Andy Williams : Butterfly: Very Best Of 1956-60

2011 two CD collection of early recordings from the veteran crooner. Andy initially established himself via a run of hit singles for the Cadence label back in the '50s, with whom he scored an impressive 15 chart entries between 1956-60, during which period he honed and perfected the vocal style which would stand him in such good stead over the ensuing decades. This compilation anthologizes those early hits (Disc One) and for good measure also includes the pick of his album tracks during this same period, drawn from a half-dozen fine LPs (Disc Two). Like many of his contemporaries, many of Andy's early record successes were either covers or revivals - a scenario which reached its bizarre apogee in the Spring of 1957 with his cover of Charlie Gracie's classic `Butterfly'. Even more bizarrely, perhaps, Andy actually came out on top of his chart battle with Gracie, topping both the US and UK listings to win his first gold record. However, despite its extraordinary success, his Rock 'n' Roll career' proved to be pretty short lived and it was soon `business as usual.