| Marlene Dietrich Overseas | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Marlene Dietrich |
| Cover: | Marlene Dietrich Overseas album cover.jpg |
| Released: | 1951 |
| Genre: | Traditional pop |
| Length: | 25:08 |
| Label: | Columbia Records |
| Next Title: | Live at the Café de Paris |
| Next Year: | 1954 |
Marlene Dietrich Overseas was the first Marlene Dietrich album, issued on 10" LP by Columbia Records (catalogue number LP GL105), released in 1959. All the vocals are in German, translated by Lothar Metzl (except for "Lili Marlene") and the orchestra was conducted by Jimmy Carroll.
Overseas has its origins in Dietrich's contributions to the U.S. war effort during World War II. As an American citizen, she recorded American songs in German for the OSS to be broadcast to German audiences as part of American propaganda efforts. These original recordings were largely forgotten after the war, but Dietrich retained her copies and later played them for Mitch Miller, the head of A&R at Columbia Records. Impressed by the material, Miller commissioned Dietrich to re-record the songs in the studio.
The album received favorable reviews from music critcs. Billboard magazine rated the album 70 out of 100, describing the repertoire as modest but praising its cover design. They highlighted Dietrich enduring presence and charm even in the recorded tracks. Bruce Eder from AllMusic website wrote that Dietrich was in top form as a singer and entertainer during these sessions. He notes that the album offers a better sound quality than her wartime recordings, thanks to more advanced recording technology, and praises the material as a unique part of Dietrich's musical output.
The album was reissued on 12" LP by Columbia as Lili Marlene (Columbia GL 4-17) with the addition of the following tracks: "Das Hobellied", "Du Liegst Mir im Herzen", "Muss i denn" and "Du Hast die Seele Mein". The eight songs were re-released in CD on a compilation album, Art Deco - The Cosmopolitan Marlene Dietrich.[1]