Search - Perry Como :: Dreamer's Holiday

Original RCA Camden Compilation circa 1960

townsend@istar.ca | Nova Scotia, Canada | 02/14/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Originally released in 1960, this was Perry's fourth RCA Camden release of eighteen between 1957 and 1974 which amounted to one per year. Although taking the name "Dreamer's Holiday", this album didn't include Perry's version of the song which actually appeared in the Camden release from 1959 titled "Perry Como's Wednesday Night Music Hall". The RCA Camden albums were sold at prices between 99 cents and $1.99 ( full price ) and specifically marketed as budget releases comprised of older songs remastered to a lower standard than the RCA Victor primary line albums ( despite RCA's claim to the contrary that standards were the same ). "Dreamer's Holiday" was the first album cut from 12 tracks to 10 as another cost-cutting measure. Even with ten tracks this album was well received, containing a number of Perry's hits and flip-sides from the early 1950s. Unfortunately, this compact disc has not been remastered from the original recordings, as claimed, and because of this it doesn't sound as good as it should. 24 Bit Mastering can't possibly make a recording sound better if the sources are copies of copies. If these tracks had been remastered from first generation tapes, then the claims that they sound better than ever before would certainly be true. Many Como fans would have been delighted to hear Perry's 1958 "Kewpie Doll" in real stereo or some of the 1957 tracks in binaural stereo for the first time. On the face of it, this CD appears to be good value for money until you realize that it's less than 30 minutes in length. All four of the new Delta RCA Camden albums could have been released on two CDs with room for one more! While they spent a great deal of time with new album graphics, despite pictures out of context with recordings and often mirror-image, a little more effort could have been expended in making the sound better . . . by remastering the original recordings and not just copies!"