JOHNNY MATHIS "MATHIS IS..." (1977)

In the middle of my life I had nothing to lose
No one to love, now it's you I'm thinking of
You're a little of heaven to me
You're all I need, it's my concern
There's a lesson to be learned
I thought I had the whole world at my feet
Now I know that I was dreaming
I fooled around and lost the only one made for me
And now I'm sorry, oh so sorry

Loving you, is it worth the pain of losing you?
Losing you, is it worth the pain of loving you?
Loving you, is it worth the pain of losing, losing your love?

You can label a man worth having it's up to me
This heart of mine has to live a second time
Take a little of your love from me and I'll be gone
Your love to me is like honey to a bee
I stand accused of being what I am
I'm a fool and now I know it
This episode is ready to unfold
How can I begin to write a brand new story

Loving you, is it worth the pain of losing you?
Oh losing you, is it worth the pain of loving you?
Loving you, is it worth the pain of losing you?
Oh losing you, is it worth the pain of loving you?

[From the lyrics of "Loving You - Losing You"]



One of the last and most popular in a long line of traditional male vocalists who emerged before the rock-dominated 1960s, Johnny Mathis concentrated on romantic readings of jazz and pop standards for the ever-shrinking adult contemporary audience of the '60s and '70s.

Though he debuted with a flurry of singles chart activity, Mathis later made it big in the album market, where a dozen of his LPs hit gold or platinum and over 60 made the charts. While he concentrated on theme-oriented albums of show tunes and traditional favorites during the '60s, he began incorporating soft rock by the '70s and remained a popular concert attraction well into the '90s.

Unsurprisingly, given his emphasis on long sustained notes and heavy vibrato, Mathis studied with an opera coach prior to his teenage years, and was almost lured into the profession; his other inspirations were the smoother crossover jazz vocalists of the 1940s - Nat "King" Cole, Billy Eckstine and Lena Horne.

Mathis was an exceptional high-school athlete in San Francisco, but was wooed away from a college track scholarship and a potential spot on the Olympic squad by the chance to sing. He was signed to a management contract by club owner Helen Noga, who introduced the singer to George Avakian, jazz producer for Columbia Records.

Avakian signed him and used orchestras conducted by Teo Macero, Gil Evans, and John Lewis to record Mathis' self-titled debut album in 1957. Despite the name talent and choice of standards, it was mostly ignored upon release.

Columbia A&R executive Mitch Miller - known for his desperately pop-slanted Sing Along albums and TV show - decided the only recourse was switching Mathis to Miller's brand of pop balladry, and the formula worked like a charm; the LP "Wonderful Wonderful" didn't include but was named after a Top 20 hit later in 1957, which was followed by the number five "It's Not For Me To Say" and his first number one, "Chances Are". From that point on, Johnny Mathis concentrated strictly on lush ballads for adult contemporary listeners.



Though he charted consistently, massive hit singles were rare for Johnny Mathis during the late '50s and '60s - half of his career Top Ten output had occurred in 1957 alone - so he chose to focus instead on the burgeoning album market, much like Frank Sinatra, his main rival during the late '50s as the most popular traditional male vocalist.

Mathis moved away from show tunes and traditional pop into soft rock during the '70s, and found his second number one single, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late", in 1978. Recorded as a duet with Deniece Williams, the single prompted Mathis to begin trying duets with a variety of partners (including Dionne Warwick, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, and Nana Mouskouri), though none of the singles enjoyed the success of the original.

Mathis continued to release and sell albums throughout the '90s - his fifth decade of recording for Columbia - and beyond, among them 1998's "Because You Loved Me: Songs of Diane Warren" and 2000's "Mathis on Broadway".

Mathis followed the Broadway album with 2002's "The Christmas Album" and 2005's "Isn't it Romantic: The Standards Album", both of which found the iconic vocalist in fine form. In 2008, Mathis released the Walter Afanasieff-produced and arranged "A Night To Remember", his first straight-ahead adult contemporary album in over a decade. "Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville", Mathis' first full-length album of country music, appeared in September of 2010.

[bio by John Bush, original page is available here]

Johnny Mathis sometimes in the 70s

Released in March 1977, "Mathis Is..." was Mathis' second album to be graced with arrangements and production by legendary Philadelphia producer Thom Bell - the first being "I'm Coming Home", documented here in all its glory thanks to the usual great mastering work by Funkerman.

The following review of the album was written by Joe Viglione, original page is available here.

"Superstar producer/arranger Thom Bell worked on Johnny Mathis' 1973 "I'm Coming Home" album, a ten-song project of material composed mostly by Bell and the late Linda Creed. Mathis then brought producer Jack Gold back for 1975's "Feelings" LP, worked with producer John Florez that same year for the "When Will I See You Again" disc, and reunited with Gold for "I Only Have Eyes for You" in 1976 and 1977's "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me".

For the most part, these mid-'70s collaborations played it safe, which makes Bell's return on 1978's "Mathis Is..." an important but sadly forgotten event in Philly soul history. Casey James and Leroy Bell, the authors of Elton John's Grammy-nominated 1979 Top Ten hit, "Mama Can't Buy You Love", are on board here, only they do their co-writing on "Mathis Is..." with the master, Thom Bell.

The result is extraordinary music for both Mathis followers and fans of the Philly sound. M.F.S.B. are on board, as is guitarist Lee Ritenour and the conga player from the Janis Joplin "Pearl" album, Ms. Bobbye Hall, and they make some exquisite stuff.

"Loving You - Losing You" is the essence of that Thom Bell sound, a co-write by Thom and Leroy Bell. Mathis, of course, made a point of adding the hit songs from this special genre to his repertoire.

Gary Puckett & the Union Gap producer Jerry Fuller cut "Break Up to Make Up" with Mathis on 1973's "Killing Me Softly With Her Song" album, while John Florez recorded the Three Degrees' hit on the aforementioned "When Will I See You Again".

For those who adore the Spinners and Stylistics, the softer side of Bell's historic work, this effort is a dreamy mini-masterpiece. It's a shame Mathis didn't continue this notion over half a dozen albums or so, branching out from the safety of re-recording hits of the time and going back to the thing that made him so popular in the first place: his first-rate work with Percy Faith, Nelson Riddle, and Ray Conniff.

Lou Rawls reinvented himself with the material from these geniuses from Philadelphia while Bobby Hebb and Johnny Mathis were involved, but didn't stay in the game long enough to be rewarded as richly as they should have been through the Thom Bell/Kenny Gamble/Leon Huff magic.

This album has the elegance found on Elton John's "Mama Can't Buy You Love" without the drive; it is velvety, smooth and a perfect fit for Mathis' perfect voice. Urban adult contemporary as classy as the Delfonics. Very, very nice."

"Mathis Is..." contains the following tracks:

01. As Long as We're Together (5:02)
02. Lullaby of Love (3:45)
03. Loving You - Losing You (4:36)
04. I'll Make You Happy (5:00)
05. Heaven Must Have Made You Just For Me (4:10)
06. Hung Up In the Middle of Love (4:25)
07. World of Laughter (3:27)
08. I Don't Want To Say No (5:19)
09. Sweet Love of Mine (3:50)

All tracks were remastered from the original vinyl in November 2012 and are available in FLAC lossless format or high-quality 320 Kbps MP3 files, both formats include completely restored PDF artwork.

Please have a look at the comments for the download links.

The following credits/notes appear on the back cover of "Mathis Is...":

Arranged, conducted and produced by Thom Bell, except "Sweet Love of Mine" and "I'll Make You Happy" arranged by Tony Bell Sr.

All selections are Might Three Music, BMI, administered by Blackwood Music.

Guitars: Tony Bell Sr., Lee Ritenour (courtesy of Epic Records)

Keyboards: Thom Bell

Drums: Andrew Smith

Vibes: Gary Coleman, Bob Zimmitti

Congas: Ms. Bobbye Hall

Strings: Charles Veale and his string section

Horns: George Bohannon (courtesy of A&M / Horizon Records) and his horn section

Recording studios: Kaye-Smith Studios, Seattle, WA.; Western Recorders, L.A., CA.; Sound Labs, L.A., CA.

Chief Engineer: Don Murray

Assistant engineers: Buz Richman, Ron Gangnes, Winslow Koots, Linda Tyler, George Bell

Mixed by Kaye-Smith Studios, Seattle, WA.

Mastered at A&M, Hollywood, CA.

Mastering engineer: Bernie Grundman

Special thanks to: Don Renaldo - violin, Jack Faith - alto and bass flutes, Larry Gold - cello, Davis Barnett - viola, M.F.S.B. (courtesy of Philadelphia International Records)

(C) 1977 CBS Inc.

(P) 1977 Jon Mat Records, Inc.

Manufactured by Columbia Records / CBS Inc., 51 W. 52nd Street, New York, N.Y.

Photography: Norman Seeff

Design: Tom Steele, Nancy Donald

Advertisement for "Mathis Is..." published on the 12th March 1977 issue of Billboard magazine

This review of "Mathis Is..." is taken from Billboards Top Album Picks published in the 12th March 1977 issue:

Mathis' voice becomes the instrument again for Thom Bell's musical concept for chartdom: soft, sweet, non-abrasive but catchy orchestral charts which flow with the romanticism of Mathis' distinct voice. Orchestra and chorus are provided - with a new element of vibes adding fills - to this pleasant almost background kind of program. Mathis has given his record career 100% over to producer-arranger Bell who is credited with arranging, conducting and producing seven of the nine cuts. There's a formatted ring to Bell's concept for the Mathis vocal range: a midrange carriage for his vibrato and clear tenor, with strings and soft background voices adding strenght to Mathis' own gliding ability.

Best cuts: "As Long As We're Together", "loving You - Losing You", "Hung Up In the Middle of Love".

Dealers: A program of soft love ballad produces the kind of Mathis package he's noted for.

More information about "Mathis Is...", Johnny Mathis and Thom Bell is available here:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Mathis

http://www.themathischronicles.net/

http://www.thejohnnymathisarchives.com/

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnny-mathis-mn0000246885

http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/jmathis.htm

http://www.funtrivia.com/en/Music/Mathis-Johnny-16607.html

http://hardtofindbeats.blogspot.com/2011/11/coming-up-johnny-mathis-im-coming-home.html

http://www.discogs.com/Johnny-Mathis-Mathis-Is/master/214812

http://www.allmusic.com/album/mathis-is-mw0000873333

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thom_Bell

http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Thom%20Bell.html

http://www.soultracks.com/thom_bell.htm

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/thom-bell-mn0000639763

http://www.obscuresound.com/2007/09/soul-musics-genius-sculptor-thom-bell/

http://www.billboard.com/features/how-thom-bell-rang-up-the-hits-for-philly...

http://souljoneswords.blogspot.it/2012/01/betcha-by-golly-wow-exclusive-thom-bell.html

http://soulfuldetroit.com/archives/1157/4310.html?1061667139

If you have any other useful information about "Mathis Is..." - especially corrections and improvements to this post - or if you spot any dead links, just get in touch with me at stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!

A.A.V.V. "CANDIES FROM A STRANGER VOL. 2"

Welcome to the second issue of "Candies From a Stranger", this installment focus mostly on tracks culled from great albums by renowned artists who made music history, with a few rare or obscure gems thrown in for good measure.

All tracks are mixed together to create an uninterrupted flow and embrace the listener in a groovy and peaceful mood regardless of the original music style. Here's the tracklist of "Candies From a Stranger Vol. 2":

01. JOHNNY MATHIS - Life Is a Song Worth Singing (5:39)
02. ISAAC HAYES - Groove-a-Thon (8:32)
03. JOE TEX - Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman) (6:35)
04. HERBIE HANCOCK - Rockit (5:21)
05. GRACE JONES - Pull Up To the Bumper (4:44)
06. CHARLES MANN - Do It Again (5:05)
07. EAGLE-EYE CHERRY - How Come (4:04)
08. RAMSEY LEWIS - Jungle Strut (4:32)
09. MONEY MARK - Upon Closer Inspection (3:04)
10. MILES DAVIS - In a Silent Way (4:10)
11. GLOBAL COMMUNICATION - 9 25 (7:44)
12. GRANDADDY - So You'll Aim Toward the Sky (4:36)
13. PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA - The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter (11:46)

All selections were compiled and mixed in July 2012, they are available in a single FLAC lossless format file with complete PDF artwork.

Before burning this album to CD-R using the provided CUE file, you must convert the original FLAC audio file to WAV format using an appropriate software. Please have a look here if you need some help.

As usual, please have a look at the comments for the download link.

01. JOHNNY MATHIS - Life Is a Song Worth Singing
original LP issue: I'm Coming Home, Columbia (1973)
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Johnny Mathis recorded his first hits in 1957 with elegant ballads that made him an anomaly when rock was emerging as the dominant musical force. In 1973 Mathis knew it was time to refresh his music and renew his career and decided to collaborate with the prime creators of the sound of Philadelphia: gifted composer, arranger and producer Thom Bell and incredible songwriter Linda Creed. "I'm Coming Home" is a timeless album of enduring beauty and passion that still sounds fresh and sophisticated today, and "Life Is a Song Worth Singing" is a perfect example of Bell's thrilling orchestrations.

02. ISAAC HAYES - Groove-a-Thon
original LP issue: Groove-a-Thon, Hot Buttered Soul / ABC (1976)
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Isaac Hayes's distinctively rhythm tracks and lavishly orchestrated arrangements helped lay the stylistic foundation for what would become known as disco, and in late 1975 / early 1976 he jumped headfirst into the new dance craze with "Disco Connection" and "Grooove-a-Thon". These albums undeservedly fell into historical neglect; it was a real pity because "Groove-a-Thon" most likely received substantial club play and would have probably been a monster 12-inch single if that format had existed at the time...

03. JOE TEX - Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)
original LP issue: Bumps & Bruises, Epic (1977)
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During the '60s and the '70s, Joe Tex was a sermonising country-soul star; his style of speaking over music, which he called "rap", made him a predecessor of this style of music. In the early '70s Joe decided to retire; he returned to music in 1975, and two years later enjoyed a comeback hit with "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)", which reached U.S. #12. This song was co-written and produced by the Nashville producer Buddy Killen and was based on a dance called "The Bump". Oddly enough, the same year Bobby Marchan recorded a track entitled "I Wanna Bump With That Big Fat Woman" for Mercury.

04. HERBIE HANCOCK - Rockit
original LP/CD issue:  Future Shock, Columbia / CBS (1983)
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"Future Shock" and his sister album "Sound System" conjured something quite fresh out of a surrealist mix of heavy metal revivalism, turntable scratching, robotic digital percussions, Herbie Hancock's signature jazz piano and various African elements. Largely conceived and initiated by maverick bassist and producer Bill Laswell, these records set a new agenda for adventurous pop producers as well as demonstrating Hancock's ability to involve himself again in fresh musical fusions. "Rockit" was accompanied by one of the most successful music videos ever directed by Godley and Creme of 10cc fame.

05. GRACE JONES - Pull Up To the Bumper
original LP issue: Nightclubbing, Island (1981)
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Grace Jones has transformed her musical and visual style on the turn of the '70s and '80s, evolving from disco to rock and reggae-fueled new wave music with the release of "Warm Leatherette" in 1980. "Nightclubbing" saw her teaming up once again with producers Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin to work with Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare and the remainder of the Compass Point Studios team in the Bahamas. "Pull Up To the Bumper" sparked some controversy since the the lyrics rumouredly refer to anal sex and a presumably-large penis...

06. CHARLES MANN - Do It Again
original LP issue: Say You Love Me Too, ABC (1973)
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Charles Mann is a sort of mystery to me and unfortunately "Say You Love Me Too" seems to be his only full-lenght release. The album offers ten tracks of soulful Philly Sound of the highest quality played by the likes of Earl Young and Ronnie Baker (both of The Trammps), Norman Harris, Roland Chambers, Lenny Pakula, Larry Washington and Vince Montana (all active in the studio band MFSB) along with Mann himself and producer Dave Crawford both on keyboards. "Do It Again" is a cover of the famous Steely Dan song included on the album "Can't Buy a Thrill" released the previous year.

07. EAGLE-EYE CHERRY - How Come
original CD issue: Sub Rosa, Polydor (2003)
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Eagle-Eye Cherry is the son of jazz artist Don Cherry and painter Monika Karlsson. His debut album, "Desireless", became a commercial success throughout the world during 1998 and 1999. "How Come" is a catchy tune and a potential hit-single produced by Tim Simenon, definitely one of the best songs included on Cherry's third - and so far last - studio album entitled "Sub Rosa" which saw him move away from the stripped-down, live feel of his previous albums towards a bigger, more panoramic sound utilizing electronic elements.

08. RAMSEY LEWIS - Jungle Strut
original LP issue: Sun Goddess, Columbia (1974)
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After his classic acoustic albums of the '60s, Ramsey Lewis headed into a new musical direction in the  '70s. For "Sun Goddess" he reunited with Maurice White who was formerly part of the Ramsey Lewis Trio in the '60s, and at that time was with his own band, Earth, Wind & Fire. The album was a huge cross-over hit, charting #1 both on the Billboard Black Albums Chart and Jazz Album Chart; the album also charted #12 in the Pop Chart."Jungle Strut" features vocals by drummer and percussionist Derf Rehlew Raheem, an original member of The Pharoahs.

09. MONEY MARK - Upon Closer Inspection
original CD issue: Stand Up For Your Rice, Rush! Production / Toy's Factory (2007)
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Mark Ramos-Nishita / Money Mark is a producer and musician who has collaborated with the Beastie Boys many times. "Mark's Keyboard Repair", his first album made up of keyboard driven pop-funk songs recorded in demo quality, was released by Mo'Wax in 1995 in the wake of the trip-hop phenomenon. In 1998 "Push the Button" was licensed to Polygram and probably became his most accessible and well-distributed effort. After coming close to success, Mark has continued to produce interesting releases on small labels. "Upon Closer Inspection" is taken from "Stand Up For Your Rice", a succulent Japan-only release.

10. MILES DAVIS - In a Silent Way
original LP issue: In a Silent Way, Columbia (1969)
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"In a Silent Way" was produced by Teo Macero and recorded in one session date. Incorporating elements of classical sonata form, Macero edited and arranged Davis's recordings from the session to produce the album. Marking the beginning of his "electric" period, "In a Silent Way" has been regarded by music writers as Davis's first fusion recording, following a stylistic shift toward the genre in his previous records and live performances. Upon its release, the album was met by controversy among music critics; since its initial reception, it has been regarded by fans and critics as one of Davis's greatest and most influential works.

11. GLOBAL COMMUNICATION - 9 25
original CD/2LP issue: 76:14, Dedicated (1994)
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Global Communication were formed by Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard; "76:14" could easily be described not just as their best release, but the best ambient-electronica album released in the first half of the '90s. Originally on Dedicated, the album has been re-issued a number of times, most recently in 2005 in an expanded and remastered version. The title refers to the total length of the album in minutes and seconds, and each track on the album is titled simply with the length of the song to avoid implying any specific meaning in the music, and thus leave listeners completely free to interpret the music according to their own imaginations.

12. GRANDADDY - So You'll Aim Toward the Sky
original CD issue: The Sophtware Slump, V2 (2000)
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"The Sophtware Slump" is the second album by American indie rock band Grandaddy. Released in 2000, it is a concept album about problems concerning modern technology in society. Being their second album, the title is a reference to a sophomore slump, a term given to an artist's second album which is seen to fail to live up to the first album. "So You'll Aim Towards the Sky" is the closing song on the album, an ad-libitum lament of unutterable sadness and liberating catharsis.

13. PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA - The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter
original LP issue: Music From the Penguin Cafe, Obscure (1976)
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The Penguin Cafe Orchestra was a collective of musicians created by the sadly too-early departed composer and arranger Simon Jeffes. They were a sort of anomaly coming from some unknown space between progressive, the avant-garde, neo-chamber music and proto-post-punk. Their later work has achieved some popularity, but their first album - which is probably their best - remains seemingly unheralded. "The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away and It Doesn't Matter" - ...what a gorgeous title! - could easily have been recorded today: based in no fads or even prevailing styles, it stands apart from its time or origin.

Hope you will enjoy this compilation, if you feel so inclined then make yourself a favour and search for the original releases, most of them are widely available on CD and you will be rewarded by their greatness, these are timeless masterpieces! All your inputs are more than welcome, if you want to get in touch please write to stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!

JOHNNY MATHIS "THE HEART OF A WOMAN" (1974)

Johnny Mathis's adventure with music began with an old $25 upright piano - a piano, so the story goes, so big that in order for his father to get it into the small basement flat on San Francisco's Post Street, it had to be taken apart. It was three in the mormimg, Mr. Mathis later recalled, before he put the last section in place. All the member of the Mathis family had drifted off the bed - all but one: young Johnny, who hung around the new acquisition as if it were magic. Mr. Mathis sat down and played "My Blue Heaven" for Johnny.

"I could see it in his face that he loved music, too." remembered Mr. Mathis. "I taught him that song. He got it in nothing flat, and he put something into it. That's when I felt it - I felt that the sound I heard, if it could be cultivated, maybe a lot of people would love the sound. And that's when I knew I had a job to do."

That was the beginning of Johnny Mathis. He was eight then, and 12 years later, the shy, wiry Johnny consumated his love affair with song. As a teenage idol he earned $ 100.000 a year. At 29, he became a millionarie. Today, at 38 and with 56 albums to his credit, he is a multimillionaire.

His cultivated image as the love song singer remains intact: "I think love chose me. I didn't choose it. It just happened. I don't know why I ended up being the love singer."

Renée Lamarr, Encore magazine, June 1974



One of the last and most popular in a long line of traditional male vocalists who emerged before the rock-dominated 1960s, Johnny Mathis concentrated on romantic readings of jazz and pop standards for the ever-shrinking adult contemporary audience of the '60s and '70s. Though he debuted with a flurry of singles chart activity, Mathis later made it big in the album market, where a dozen of his LPs hit gold or platinum and over 60 made the charts. While he concentrated on theme-oriented albums of show tunes and traditional favorites during the '60s, he began incorporating soft rock by the '70s and remained a popular concert attraction well into the '90s.

[Excerpt from Johnny Mathis bio]

Following "I'm Coming Home", released the previous year and conducted / arranged by legendary Philadelphia producer Thom Bell along with singer-songwriter / lyricist Linda Creed (the album is documented here in all its glory thanks to the usual great mastering work by Funkerman), "The Heart of a Woman" was Johnny Mathis' 57th-or-something album.

"The Heart of a Woman" was released in late November 1974 and was produced by Johnny Bristol, who, after his successful Motown productions both in team with Harvey Fuqua (most notably Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" hit-single) and alone (more singles by Gladys Knight & the Pips, Jermaine Jackson and a U.K. hit-single by The Velvelettes), had made it into his own as a singer (his debut album "Hang On In There Baby" has just been released a few months earlier the same year), and was fast becoming a respected and sought-after songwriter and producer in the American music world.

Accompanied by the above-mentioned  "I'm Coming Home" and "Mathis Is...", released in 1977 and once again produced by Thom Bell, "The Heart of a Woman" may be seen as the central part of an ideal triptych of albums released by Mathis during the 70s whose "soul" sound was still aimed at the adult contemporary market but probably also at a different kind of younger audience.

Here's another excerpt from the article/interview by Renée Lamarr published on the June 1974 issue of Encore magazine:

Johnny possesses to his musical fingertips that indefinable quality called style. Yet celebrated as he is an outstanding pop artist, Black audiences never turned on to him in great numbers. They remained distant from him when he was at the peak of his career. For all his success, Mathis was seen merely as a pretty boy singing love ballads. In the late fifties and early sixties Blacks preferred the rhythm-and-blues sounds of Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles, the Drifters, the Platters. Johnny says, apologetically, "Black people never bought my records in great numbers, but that didn't mean that they didn't hear or like them."

Johnny Mathis does not like discussing civil rights or his "responsibilities as a Black artist". When pressed, he says that he looks forward to the day when those kinds of questions need not be asked. "I don't make judgements based on the color of someone's skin. Either you are intelligent or you are ignorant."

Recently there has been an attempt to interpret the name of Johnny's new hit album, I'm Coming Home - which has attracted Black record lovers - as a statement by Johnny to the Black community. Johnny says, "There is no connection. I didn't write the song, Linda Creed did. And Linda Creed is a little Jewish girl."



"The Heart of a Woman" comes in a nice cover with stunning photographs by Richard Avedon (whose work had already graced other Mathis' releases earlier). The album contains the following tracks:

01. Woman, Woman (3:16)
02. Sail On White Moon (3:12)
03. It's Gone (3:13)
04. House For Sale (3:18)
05. Feel Like Makin' Love (3:40)
06. Memories Don't Leave Like People Do (4:23)
07. Strangers In Dark Corners (3:50)
08. Wendy (3:36)
09. The Heart of a Woman (2:57)
10. The Way We Planned It (3:35)

All tracks were remastered from the original vinyl in November 2011 and are available in FLAC lossless format or high-quality 320 Kbps MP3 files, both formats include completely restored PDF artwork. Please have a look at the comments for the download links.





Four tracks on "The Heart of a Woman" are written or co-written by Johnny Bristol and they probably are the highlights of the album. Most of the songs are arranged by Paul Riser, except a few whose arrangements are credited to H. B. Barnum and James C. Barnett.

"Woman of the world, you're something special, girl. You're not a tool for some damn fool to break, no, no. That, you don't have to take..." So goes the refrain of "Woman, Woman", the opening number written by Johnny Bristol that already appeared as the first track on his debut LP "Hang On In There Baby" a few months earlier. Compared to the original this version is considerably shorter and doesn't offer the complex instrumental intro. This song was also released as a 7" single in some European countries offering "Feel Like Makin' Love" as a tempting B-Side.

"Sail On White Moon" is also penned by Bristol, it was released as the B-side of the domestic version of "The Heart of a Woman" single. According to Discogs, 7" promo copies with a "stereo" version on the A-side and a "mono" version on the B-side also exist. This song was part of Bozz Scaggs' "Slow Dancer", an album produced earlier the same year by Johnny Bristol.

"It's Gone" and "House For Sale" are songs that probably appealed more to the "traditional" Mathis public, the latter was written by Lawrence D. Brown and Oleg Lopatin and was also included on "Soul & Inspiration", an album by the popular music vocal group The 5th Dimension, the same year.

"Feel Like Makin' Love", a rendition of Roberta Flack's hit-single written by Eugene McDaniel, closes the first side of the album. This song was also released as a 7" single in U.K. backed with "The Heart of a Woman" on the B-Side.

"Memories Don't Leave Like People Do" is again a song written by Johnny Bristol, this time in collaboration with John Henry Glover Jr., James A. Dean and Jerry Butler. This tune was used as the opening number on Butler's "Power of Love", produced by Bristol and released in 1973. Bristol had also recorded and released his own version of this track on his debut album in early 1974.

"Strangers In Dark Corners", the last Bristol-penned song that appears on "The Heart of a Woman", had already been included on Tavares' "Check It Out", their debut album produced by Johnny Bristol in late 1973. Bristol will also record and release this tune on "Strangers", his fourth LP, in 1978.

Originally performed by The Impressions on the original soundtrack of "Three The Hard Way", an action blaxploitain movie directed by Gordon Parks Jr. in 1974, "Wendy" is another all-sugary tune performed by Mathis at his best in his usual passionate way.

"The Heart of a Woman", the album title-track deserves a deeper look. Also released as a single in the U.S., the song was created as a singing commercial for Helena Rubinstein’s Courant perfume. Here's the whole story as published in the 23rd November 1974 issue of Billboard:

Mathis Gets Col-Cosmetic Promo

NEW YORK — Columbia Records and Helena Rubinstein, cosmetic manufacturer, are cross-promoting their respective products with separate campaigns backing a new Johnny Mathis release and Courant perfume. The development between the two firms was prompted by a Mathis recording of an original commercial tune for Courant, which was then selected as the "B" side of a new single and the title cut of his "The Heart Of A Woman" LP, now scheduled for release Monday (25). On the Columbia side, the label is inserting a "scratch-and-sniff"’ advertising panel, 3"x3" in size, under the skin wraps of the first 100.000 alburns pressed. The panel pictures Courant products and alerts buyers to a national radio campaign being run by Courant. Beginning Thursday (21), some 60 radio stations. covering the top 15 markets in the U.S., will air seventy 60-second Courant spots per week through Christmas. The spots credit Mathis as a Columbia recording artist and also name the composition he is performing. They will be aired on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of each week. It is also understood that Courant has acquired some 13.000 Mathis singles with special promotional sleeves, and will be distributing them free at its cosmetic counters throughout the U.S. during the holiday buying season.

With "The Way We Planned It" the album comes to its end.


Johnny Mathis, photo by Richard Avedon

The following credits/notes are taken from the back cover of "The Heart of a Woman":

Produced by Johnny Bristol.

Special thanks to Franzel Venable for vocal harmony on "Feel Like Makin' Love".

Musicians:
Henry Wallace Shead - Keyboards
Reginald Burke - Keyboards
Melvin M. Ragin - Guitar
Ray E. Parker Jr. - Guitar
Dennis Coffey - Guitar
Michael Anthony - Guitar
Henry E. Davis - Bass
Edward Greene - Drums
Joe L. Clayton - Percussion
Gene Estes - Percussion

All songs arranged by Paul Riser except "The Way We Planned It" arranged by H. B. Barnum and "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "The Heart of a Woman" arranged by James C. Barnett.

Engineering and mixing by Greg Venable.

Recorded at Larrabee Sound, West Los Angeles, and Devonshire Sound, North Hollywood, California.

Produced by Johnny Bristol for Jon Mat Records, Inc., except "The Way We Planned It" produced by Jerry Fuller for Jon Mat Records, Inc.

Photos by Richard Avedon.

Cover Design by John Berg.


Johnny Mathis, photo by Richard Avedon

This is a review of "The Heart of a Woman" taken from Billboards Top Album Picks published in the 7th December 1974 issue:

For nearly 20 years, Mathis has been one of our premier singers and one of the few who has almost continuously appeared to all generations. Here he uses his patented velvet voice to float through a number of the types of ballads he has always been associated with as well! as some more uptempo things which fall somewhere between soul rockers and his familiar Style. With Johnny Bristol handling the production, we may have the most contemporary commercial LP Mathis has come up with in several years.

Best cuts: "Woman, Woman", "Stranger In Dark Corners", "Memories Don't Leave Like People Do", "The Heart of a Woman", "Feel Like Makin' Love".

Dealers: Mathis catalog generally picks up around Christmas, and display can he helped with fine Avedon cover photo.

And to finish this post, here's a few interesting links about Johnny Mathis and Johnny Bristol:

http://www.themathischronicles.net/

http://www.thejohnnymathisarchives.com/

http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/jmathis.htm

http://www.funtrivia.com/en/Music/Mathis-Johnny-16607.html

http://hardtofindbeats.blogspot.com/2011/11/coming-up-johnny-mathis-im-coming-home.html

http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/johnny%20bristol.html

http://www.spectropop.com/remembers/JohnnyBobit.htm

http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/jbristol.htm

http://www.soulmusic.com/jobrfemaands.html

http://hardtofindbeats.blogspot.com/2011/11/johnny-bristol-hang-on-in-there-baby.html

If you have any other useful information about "The Heart of a Woman" - especially corrections and improvements to what I wrote above - or if you spot any dead links, just get in touch with me at stereocandies [at] hotmail [dot] com or leave a comment in the box below, thank you!