on the original album such as the hit "On An Evening in Roma". as well as "How Do You Speak to an Angel" and "Solitaire" amongst others. But it is the inclusion of these songs that seem to diminish the original concept of this "seasonal" recording. These songs just don't seem to mesh with the songs from the original "Winter Romance" recording, thereby detracting from the continuity of the original album. It is for this reason the mediocre rating. However, the original "Winter Romance" recording in its orignal format is a five star recording and worth searching out.

No question, both the arrangements and vocals on this album are top notch. Until his Reprise Christmas album came along in the mid-60's, this was my favorite Christmas album. Not all the songs are pure Christmas, some revolve around the winter theme. "Christmas Blues", recorded several years before the album, is in mono, but is a unique and sad Christmas love song. In recent years, Capitol released a hybrid CD of this album and the Reprise album. However, you miss some nice gems on that, so I do recommend this album highly.

This is one of the best Christmas albums available. Do not buy the cheap 10 song knock-off CD. This is an original Capitol classic!

A Winter Romance is an excellent theme song album put out by Dean Martin and Capitol Records when Dean was beginning to wind down his commitments to Capitol. The theme, naturally, is winter and all that goes with winter; and Dean truly never sounded better. This is a must have for Dean Martin fans!

"A Winter Romance" starts off the album with a lush arrangement; Dean sounds great as he croons this awesome number. I also like how the backup vocalists harmonize to perfection; and Dean is able to make his voice sound as romantic as ever. "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" features Dean singing a more traditional ballad related to wintertime; and Dean's excellent diction bolsters his performance. The flute sounds great and Dean never misses a note! Moreover, listen for "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm." Awesome! Dean sings this wonderfully; in fact he sings this so well I wish the musical accompaniment had been simpler to highlight Dean's singing even more.

"Winter Wonderland" is another classic wintertime ballad and Dean's interpretation of this fine wintertime tune is quite fine. The backup vocalists again harmonize well and Dean makes "Winter Wonderland" an especially adorable tune as he sings it. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" shines like gold as Dean delivers this to perfection; and the women backup vocalists play the role of the woman Dean romances in this song. Again the flute is used very well.

"White Christmas" gets the royal treatment from Dean Martin as he performs this classic melancholy number that almost sounds upbeat when you hear this arrangement. I like how Dean and the musicians are able to put a positive, upbeat flavor onto this somewhat sad number--it's very creative and it works very well. "Sogni D'oro" is another fantastic ballad that Dean croons like the pro he always was; and the CD ends with "Buttercup Of Golden Hair." This upbeat number makes you smile when you hear it and it will also leave you wanting to listen to this album over and over again.

Another reviewer writes that the last three songs on this album do not fit in with the wintertime theme--and they are right. This new album also omits the song entitled "Christmas Blues." Oops! However, which version of this album you choose is up to you. If you want a few extra numbers and it doesn't bother you that Dean strays from the wintertime theme, then go for this album. However, wintertime and Christmas music purists will probably be more comfortable with the older version from 1994 that is also for sale on this website.

I'll take off a star for the fact that the last three songs on this CD simply don't fit in at all with the wintertime theme. However, they are excellent songs performed wonderfully by Dean Martin. You may like this over the 1994 version of this album. At any rate, I hope you get this or the older version and just enjoy it!

The original version of this album is a 5 star masterpiece, and my vote for the best Christmas type album ever. This reprint almost has the original lineup but should stop at Track 13 with the excellent ending song "The Christmas Blues". In its place are several additional songs that stray badly from the Wintery/Christmas theme, and thus spoil the mood of the album. My recommendation to you all is to steer clear of this copy, and instead search out the original 5 star rated, 13 track version of this album here on Amazon.

LOL, there's nothing like a little Dean for Christmas. I like this album because it's a winter album more than a Christmas one, though. As soon as the snow starts flying, I toss it in my CD player in the the truck and soak in the fun. I admit the reason I listen to it is because I'm hooked on Baby It's Cold Outside, Canadian Sunset and a few others. Several of the others on the album are entertaining, but not as engaging. Around Christmas time, I start switching this up with a little Nat King Cole (sung by his daughter), and it seems the combination of the two just makes the season perfect. In a time when you are hard pressed to hear something refreshing and unoffensive on the radio, this really hits the spot. As for "Christmas Blues," I agree that it's a Christmas song,and would fit the theme, but I recall having this earlier version and often just fast forwarding this one because I didn't want to listen to the downbeat message. It's your choice - 1994 or this newer version - might be a toss up for you. Opting out of the whining and getting a few extra songs in return seemed like a no brainer for me.

When I was in my late teens, now some twenty-five years ago, I first bought Dean Martin's delightful "Winter Romance" on LP. As soon as a CD version appeared in 1989 I wasted no time and bought it right away (which is the one I'm reviewing here). Not a Christmas album per se, it does exude the holiday mood and romance one associates with the festive season better and more lightheartedly than the Sinatras, Williamses, Mathises and Darins, who invariably go solemn (and over the top) with titles like "Adeste Fidelis", "Silent Night" etc. And usually the arrangers had a field day, pulling all the stops out with massed strings, french horns, choirs and all the other pseudo classical paraphernalia we have now come to associate with the likes of André Rieu and company.
You won't find any of that here. The arrangements are simple, transparent affairs, a few woodwinds, a lone cup-muted trumpet, a tastefully restrained string section, a couple of gentlemen and ladies as backing vocals and a subtly swinging rhythm section (ooh, that piano...). "Rudolph, the Rednosed Reindeer" is a riot and Dean's "White Christmas" is one of the most elegantly straightforward versions I've ever heard. Although the CD is frustratingly short (and this Collectors' Choice has a few added titles), it can be repeated over and over again without ever getting boring.

I would not have minded if the added material without taking some away. Sadly that's not what happened. What many reviewers call for I have in my hand. The 1989 CD from Capitol "CDP 7 93115 2" with a UPC of "0 7777-93115-2 1" is the original 13 songs ending in The Christmas Blues. The 1989 CD included all material printed in the USA.
1. A Winter Romance
2. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
3. Things We Did Last Summer, The
4. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
5. June in January
6. Canadian Sunset
7. Winter Wonderland
8. Out in the Cold Again
9. Baby, It's Cold Outside
10. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
11. White Christmas
12. It Won't Cool Off
13. The Christmas Blues
The CD I list is six out of five stars.

What a beautiful song! And the rest of the CD is very enjoyable. It sounds like the 50s, plain and simple, and has nicely orchestrated, pretty melodies, all sung by the incredible Dean Martin. How can you go wrong?

The thing I love about Dean Martin's Christmas Album(s) is that it is really an album containing several
love songs set during the holidays. Another of his christmas albums is "Making the Seasons Bright".
My wife and I wake up to these during the holidays, a romantic way to start the day.
There is a quality about Dean Martini in that you can almost hear the joy in his voice as he sings these songs.