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Along with Frank Sinatra, Perry Como was one of the most prolific hit-makers among the illustrious elite of star crooners in the immediate post-war decades, racking up an astonishing succession of hits through into the rock ’n’ roll era and defying the cataclysmic changes in the pop landscape that the new music wrought. His continuous visibility and huge popularity on radio and TV ensured that he was constantly in the public eye and his records, which encompassed romantic ballads, up-tempo novelty songs and middle-of-the-road pop and in later years even flirted with rock flavoured material, gave him a regular chart presence. This 5CD collection includes all his Billboard and UK chart hits from this era, including duets with The Fontane Sisters, Jaye P. Morgan, Eddie Fisher, Helen Carroll and Betty Hutton, plus a few bonus tracks which only made the Cash Box charts. It includes no less than fourteen No. 1s - Til The End Of Time, Prisoner Of Love, Chi-Ba-Ba, Chi-Ba-Ba, Surrender, Some Enchanted Evening, Hoop-De-Doo, If, Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes, No Other Love, Wanted, Hot Diggity, Round And Round, Catch A Falling Star and Magic Moments. It’s a must for every Perry Como fan, and it provides a substantial and evocative showcase for his unique talent as an interpreter of the fine songs of his time, and as an artist who very much represented the zeitgeist of popular taste during his heyday. REVIEWS: Although there are many Perry Como compilations available, I don't recall anything being issued recently so, as ever, it's good to have a new release of a major artist to write about, and good that this will be seen by the general public to serve as a reminder of a true giant of post war popular music. Full credit, therefore, to Acrobat for releasing this five CD, 126 track set which includes all his hits up to the 'Cliff's law' cut off date of 1962. This is a major undertaking which must have involved an incredible amount of research and effort to produce such a worthy result... his warm, relaxed and so easy on the ear tones, probably the nicest voice in the history of popular music, live on in this indispensable collection. (In Tune Issue 346)
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