This collection, named after the RCA mascot Nipper the dog (who cocked his head to one side to hear his master's voice from the victrola), this CD, “Nipper's Greatest Hits,” does a marvelous job of representing the bewildering hodge-podge of sounds that made up the popular music of the 1950s. In that span, RCA had 1,917 hit singles, so picking just 20 of them to feature on this compilation means these are the best of the best.

There is mainstream pop like Perry Como’s 1958 hit “Catch A Falling Star” (heard here for the first time in stereo; previous releases have inexplicably used a mono master), mainstream country like Hank Locklin's beautiful tenor on “Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On,” and the early rock sounds of the Mae Axton-penned “Heartbreak Hotel” which was a breakthrough hit for Elvis Presley. Ever heard of him?

Neil Sedaka scored big with “Oh, Carol,” and although we're not ordinarily fans of his singing, this number sort of grows on you. Mario Lanza’s “Be My Love” is a nearly an operatic caricature, and Perez Prado’s fine Latin orchestra turns in a fine performance on “Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White.”

You'll be singing along to Harry Belafonte’s catchy “Banana Boat” song with its calupso beat. Eddy Arnold's version of “Cattle Call” was far from the best, and only hit #69 on the Top 100, though it made #1 Country. Floyd Robinson's “Making Love” is VERY difficult to find but is included here, and deservedly so as it scored #20 on the Hot 100 in 1959. “The Three Bells,” by the brother-and-two sisters trio, the Browns, is pretty but it's the Anita Kerr Singers' vocal fills that really embellish the song, not the two Brown females. (That's proven by the fact the trio never sounded as good singing the song alone, without the Kerrs giving them support. In fact, the contrast is quite stark).  The three-million-seller “He'll Have To Go” by Jim Reeves has been described — because of the pairing of an exquisite singer with a great song — as the gold-bond standard of the smooth Nashville Sound.

A lot of people remember Ed Ames as a solo act, but he first sang with his brothers, and they are represented with “Melodie D'Amour.” They had their own special blend and if you spend any time exploring the Ames Brothers’ repertoire you will be mightily impressed by their talent. Eddie Fisher — despite his colorful personal life (having married hot head Debbie Reynolds whom he left for seductress Elizabeth Taylor before she stole away with Richard Burton) — was quite a competent singer, as you will hear on “Dugaree Doll.” (Read his autobiography; it's a wonder he could carry a tune as he was so into booze and drugs in those days). Kay Starr, of course, was one of the music world's most successful female vocalists and “Rock And Roll Waltz” is a cute, tongue-in-cheek look at the new musical idiom called “rock ’n’ roll.” It's appropriate that Jesse Belvin sang a song called “Guess Who” because these days when his name is mentioned, most people are likely to ask: “Who?” Lou Monte is simiarly forgotten.

But Dinah Shore, who opens this CD retrospective, is just as sweet as she can be, singing “My Heart Cries For You” — a great singalong song if there ever was one. (We bet you'll find yourself singing this one in the shower!) One surprise is Pee Wee King’s “Slow Poke.” You may not instantly recognize the title of the track, but when you hear it, you'll probably know the melody. Pee Wee was a very nice man and helped a lot of his fellow performers by inviting him to appear on his TV show. He also demonstrates he could carry a tune rather well.

The remastering of these tracks is quite good and the sound quality may surprise you. This CD is a fine disc for taking a quiet journey back to a simpler musical time. There's also a 6 page booklet inside that has insightful track-by-track notations that are interesting.

To sample some of the tracks, click the speaker icon below to hear them. Then scroll down the page to order today!