AMG Review of Yesterday & Today: A Celebration in Song

John Bush
All Music Guide

RCA's three-disc Perry Como box is an excellent summation of the career of one of the best adult-pop singers of the 1950s and '60s. It's the best compilation of hits available, and includes the best songs of his early career ("Till the End of Time," "Prisoner of Love," "Temptation") as well as those from his later easy-listening period ("Papa Loves Mambo," "Juke Box Baby," "Tina Marie"). Even the final disc is entertaining, as Como turns in excellent MOR versions of songs like the Beatles' "Something," "How Insensitive (Insensatez)" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water." It may be a bit too much material for neophytes, but the lack of quality compilations on the market makes this one of the best available.