''So Smooth'' is Perry Como's first RCA Victor 12" long-play album, recorded and originally released in 1955. This was also Perry's first album recorded at

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

in New York City, and his first album with the

Ray Charles Singers Ray Charles (born Charles Raymond Offenberg; September 13, 1918April 6, 2015) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, vocal arranger and conductor who was best known as organizer and leader of the Ray Charles Singers who were featured o ...

who would support him generally throughout the remainder of his recording career. ''So Smooth'' was released in the UK as ''We Get Letters Volume 2'' as Perry's popularity gained international appeal during the late 1950s; under this title, the album peaked at number 4 in the ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'' album chart, entering on 28 June 1958 and spending seven weeks within the Top 5.''

British Hit Singles & Albums ''British Hit Singles & Albums'' (originally known as ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles'' and ''The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums'') was a music reference book originally published in the United Kingdom by the publishing arm of ...

'' 18th edition,

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

2005, page 117 Although RCA Victor issued several LP collections by Como prior to this album, this was Como's first album of all-new material recorded especially for an LP release. Como viewed the LP format differently from the singles market, eschewing the kind of popular novelty songs he often recorded for single releases on the 45 and 78 RPM format in favor of collections devoted to well-known standards mostly dating back to the 1930s and '40s. All selections are arranged by

Joe Lipman Joseph P. Lippman (April 23, 1915 - January 21, 2007) was an American composer, arranger, conductor, pianist, and songwriter working in jazz and traditional pop. His musical career was over five decades long, having started at age 19 with the Ben ...

Track listing

Side one #"

It's a Good Day "It's a Good Day" is a popular song written by Peggy Lee and her husband Dave Barbour and published in 1946. Peggy Lee's recording reached the Billboard charts in January, 1947 peaking at No. 16. Other Recordings The song has been recorded by m ...

" (Words and music by Peggy Lee and

Dave Barbour David Michael Barbour (May 28, 1912 – December 11, 1965) was an American jazz guitarist. He was married to singer Peggy Lee and was her co-writer, accompanist, and bandleader. Biography Barbour was born in Long Island, New York, United States ...

) – 1:43 #" As Time Goes By" (Words and music by

Herman Hupfeld Herman Hupfeld (February 1, 1894June 8, 1951) was an American songwriter whose most notable composition was " As Time Goes By". He wrote both the lyrics and music. Life and career Hupfeld was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of Fredericka ...

) – 3:12 #"

I've Got the World on a String "I've Got The World on a String" is a 1932 popular jazz song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was written for the twenty-first edition of the Cotton Club series which opened on October 23, 1932, the first of th ...

" (Words and music by Harold Arlen and

Ted Koehler Ted L. Koehler (July 14, 1894 – January 17, 1973) was an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Life and career Koehler was born in 1894 in Washington, D.C. He started out as a photo-engraver, but w ...

) – 2:21 #" My Funny Valentine" (Words and music by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) – 2:44 #" For Me and My Gal" (Words and music by George W. Meyer,

Edgar Leslie Edgar Leslie (December 31, 1885 – January 22, 1976) was an American songwriter. Biography Edgar Leslie was born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1885. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York. He published his first song in 1909, starting a lo ...

and

E. Ray Goetz Edward Ray Goetz (June 12, 1886 – June 12, 1954) was an American composer, lyricist, playwright, theatre director, and theatrical producer. A Tin Pan Alley songwriter, he published more than 500 songs during his career; many of them origin ...

) – 2:33 #"

I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" is a popular song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Ted Koehler, published in 1932 for the Broadway show ''Earl Carroll's Vanities'' (1932). The song has become a jazz and blues standard. Popular recordin ...

" (Words and music by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler) – 2:47 Side two #" Breezin' Along with the Breeze" (Words and music by

Haven Gillespie James Lamont Gillespie (February 6, 1888 – March 14, 1975) pen name Haven Gillespie, was an American Tin Pan Alley composer and lyricist. He was the writer of "You Go to My Head", "Honey", "By the Sycamore Tree", "That Lucky Old Sun", " Breezi ...

Seymour Simons Seymour Simons (January 14, 1896 – February 12, 1949) was an American pianist, composer, orchestra leader, and radio producer. Biography Simons born in Detroit, Michigan, was originally trained in engineering and went to work as a researc ...

and Richard Whiting) – 2:17 #"

It's the Talk of the Town "It's the Talk of the Town" is a popular song written by Jerry Livingston, the lyrics by Al J. Neiburg and Marty Symes. The song was published in 1933. The song is a pop standard, with many versions recorded by many artists. A recording by Glen ...

" (Words and music by

Jerry Livingston Jerry Livingston (born Jerry Levinson; March 25, 1909 – July 1, 1987) was an American songwriter and dance orchestra pianist. Life and career Born in Denver, Colorado, Livingston studied music at the University of Arizona. While there he com ...

and

Marty Symes Marty Symes (1904–1953) was an American lyricist. Symes was born in Brooklyn New York in 1904. His first significant collaborator was composer Jerry Livingston. In 1932 they wrote "Darkness on the Delta", which became a hit for Mildred Bailey. T ...

with Al J. Neiburg) – 3:40 #" You Do Something to Me" (Words and music by Cole Porter) – 1:54 #"It Happened in Monterey" (Words and music by Mabel Wayne and William Rose) – 3:03 #" One for My Baby and One More for the Road" (Words and music by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer) – 3:43 #" In The Still of the Night" (Words and music by Cole Porter) – 2:45

References

External links

Perry Como Discography
{{Authority control Perry Como albums 1955 albums RCA Victor albums