Sounds of Christmas
Encyclopedia
Sounds of Christmas is the twenty first album released by vocalist Johnny Mathis
. It was his seventeenth original studio album with four compilations of hit singles having been released by the singer to this point. It was his second Christmas album
, originally released on Mercury Records
in 1963.
from 1956 to 1963, Johnny Mathis changed affiliations and moved to Mercury Records for which he recorded exclusively from 1963 to 1967, releasing ten studio albums and 13 singles. The change was motivated by greater control over his recordings including owning the masters. This album was the first to be recorded and released by the singer for Mercury.
As with Mathis's final studio albums for Columbia, Don Costa
provided the album's musical direction. The album works well as a sequel to his previous Christmas collection, Merry Christmas
, as it also seamlessly blends traditional Christmas carols ("God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
") with classical musical ("Hallelujah Chorus") and popular Christmas songs ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
" and "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer").
In 1971, Columbia Records reissued the album as Christmas with Johnny Mathis on their budget Harmony Records imprint, with different cover art and omitting two songs ("The Little Drummer Boy" and "Have Reindeer, Will Travel") from the original lineup. This incarnation of the album was later reissued on compact disc
.
duet "Winter Wonderland
/Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" from Midler's 2006 holiday album "Cool Yule
", Midler is heard describing Mathis as "the king of Christmas," a fitting title given his many holiday albums. To date, Mathis has recorded 5 holiday albums:
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
. It was his seventeenth original studio album with four compilations of hit singles having been released by the singer to this point. It was his second Christmas album
Christmas Album
Christmas Album may refer to:* Christmas Album , a 1968 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass* Christmas Album Christmas Album may refer to:* Christmas Album (Herb Alpert album), a 1968 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass* Christmas Album Christmas Album may refer to:* Christmas Album (Herb...
, originally released on Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in 1963.
Overview
After a highly successful career as a recording artist with Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
from 1956 to 1963, Johnny Mathis changed affiliations and moved to Mercury Records for which he recorded exclusively from 1963 to 1967, releasing ten studio albums and 13 singles. The change was motivated by greater control over his recordings including owning the masters. This album was the first to be recorded and released by the singer for Mercury.
As with Mathis's final studio albums for Columbia, Don Costa
Don Costa
Don Costa was an American pop music arranger and record producer, best known for his work with Frank Sinatra.-Career:...
provided the album's musical direction. The album works well as a sequel to his previous Christmas collection, Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas (Johnny Mathis album)
Merry Christmas is the seventh album and first Christmas album by singer Johnny Mathis. Released in 1958 by Columbia Records , it was also the sixth original studio album by the singer....
, as it also seamlessly blends traditional Christmas carols ("God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen is an English traditional Christmas carol. The melody is in Aeolian mode. It was published by William B...
") with classical musical ("Hallelujah Chorus") and popular Christmas songs ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics, which has become more common than the original. The song was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane...
" and "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer").
In 1971, Columbia Records reissued the album as Christmas with Johnny Mathis on their budget Harmony Records imprint, with different cover art and omitting two songs ("The Little Drummer Boy" and "Have Reindeer, Will Travel") from the original lineup. This incarnation of the album was later reissued on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
Track listing
- "The Sounds of Christmas" - 2:35
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little ChristmasHave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics, which has become more common than the original. The song was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane...
" - 2:53 - "A Marshmallow World" - 2:37
- "God Rest Ye Merry GentlemenGod Rest Ye Merry GentlemenGod Rest You Merry, Gentlemen is an English traditional Christmas carol. The melody is in Aeolian mode. It was published by William B...
" - 3:19 - "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" - 4:12
- "The Little Drummer Boy" - 3:32
- "Have Reindeer, Will Travel" - 3:31
- "The Secret of Christmas" - 4:12
- "Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerRudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerRudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer with a glowing red nose. He is popularly known as "Santa's 9th Reindeer" and, when depicted, is the lead reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. The luminosity of his nose is so great that it illuminates the team's path through...
" - 2:20 - "Carol of the BellsCarol of the Bells"Carol of the Bells" is the common English language title of a Christmas carol of Ukrainian origin, which has in recent years grown in popularity, particularly in English-speaking countries. The work was originally a choral miniature composition by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych based on...
" - 1:22 - "Christmas Is a Feeling in Your Heart" - 3:03
- "Hallelujah Chorus" - 4:02
Billboard Album Chart
Continuing his run of highly successful albums, on its original release this album peaked at #2 on the Billboard album chart, his twentieth consecutive album to chart.Johnny Mathis Christmas Albums
In the spoken patter at the outset of the Mathis/Bette MidlerBette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
duet "Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland
"Winter Wonderland" is a winter song, popularly treated as a Christmastime pop standard, written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith . Through the decades it has been recorded by over 150 different artists.-History:...
/Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" from Midler's 2006 holiday album "Cool Yule
Cool Yule
Cool Yule is a holiday album by Bette Midler released on October 10, 2006. The album features many Christmas tunes as well as a reworking of her Grammy-winning hit "From a Distance"....
", Midler is heard describing Mathis as "the king of Christmas," a fitting title given his many holiday albums. To date, Mathis has recorded 5 holiday albums:
| Album Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Merry Christmas Merry Christmas (Johnny Mathis album) Merry Christmas is the seventh album and first Christmas album by singer Johnny Mathis. Released in 1958 by Columbia Records , it was also the sixth original studio album by the singer.... |
1958 |
| Sounds Of Christmas | 1963 |
| Give Me Your Love For Christmas Give Me Your Love for Christmas Give Me Your Love for Christmas is the thirty first original studio album released by vocalist Johnny Mathis and his third album devoted to holiday music.-Overview:... |
1969 |
| Christmas Eve With Johnny Mathis | 1986 |
| The Christmas Album | 2002 |
External links
- [ All Music Review]