Search - Perry Como :: Very Best of Perry Como

"It's Impossible" to pass up Very Best of Como....

Betty June Moore | Douglas, Georgia USA | 11/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"RCA's The Very Best of Perry Como is a wonderful 21-song set which covers nearly 30 years of this barber-turned-crooner's career. I purchased this album one year after its release in July of 2000, and although I do love Como's voice and smooth delivery of such songs as "Papa Loves Mambo" (a Billboard Top 10 hit in 1954), I am fond of this record for sentimental reasons. When I was a girl growing up in Florida, my stepfather and I would either watch one of Como's TV specials or listen to his recordings on a record player. When I listen to "Some Enchanted Evening" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific," I remember watching Como perform this classic ballad on our black-and-white TV, my stepdad (a Navy veteran who served in the Pacific in World War II) at my side.
As I said earlier, this CD is a retrospective of Como's long and successful career, starting with the 1940s Swing Era hit "(A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba) Dig You Later" to his sweet, romantic "And I Love You So" from the 1970s. Some of my favorite tracks include Slim Willet's "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes," "Because," and an English language cover of Armando Manzaneros "Somos Novios," better known as "It's Impossible."
If you like Perry Como or want an album of easy listening music with one of the great talents of the genre, The Very Best of Perry Como belongs in your music library. I heartily recommend it.
Betty June Moore"

Best All-Time Greatest Hits, Pure Gold, Yesterday & Today!

townsend@istar.ca | Nova Scotia, Canada | 07/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This new compilation must surely be the CD all of Perry's many fans have been waiting for! Twenty of the twenty-one songs are repeated from BMG's last "Greatest Hits" package, all but seven are repeated from the popular "Yesterday & Today" box set, whilst ten of the twenty-one tracks, almost half the album, are from Perry's 1958 RCA Victor album "Como's Golden Records" itself generally available on CD for many years. Also replicated here are the majority of songs from "Pure Gold" and "All Time Greatest Hits" for anyone who may have missed these packages. Perry's unforgettable 1958 classic "Catch a Falling Star" leads the pack with over thirty-six other CD releases, followed closely by "Prisoner of Love" with thirty-four and "Till the End of Time" with thirty-two. On average, all of these songs have been released within Como CDs alone more than twenty-two times each, a total of four hundred and twenty-nine times. It's remarkable that BMG continues to be successful selling essentially the same songs over and over. They must be aiming for honourable mention in the Guinness Book of Records! And once again, BMG has printed Perry's picture in mirror image as they did for their recently released Christmas "Greatest Hits" package. BMG may not always be competent but at least they're consistent! This compilation is proof once again that the folks within BMG can't see the forest for the trees."

An excellent retrospective of a singer who is often forgotte

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Perry Como's voice was smoother than silk while oozing masculinity and a singular tenderness all at the same time. I agree with the reviewer who writes that it IS a tragedy that many younger people today have no idea who Perry Como was or what he did. Perry brought a great deal of sunshine into many people's lives for pretty close to half a century and he deserves a world of credit for that.



This CD is an excellent introduction to Perry's talent as well as a retrospective of Perry's very active singing career. The songs on this CD, as the author of the liner notes points out, all were number one hits or sold at least a million copies. Some feat!



The CD starts off nicely with the upbeat "I'm Gonna Love That Gal (Like She's Never Been Loved Before)," a fun celebration of romance. Other fun and playful songs about love include ""A"--You're Adorable" and "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)."



However, the CD highlights the type of traditional love ballad that Perry loved to sing so much. His rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening" is brilliant; and I liked his classic "It's Impossible," which is based on a Spanish song entitled "Somos Novios (We're Lovers)." The CD ends with the touching ballad "And I Love You So" written by Don McLean and recorded by Perry in early 1973.



The liner notes boast an extensive essay about Perry's professional career although they do gloss over the 1960's as does this album, unfortunately. There are some great color photos of Perry and you get the credits and recording dates for all the songs on this CD.



Although this CD has been in my collection for many years the quality of the sound has not diminished one bit. I would say that the quality of the sound is excellent. The digital transfers and audio restoration by Bill Lacey, Jim Crotty and Mike Hartry are very well done.



In short, this CD is a wonderful way to give younger people their introduction to the incomparable Perry Como. It is a terrific single CD retrospective, too. I highly recommend this for Como fans who want a single CD of his huge hits and fans of classic pop vocals. Thank you, Perry!

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