Johnny Mathis - Johnny's Greatest Hits

If Columbia Records was trying to cash in quickly with this 1958 package before heartthrob Mathis's string ran out, the joke was--happily--on them, since it ended up staying on the Billboard charts for 490 weeks. These, of course, are his earliest smashes, and for the most part, his best: the likes of "Chances Are" and "Wonderful! Wonderful!" are young people's music the way, for instance, the '50s Sinatra wasn't, and Mathis was growing up fast. He'd rarely sound quite so earnestly embracing again. --Rickey Wright Amazon.com

Johnny Mathis fans, rejoice!

I have been a fan of Johnny's for 50 years. "Chances are", was a teenage favorite of mine, also, "wild is the wind",. If you love his music, get this cd. January 24, 2008

Johnny sells his songs without even trying--and that's no small feat !!!

Johnny Mathis scored a huge coup with his album entitled "Johnny's Greatest Hits." Johnny's voice never sounded better. Moreover, the fact that this album remains in print on CD half a century after its record album release proves that Johnny's fine artistry cannot be cast aside even in this age of rock and roll, punk rock and hip hop. This album is definitely worth a good listen!

The track set begins with one of Johnny's best songs ever, "Chances Are." "Chances Are" has an elegant arrangement for the harp, piano and strings while Johnny sings this flawlessly. "All The Time" has Johnny singing passionately of how he wants his one true love to always be at his side; Johnny handles the tempo changes like a pro and the musical arrangement lacks nothing--it's THAT good. Moreover, "The Twelfth Of Never" sports a great arrangement for the harp; Johnny performs "The Twelfth Of Never" with great sensitivity. Awesome.

"When Sunny Gets Blue" gives us Johnny singing a tender love ballad about how Sunny feels tremendously depressed unless she is in love; the strings and the harp carry the bulk of the melody. "Wonderful! Wonderful!" is a relentlessly upbeat melody that lets Johnny celebrate the pure joy of true love.

"It's Not For Me To Say" has a rather elegant arrangement for the piano; and Johnny croons this beautifully when he sings of his affection for his one true love; Johnny's character also hopes that their love will continue for a long while to come. "Wild Is The Wind" is a ballad about passionate love; the excellent chord changes and subtle tempo changes enhance the number. "No Love" continues along the same lines; and the CD ends strong with "I Look At You." The strings and the ladies on backup bolster "I Look At You" as Johnny sings of his love although he is too afraid of rejection to pursue a love affair with them. Excellent!

Johnny Mathis remains a giant amongst giants in the entertainment industry of the twentieth century. Johnny was blessed to receive an incredible voice that could stir many emotions easily in his adoring audiences; and if we're lucky he'll continue to entertain us with his masterful voice for many years to come.

Thank you, Johnny!
September 15, 2007

Fits The Definition Of A CD Dinosaur

I do NOT mean Johnny Mathis in the above caption. Far from it. During the halcyon days of the birth of R&R any house party worth its salt had the prerequisite Presley, Domino, Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Connie Francis, and Pat Boone 45s ready to roll for pure dancing pleasure. But when it was time for ... err ... other things, the first LP to hit the turntable was always a Johnny Mathis one.

His smooth delivery and velvet tones, usually backed by the Ray Coniff or Ray Ellis orchestras, were the perfect combination to settle things down and relax.

No, the caption refers to the 10- or 12-track CD with no liner notes which hit the market back at the beginning of the CD age. They were alright back then, at least until the novelty wore off and the major labels were eventually confronted by Rhino, Ace, Eric, Collectables, Bear Family, etc. How they can continue to be available, and how anyone would fork over the amounts asked when much better compilations are available for just a few dollars more, and with copious liner notes, is beyond me.

This, and its companion CD (More Greatest Hits). like many CDs from that time, also take liberty with the term Greatest Hits, giving us three in this volume which were uncharted B-sides - When Sunny Gets Blue which backed his first hit Wonderful! Wonderful!, Warm And Tender on the other side of It's Not For Me To Say, and When I Am With You, the flip of Come To Me.

The other one includes three uncharted B-sides [Very Much In Love, You Are Everything To Me, and Let It Rain] along with one [Flame Of Love] which wasn't even the B-side of a hit. So, out of 24 selections in two CDs just 17 were actually hits. Not only that, but they left out three that were very much among his greatest hits - scoring higher than ELEVEN of those included. These are: Gina [# 2 Adult Contemporary [AC]/# 6 Billboard Hot 100 in 1962]; What Will Mary Say? [# 3 AC/# 9 Hot 100/# 21 R&B in 1963]; and Misty [# 10 R&B/# 12 Hot 100 in 1959].

Indeed, two more [Starbright - # 25 Hot 100 in 1960 and Every Step Of The Way - # 10 AC/# 30 Hot 100 in 1963] were better hits than either of You Are Beautiful [# 60 Hot 100] and Let's Love [# 44 Hot 100].

It's time to either withdraw these from the marketplace, OR combine the two in a 30-track CD with the addition of those mentioned above, and add a few pages of background notes and a discography. August 2, 2007

Great Vintage Johnny Mathis

All the well known Johnny Mathis songs that you remember are great to hear again on this one. Even the ones that have been added that weren't 50's and 60's radio hits are good listening. Johnny Mathis is synonomous with great love song ballads of that era. Every song on this CD is just as easy to listen to today, as they were back then, but tone quality is crystal clear. July 27, 2007

You can't go wrong...

This album is more than nostalgia, and despite some sappy lyrics, (which I have to add are beautifully written), Johnny is simply fantastic. I am a classical/Flamenco/progressive rock/oldies, and not particularly a Mathis fan, and yet this recording belongs in everyones collection for those subtle times in life when we give thought to love, a woman, and the magic that seems to live in the air in such moments. The orchastrations and background vocals accent Johnny's gifted voice and create quite a unique mood. The recordings are as fresh as when first relased way back when. A time of...if there ever was such a thing...(yes, of course there was)...innocense. I also enjoy A Certain Smile, Maria, and A Time for Us. July 9, 2007

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