This is a good introduction to Lanza, albeit an incomplete one. Its pluses are the well-written (and largely accurate) liner notes, and often-excellent sound. If you're looking for Lanza's recordings of love songs, then this is the place to start. Beloved has never sounded better, and the tenor's incomparable recordings of Serenade and Drink! Drink! Drink! from The Student Prince are included. Other highlights include the perfectly recorded and sublimely sung The Song Angels Sing (inexplicably rare on CD); Love is the Sweetest Sing (sung by a tenor who knew all about the subject); If I loved You; One Night of Love; and many other stand-outs.

The downside is that operatic selections are limited to just seven in a 61-track collection. Neapolitan Songs - a huge and important part of the Lanza legacy -are similarly under-represented. I feel that BMG has squandered an opportunity to present a fuller picture of the tenor, especially when one considers the care that has gone into the sound mastering and liner notes. By Disc Three, I found myself a little weary of minor songs such as A Night To Remember, Never Till Now and Come Dance With Me, and longed for "meatier" selections that showed Lanza at the height of his powers. A fourth disc given over to opera and Neapolitan/Italian song would have made all the difference, I feel.

Overall verdict: all in all a good release, but newcomers to Lanza take note - there is more to the guy than just love songs.

Mario Lanza was one of the gretest tenors of the recorded era. In my opinion, only Fritz Wunderlich was his equal. If you are a fan of Domingo or Pavorotti -- both of whom are fine tenors -- listen to Mario Lanza and hear how a truly great tenor sounds. Unfortunately, many people -- including critics -- don't take Lanza seriously because they believe MGM's publicity from his movie making days that he was a talented but untrained amateur. While Lanza was indeed extremely talented, he also had extensive formal training. But all this becomes immaterial when you hear this man's glorious voice. If you love great singing please treat yourself to this excellent set which covers a wide range of music from classical through popular.

If I am not mistaken, Mario was taught by Gigli's teacher and Gigli was the greatest tenor since Caruso. There is a report that his teacher even preferred him to Gigli and his teacher refused to teach eversince... It doesn't matter much after all. Wasn't Pavarotti a primary school teacher before he started his singing career?

Note Mario's voice and particularly his diction ( e.g., I am delighted by Richard Tauber, but his English diction just puts me off) : the result, so evocative that he is simply unsurpassed. He certainly outshone Domingo, Jose Cura or any other living tenor today.

The only criticism is an irony by itself: Mario made classical music so popular that some no longer know whether he is a pop or classical opera singer. We have to come to terms with this fact: never was English taken to such a height of potency and beauty before, so much so that the English speaking people in general don't want to believe it!