Long overdue!

Finally, Connie's first two Italian LP's are available again in their complete forms. The "Italian Collections" were good, but it's so nice for the collector to have the original albums on disc again, since their separate CD incarnations of the late '90's went out of print in an instant. Connie in Italian is stunning to hear. Let's hope Collectables will get around to discovering the glories of Connie's entire MGM catalog!

Never too much Italian favorites!

Issuing "Italian Favorites / More Italian Favorites" (two original LPs on 1 CD; 26 tracks; 79 min; all at surprisingly low price) Universal Music Enterprises went towards the expectations of Connie's fans which haven't had enough luck to buy Pendulum's separate CD editions of her early Italian recordings. This CD completes also Bear Family's incomplete (but expensive) collection of Connie's 1950s and early 1960s recordings (boxes "White sox..." and "Kissin', twistin'..."). One ought to have hope that Collectables won't cut in the middle and will continue reissuing the remaining Connie's `Italian' LPs (including Italian version of "Movie Greats Of The 60's" never issued in the USA).
However, "Italian Collection, vol. I & II" is still available on the market, but as a compilation of songs taken from various Connie's LPs it may not satisfy everyone. Especially that it doesn't bring to you leading Italian hits: "O Sole Mio", "Santa Lucia", "Torna A Surriento", "Funiculi, Funicula", "Scapricciatiello". All of them you can find right here, together with other twenty hits.
The quality of all recordings is high, for the first time I have found bass in these songs. But this warm, natural sound (compare it with metallic, pitchy and edgy sound on Bear Family discs!) was dearly paid: all low frequency distortions (not rare on this CD, e.g. blows into microphone, etc.) will punch you in the most unexpected moments.
When you adjust volume on your amplifier while listening to the first song ("Comm'e Bella A Stagione"), you will probably need to decrease it during the second. This subjective feeling of unequalized level of recordings will return during the playback of track no. 10 ("Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me").
Worth mentioning are also the spelling mistakes found on the cover (in the titles of songs no. 3: should be "Arrivederci Roma", and no. 26: correctly is "The Loveliest Night Of The Year").
Despite all, hurry up and buy immediately!