Absolute Must Have For Al Martino Fans!!
C. Del Rosario | Harbor City, CA United States | 12/08/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have searched high and low for the "My Cherie" CD for years with no luck. Thanks to Amazon. Com not only was I able to finally get this Treasure, it came as a double album!! The "My Cherie" ensemble is Al Martino at his BEST. For me, all of his greatest hits are here starting with of course, My Cherie, It Only hurts for a little while, Spanish Eyes, etc. There are songs on this CD not available anywhere else in the Al Martino collection. Pay whatever price to get this, it is well worth the money, especially if you have never enjoyed the "My Cherie" album."
ONE OF THE BEST CROONERS EVER
Giovanni | Chicago, IL | 08/28/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Al Martino, for several reasons beyond his control, will never be the giant as a Sinatra or a Bennett, but he's got a well deserved place in that hall of immortal Italian crooners like Dino, Perry, Jerry and Vic Damone as well as the aforementioned Tony and Frankie. From his humble beginnings and the operatic strains of "Here In My Heart", Capitol Records had a great talent on their hands with this little Italiano from Philly! He palled around with Mario Lanza as a child, which led him to his dreams of being a singer. These two albums are culled from the many Al recorded for Capitol; and sadly, this is the only such collection of Al's out there. Two wonderful albums on one great CD. I own almost everything EMI does like this; there are no bad volumes of these "two-fers". They are impeccably remastered and include the original liner notes of each album. Backed with the great arranger Belford Hendricks, Al goes "a lil' country" on the first sides, using many of the day's popular country and western songs and helping them crossover to a "pop" vein. "I Love You Because" was a hit for Al, and I'm sure it would be a pretty song if someone played it on a typewriter! The lyrics alone make it a classic, and Al's sensitive reading made lovebirds swoon from coast to coast. There is a heartfelt sound in Al's treatment of the classic "Bouquet Of Roses" that exceeds beautiful or melancholy; you just have to listen to believe it. Again, Hendricks' orchestra and chorus provide a perfect backdrop to the vocal. Al slows down the Brenda Lee staple, "Losing You" and really breaks your heart with it. All in all, a wonderful set of sides in itself. But the MY CHERIE sides also come with it, so enjoy! From the opening notes of the French based "What Now, My Love?", this is a different Al Martino, singing popular tunes of the day with Peter De Angelis doing the arrangements (he also co-wrote the title track). There are also evergreen standards here; two of note being the beautiful "Till" and "Fascination". And everyone knows that "Spanish Eyes" started its life as "Moon Over Naples", an instrumental by and for Bert Kaempfert. The lyrics wouldn't work with that title when Singleton and Snyder (of "Strangers In The Night" fame) went to work on some words, so it became Spanish Eyes, which became one of Al's signature songs, and a favorite to millions. One can only hope that there will be more of this kind of treatment of Al Martino's albums being released on CD from the wonderful people at EMI. Listen and enjoy two great albums from one of the best and underrated crooners of all time!"
Al Martino
Anders Söderlund | Eskilstuna, Sweden | 02/22/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Al Martino have been a favorite singer for me since the sixties when I stop listen to Beatles and was ready for some new directions in the mussic fields. Through the years I bought all his records and today I have them all except for "Living a lie". Last october a dream came true for me seeing Al live in England, he made a fantastic performance with more standing oavation than I ever seen before (and that includes even Frank Sinatra, Julio and many other worldartist)
The next morning my wife and I had the pleasure to have breakfast with Al and his two english manager and I say he is as nice person as he is a good singer! And that says a lot about Al Martino! He did almost always made good quality recordings through all the years with Capitol.
I 'm still waiting EMI to release "Country style" from the seventies on CD, a real item to look forward to!
If You "discover" Al for the first time, congratulations, You have so much to look forward to.
Don't forget to listen to his two german produced CD's, one from 1991 and the second from 2003 (I think). They prove he's still one of the best singers around!
Andes in Sweden"
