Red Steagall

Hang out comfortably with Friends, Celebrate, have fun, toast, drown his worries or a cozy evening for two: alcohol in all life situations. And theme of countless R & B, Blues, Country and Rock'n'Roll Standards. 40 of them on this double CD. With: Johnny Cash, John Lee Hooker, Wanda Jackson, Jimmie Rodgers, Lonnie Donegan, Billie Holiday, etc.

Dino, Dean Martin's 1972 album, was another in a long line of country-pop confections designed for him by producer Jimmy Bowen, with whom he had worked since 1964. It had been Bowen who had the idea of doing the 1940s evergreen "Everybody Loves Somebody" in a 1950s rock & roll style, setting off a string of hits for Martin, and the producer had used the singer as his mouthpiece for redoing some of country music's biggest hits in the years since. It worked well for quite a while, but by the early '70s everyone involved was just going through the motions.