I've always loved the singing of Perry Como and try to collect just about any recording he made. A fellow blogspot blogger went even further and created an interesting webpage featuring some "Faux Como" recordings....back in the fifites heyday of pop, other record companies and singers were trying to get a bit of the Como success by issuing their own versions of Perry's songs. Click here to see this interesting blog and if you download the zip file you can listen to some pretty good and sometimes very lame renditions of the hits.
There is no reason to re-record what Perry has done, he did it well. I have recorded several of his songs just for my own fun using karoeke type tracks. So far no record labels have been pounding at my door to mass market release these. I guess I won't be the next Susan Boyle type discovery, but it was a lot of fun recording them anyhow.
A very talented guy in the UK however has captured the essence of Perry Como. His name is Matthew Long. Click here to listen to an original V-disc recording by Perry of his first RCA 78 called "Goodbye Sue." Then click here to listen to Matthew's acapella version. Pretty awesome, huh?
Matthew is another addicted Como fan. Unlike me, he has enough sense not to try to re-record Perry's songs (like those cheap record labels did back in the 1950s). Instead he has released a brand new song called "Dancing With You" featuring his smooth voice and a great new tune. The lyrics bring back the days of couples dancing and a big band playing. Click here for a preview.
Matthew says he is hoping to work on an entire album and if the songs are anything like this preview, it's gonna be a great recording! He gets the essence of Perry. After all, he started the Como Appreciation Society. Click here to visit.
