Customer Reviews

Essential 60's Singles Collection

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The title of this compilation is a bit of a misnomer because some of the tracks included here are really feature releases from Perry's RCA Victor albums. In addition, there are at least as many 60s singles not included here and many of them more deserving of the term "essential" than some of the tracks chosen here. Hopefully, they will emerge within a follow-up second volume . The really good news here is that all of these tracks have been re-mastered from original first generation sources and every one of them is in real stereo, many for the very first time ever! The pick of this collection is surely Perry's original single version of "The Father of Girls" which is released here within an album compilation for the first time in North America ( it had previously been released in the UK ) and for the first time ever in stereo. Many ardent Como fans don't even know that Perry re-recorded the vocal track of this song for release within the album "Look To Your Heart" in 1968 and that the original recording has remained unreleased for all these years. Up to now, the re-release of this song has always been the album version ( except that one instance in the UK ) and this has been a real shame because his performance of the original is particularly poignant. Another gem within this collection is the original flip side of "Delaware", a very touching performance of "I Know What God Is" that greatly benefits from the quality of this release and it's first album release in real stereo. If you remember these songs from the 1960s, then you'll be delighted with what you hear from this collection. Some of the songs have slightly different mixes than the original release and, in one instance, there's an alternate `take' which was never released before. But none of the differences are really material and only serve to offer a little fun for Como fans in determining which they are. This is the most original mix of Perry Como hit singles ever released on compact disc, the quality of engineering is better than anything BMG has done themselves, and that is due to one very simple reason: the recording engineer who assembled these tracks has taken considerable effort to ferret out the original first generation tapes to re-master these recordings as they should be, straight clean and simple! BMG has a great deal to learn from this third party record label! If you buy this set and like it, please write to the label and tell them because we need more recordings like this and not just by Perry! By supporting the independent labels who do good work, such as this, we'll get more of them.

This album brings together tunes that remind us of all the forces that shaped and continue to shape "Pop" music. As the informative notes tell us, television fueled a demand for novelty tunes like "Delaware" that appealed more to Mr. C's sense of business than his artistic impulses. Also included are numbers that owe much to 1950's Rock ("You're Following Me," "You Looked Back"); Latin melody and instrumental arrangement("Coo Coo Roo Coo Paloma," "Forget Domani"); the chord structure of Country Western ("Meet Me at the Altar," "Here Comes My Baby," "Sunshine Wine");and Blues("Dream on Little Dreamer.") Then, there are the wonderful tunes like "Seattle" that defy easy reference to "pure" forms. Common to all of these tracks is the theme of love developed by the mellifluous voice of the artist. Clearly, "Nashville Sound" requires not a southern accent but only a certain chord structure and the lovely sincereity that Perry brings to all of his work. But even if you're a fan of neither Rock nor Country, you will still be delighted by the poignant "The Father of Girls" and "I know what God Is," two songs reminiscent of his early ballads. If not for the work of Mr. C(and this album in particular), I would have to scramble through many CDs while teaching my brief Pop Music unit as part of U.S. History class. For while Pop music draws on many of the "pure" forms, no artist except Perry has produced so many charted singles reflecting its eclectic nature.

Perry Como's art was an understated one, and the singer's ability to make the song, not himself, the center of attention might explain Como's effortless versatility. This diversely-styled collection never stops being interesting, from Burt Bacharach's "Don't Be Cruel"-esque "You're Following Me" to the delightful, lightly-rocking "I Looked Back," the latter featuring an odd but very effective bridge among its many charms. There is also the theme from the old TV show "Here Come the Brides" ("Seattle") and a stunning exercise in Como-style mega-legato, "The Father of Girls," which Como raises from the potentially maudlin to the genuinely moving. The remastered sound is magnificent. May Mr. Como live forever in digital!

This release from RCA thru Taragon is a quality remaster of PC's 60's hits. He had few in the 60's but they are all here and in clear stereo, most for the first time. I Love You and Don't you Forget It and Caterina have previously been available only in mono. They alone make this CD worth the purchase price. Also included- Delaware and Seattle. Plus many other tracks, mostly uncharted singles, all in beautifully remastered quality stereo. The quality of this CD makes it a necessity in any Como collection.

RCA have been erratic in their release of Como hit recordings, with most of the available anthologies either having glaring ommissions or mono versions when stereo is available.

Purchased for a neighbor who absolutely loves the CD. Product was in excellent condition...just as advertised...and shipped to us quickly!
Thank You!

Well, you just gotta love this guys voice. The actual reason I bought this CD was to get the song "Seattle."

It is often claimed that Perry went into semi-retirement in 1963 after finishing his weekly Kraft Music Hall Series. Infact, what he actually did was totally on the contrary. He continued his Kraft Music Hall Shows on a monthly basis up until 1967. He also recorded 10 full albums for RCA Victor during the 1960's as well as a compilation of previously unreleased recordings which was assembled in response to the surprise success of his recording of "Seattle".

Perry continued to sell consistantly well throughout the 1960's, but his success was "off the radar" so to speak. By this time, he had no need for advanced publicity and high profile promotion to sell his records.

Perry's single recordings from the 1960's are exceptionally different to what was released within the albums; however these recordings certainly go a long way towards demonstrating Perry's remarkable versatility and good sportsmanship.

The majority of songs on this compilation appear for the very first time on CD - and in STEREO. All are re-mixed and re-mastered from 1st Generation Master Tapes, even those recordings of which release masters in STEREO were already available. Most of these recordings were only released as 45 rpm singles in Mono; therefore, the Release Masters are too.

It is very much to the credit of Eliot Goshman and Taragon Records for employing 1st Generation Masters, as well as a good standard of re-mixing and re-mastering. It's efforts such as this that deserve the respect and support of consumers. This collection represents excellent value for money.

This CD is an excellent example of how important 1st Generation Masters are to High Fidelity. They hold the ultimate potential to the reproduction for any recording. The best engineering in the World can't make a K-Tel production sound like an RCA Red Seal release. Engineering is equally as important as the use of 1st Generation Masters; bringing the two together makes for the ultimate in High Fidelity sound reproduction.

This collection is a must for Perry Como fans! I bought it primarily for "Seattle," a favorite of mine, though difficult to find on Perry Como compilations. However, many of the songs on this CD are great finds! From "You're Following Me" to "I Love You and Don't You Forget It" to "Delaware" that great Perry Como voice comes through!

I bought this CD primarily because it contains one of my all-time favorite pop tunes by anyone, "Dream on little Dreamer". But I was overjoyed to come across bouncy tunes like "Happy Man" and "Seattle" , and other similar ones, none of which I can remember having heard before, but which immediately joined my list of all-time favorites. So the album was literally a treasure chest for me.

Perry Como was a good middle of the road pop singer, who's singles were terrible with lousy arrangements and corny "white and un-swinging" sounding background singers(I mean the sing along with Mitch kind, not the Pied Pipers kind). This CD has Como singing such terrible drek from Doo-wop to rock'n'roll. However when you got Como away from the bad background singers and on a long play record, you could coax some good singing out of him. I would recommend you look hard for an out of print LP "We Get Letter" RCA which features Como with a small jazz combo singing jazz standards, like "Somebody Loves Me" and "Swingin' Down The Lane" you will know that a nose can even swing, yes Como does sing through his nose, but a nose never sounded so beautiful as his does. Anyhow stay away from this compilation, and buy his RCA LP's in used record shops, or even if you must buy some other hits package, but stay away from this garbage. The only reason I gave it two stars is because Como is at least worth two, even at his worst.