Classic Como

This compilation of two albums by the late Mr. C. is a document of his accomplishments as a singer, as his "pop" hits sometimes did not effectively show. He was after all a "band" singer first, during the thirties and early forties, and unlike most of them, including Sinatra and Crosby, Como could read music and play instruments. His fine musicianship and vocal technique show in these songs, accompanied expertly by Ayres and his orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers.

Unfortunately RCA/BMG did not choose to go to the best master sources for this disc. The sound duplicates the typical RCA Victor "LP" sound of the late 50's: shrill and bass-shy, with clumsy editing and "sweetening", more evident in the digital medium than they were on LP. There is clearly more in these masters than is evident here. This is the reason for a rating of only four stars. Otherwise, this disc is highly enjoyable to listen to.

Fine by me

I just listened to this album today, and found the sound and songs OK for my ears. The instruments on the "swinging" portion are strong, but I feel that was the intent, and I do not feel Perry's voice is drowned out. One major reason I got the album was I wanted to hear how Perry handled 50s hits like "Too Young" and "Young Love"--very well in my book! (Though the thought that Tab Hunter and Perry both recorded "Young Love" does cause a little whiplash.) By the way, "Young Love" was one of the four songs not taken from master tapes, but I could discern very little degradation of quality on this or the other ones. A good album for Como lovers.

Versatile

This shows the versatility this man had. One usually thinks of him as a crooner of love songs, but there seemed to be nothing the man couldn't sing and sing beautifully. He will always be a star and this shows it. N. Lacey