“No Other Love” by Perry Como has to stand as one of my favorite songs of all time.

The song was originally composed in 1952 by Richard Rodgers for the NBC TV documentary series “Victory At Sea,” with the title “Beneath The Southern Cross.” Later, in 1953, while working on the music for the film “Me and Juliet,” Rodgers’ collaborator, Oscar Hammerstein II set lyrics to the melody, and it was re-titled “No Other Love.” Perry Como recorded the tune, and it became one of his big hits.

You can read more about the song, about Perry Como, and a little more about me at my Boomers Rock

There are a couple of new releases in the world of oldies but goodies reissues.

In the late 1980′s and early 1990′s there was a relatively steady stream of oldies but goodies reissue CD’s being released. Major players in the reissue industry, such as Rhino, ACE UK and others were putting out CD’s with digitally remastered oldies music to the tune of, perhaps, several a month.

In the past few years, though, reissue compilations have subsided considerably. The market for oldies is most definitely still there. People are searching for new releases of their favorite oldies constantly. But the oldies material itself is getting harder to find, at least in a condition that warrants the licensing and the work that goes into remastering and restoring.

But the reissue labels are still diligently working to find and restore those treasures from our youth – that great baby boomer stuff so many of us grew up with (or grew up to). One of those reissue labels is Hit Parade in Canada. They have become one of the newer major players in the marketplace, and have gained a reputation as being a true audiophile quality reissue label.

Hit Parade just released two new collections in their series of Hard To Find Jukebox Classics, this time covering the year 1959. These two releases are pretty spectacular. Obviously, considerable time and effort were expended in putting them together. They are worth a look, especially for collectors.

First up is Hard-to-Find Jukebox Classics 1959: Pop Gold, which features a full 27 tracks, all but five of which are in True Stereo. Of those, a couple are making their stereo debut on CD, most notably the spectacular rendition of The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s “Battle Hymn Of The Republic.” This is the original single version rather than the more commonly available LP version(s). Audio quality is superb throughout, as should be expected from one of the premier reissue labels around today. Highly recommended – a worthy investment.

Next comes Hard-to-Find Jukebox Classics 1959: Teen Pop Gold – the perfect companion piece to the Pop Gold collection above. Another 27 tracks from the “teen idol” side of the 1959 pop music scene. Again, some are making their debut on CD, and a couple are making their first CD appearance in True Stereo. Review the track listing and I’m sure you’ll find a buried treasure or two.

Cameo Parkway Records in Philadelphia, PA, USA was something of a powerhouse in the early 1960′s when I was getting my education in the world of rock and roll music. Some of the biggest hits on AM radio were coming from Cameo Parkway artists.

Bobby Rydell, a bona fide Teen Idol hit #2 on the charts with his hit Wild One in 1959. Chubby Checker hit the top #1 position twice in 1960, first with The Twist, then again with Pony Time. Over a period of about three or so years, you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing Cameo Parkway music artists like those two, and The Orlons, Dee Dee Sharp, and The Dovells.

Cameo Parkway Records folded in 1967, unable to compete with both the British Invasion and Detroit’s Motown Records. Their last #1 charting hit was 96 Tears by a Flint, MI garage band calling themselves ? & The Mysterians in 1966. They were bought out by ABKCO, which counted The Rolling Stones among others on its artist list.

All the songs that had been released on the Cameo Parkway label(s) – they were actually two companies under one umbrella, Parkway being a subsidiary of Cameo Records – virtually disappeared from the market.

Read more about the story of Cameo Parkway and their hits and misses at The StereOldie Shop