Tony Martin - Hit Collection 1936-57 (CD)

Crooner Tony Martin was one of the coterie of male vocalist like Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Frankie Laine, Al Martino and others who dominated the pop charts during the post-war decade (although, unlike those mentioned, he was not of Italian descent). He started his professional career as a Hollywood bit-part actor in movies like "Follow The Fleet" in 1936, before becoming a big-band singer, having his first hits, including several with the Ray Noble Orchestra, in the late 30s and early 40s, before a break while he served in WWII, then joined the Mercury label in 1946. He became a regular hit-maker right through until his music was overtaken by the rock 'n' roll and teen pop explosion of the late'50s. The consistency of his success can be measured by the fact that this excellent value 50-track 2-CD set consists entirely of hits which he had in the Billboard and Cashbox charts - for reasons of space we could not include them all, but there are only a few which had to be omitted, so this represents a pretty thorough trawl across his most successful recordings. It naturally includes what are probably his best-known hits - "Stranger In Paradise" and "Walk Hand In Hand", along with other Top 5 biggies like "Tonight We Love", "To Each His Own" "There's No Tomorrow", "I Get Ideas" and "Here". He was very much a star who encapsulated the musical zeitgeist of his time, and this will be a must for lovers of '40s and '50s nostalgia

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. When Did You Leave Heaven'
2. The Moon of Manakoora (Tony Martin with Ray Noble's Orch.) - Tony Martin/Ray Noble's Orchestra
3. I Hadn't Anyone Till You (Tony Martin with Ray Noble's Orch.) - Tony Martin/Ray Noble's Orchestra
4. You Couldn't Be Cuter (Tony Martin with Ray Noble's Orch.) - Tony Martin/Ray Noble's Orchestra
5. My Walking Stick (Tony Martin with Ray Noble's Orch.) - Tony Martin/Ray Noble's Orchestra
6. Now It Can Be Told (Tony Martin with Ray Noble's Orch.) - Tony Martin/Ray Noble's Orchestra
7. South of the Border (Tony Martin)
8. It's a Blue World (Tony Martin)
9. Fools Rush in (Tony Martin)
10. Tonight We Love (Tony Martin)
11. To Each His Own (Tony Martin)
12. Rumors Are Flying (Tony Martin)
13. I'll Dance at Your Wedding (Tony Martin)
14. Hooray for Love (Tony Martin)
15. For Every Man There's a Woman (Tony Martin)
16. It's Magic (Tony Martin)
17. If You Stub Your Toe on the Moon (Tony Martin)
18. Circus (Tony Martin)
19. There's No Tomorrow (Tony Martin)
20. Marta (Tony Martin)
21. I Said My Pajamas (And Put on My Pray'rs)
22. Valencia (Tony Martin)
23. La Vie en Rose (Tony Martin)
24. In Your Arms (Tony Martin with Dinah Shore) - Tony Martin ; Dinah Shore

Disc: 2

1. A Penny a Kiss (Tony Martin with Dinah Shore) - Tony Martin ; Dinah Shore
2. Would I Love You (Tony Martin)
3. I Get Ideas (Tony Martin)
4. I Apologize (Tony Martin)
5. The Musicians (Tony Martin with Dinah Shore, Betty Hutton ; Phil Harris)
6. Vanity (Tony Martin)
7. Over a Bottle of Wine (Tony Martin)
8. Domino (Tony Martin)
9. Kiss of Fire (Tony Martin)
10. Some Day (Tony Martin)
11. Luna Rossa (Tony Martin)
12. Dance of Destiny (Tony Martin)
13. Sleepy Time Gal (Tony Martin)
14. Don't Tempt Me (Tony Martin)
15. April in Portugal (Tony Martin)
16. Sorta on the Border (Tony Martin)
17. Caribbean (Tony Martin)
18. Relax (Tony Martin)
19. Stranger in Paradise (Tony Martin)
20. Here (Tony Martin)
21. Angels in the Sky (Tony Martin)
22. All of You (Tony Martin)
23. Do, Do, Do (Tony Martin)
24. Walk Hand in Hand (Tony Martin)
25. It's Better in the Dark (Tony Martin)
26. Do I Love You (Because You're Beautiful)