Search - Guy Mitchell, Patti Page, Perry Como :: Hits of '51 - Come On-A My House

Great songs we really listened to in 1951...

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 06/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hits of '51 - Come On-A My House has a whopping twenty-five (yes, twenty-five) hits from 1951 that made the airwaves sizzle back in the day! The quality of the sound is really rather good; and the artwork is very well done. This should bring back memories for a lot of us!



Guy Mitchell starts the album with a great rendition of the classic love ballad, "My Heart Cries for You." I always liked "My Heart Cries for You" because of its pretty melody; and Guy's excellent diction enhances his performance all the more. "My Heart Cries for You" makes an excellent start for this album. "If" by Perry Como is a charmer from "Mr. C.;" Perry croons this brilliantly and I am left wondering why Perry Como doesn't get the recognition he deserves even today. Les Paul & Mary Ford do a great job on "How High the Moon;" they perform this with a country beat that injects electricity into this number and the vocals are excellent. Patti Page's "Mockin' Bird Hill" is a beautiful number and I like the special effect of having it seem that there are TWO Patti Pages singing parts of this song. Great!



Nat King Cole performs "Too Young" with so much feeling it's obvious he truly delved into this ballad to make it his own; and only Nat King Cole could sing "Too Young" with such style! I love every minute of it. Rosemary Clooney also turns in a stunner performance with one of her best known songs, "Come On-a My House." "Come On-a My House" really did belong to Rosie and she sings this with so much enthusiasm you begin to sense that she's singing just to you. In addition, Mario Lanza sings "The Loveliest Night of the Year" with panache; and Mario Lanza fans will not be disappointed by this ballad. Tony Martin also sings "I Get Ideas" with so much passion you can tell he really enjoys performing this tune; "I Get Ideas" is a classic love song that is also a major highlight of this CD.



Tony Bennett's "Cold, Cold Heart" features Tony sounding so well--he sounds younger and his voice was incredible even all those years ago. Frankie Laine's "Jealousy (Jalousie)" is a number you simply won't forget anytime soon; I like "Jealousy (Jalousie)" with its tango flavor. Frankie Laine's incredible sense of timing enhances his ability to do this song really wonderfully. The Ames Brothers do a fantastic rendition of "Undecided;" this really was one of their biggest hits even though it's a cover song. The Ames Brothers sure could harmonize! The album also ends on a very solid note (no pun intended) with Johnnie Ray & the Four Lads performing one of Johnnie's biggest hits ever--"Cry." "Cry" gets the royal treatment from Johnnie ray and the backup vocalists do a great job, too. Wow!



Overall, Hits of '51 - Come On-A My House is a strong CD full of hits and timeless ballads. I hope it comes back into print soon!

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