The Best of the RCA Victor Recordings [Original recording remastered]

Lou Monte | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 9, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Taragon
• ASIN: B0000APVJ7
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,911 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake

2. Ask Your Heart

3. If I Was a Millionaire

4. Roman Guitar (Chitarra Romana)

5. Some Cloud Above

6. Someone Else Is Taking You Home

7. The Wife (La Mogliera)

8. Musica Bella (The Beautiful Music of Love)

9. Ha! Ha! Ha! (Che Lla La!)

10. Round and Round My Heart

11. Lazy Mary (Luna Mezzo Mare)

12. Angelique

13. Strada Nfosa

14. Marianna

15. Where Do You Work Marie (Where Do You Work-A John)

16. The Italian Cowboy Song

17. Pizza Boy U.S.A.

18. The Angel in the Fountain

19. Solo Per Te (Only for You)

20. Pistol Packin' Mama

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

(2-CD set) 50 Songs, completely remastered, most available on CD for the first time! These are Monte's great early recordings for RCA Victor including classic Italian favorites.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo, Luigi!, June 21, 2005

By 

a music fan (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of the RCA Victor Recordings (Audio CD)

Fantastic! This long-overdue collection showcases the smooth, expressive voice of a talented performer largely unknown except for kitschy (but fun)Italian-American novelty songs. The liner notes provide poignant biographical details of a survivor determined to love life and inspire others to do the same. Bravo, Luigi!

3.0 out of 5 stars Good compilation, many songs are mono, January 7, 2012

By 

A. John Gironda III (No Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best of the RCA Victor Recordings (Audio CD)

Quite a lot of songs are offered in this collection and it serves as a decent chronology of his career. Not sure if it's because of the songs are in mono, but there seems to be a lack of energy overall. Of course, the songs are from a different era of song. But, except for a couple of the Italian songs, they also lack emotion, and "listenability." For me, I hear more emotion and energy in his vocals from songs on his albums: Pizza Lovers and Sings for You. Some of the songs of those are on this compilation, too. Finally, some of the songs border on the novelty: just some odd lyrics, but, seeing how a number of the songs did pretty well on the charts back then, maybe, again, it's just a different era that one hears in the songs. Sixty years ago, songs and vocal arrangements were a lot different. And, we're talking before Elvis hit the charts, too.

Overall, Lou Monte has a nice voice. If you like his music, this compilation is a good start. This with the other two albums listed above will cover most of his songs, save for some novelty songs he did in the 1960s.