JOHNNY MATHIS – THE SYMPHONIC VOICE OF EASY LISTENING

 

JOHNNY MATHIS – THE SYMPHONIC VOICE OF EASY LISTENING

One of the best remasters of vocal easy listening that were produced in spite of the global pandemic of 2020-1 is for me those of crooner Johnny Mathis’ early 1970s output on vinyl. I do not play vinyl records yet, but I am unsure if these lush and under-appreciated LPs will ever be reprinted for the 2000s. But on BGO Records’ quadruple LP remasters on CD (serial number BGO CD1455, https://www.bgo-records.com/), we have the pleasure of listening to the full glory of LOVE STORY (1971), YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND (1971), FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE (1972), and SONG SUNG BLUE (1972). According to the extremely detailed  biographical and inspirational liner notes by Charles Waring, all four LPs peaked mostly in the 20-plus rankings in the British pop album charts at the time. The same LPs fared only half as well on the comparable US charts. This set of high quality remasters should turn the page on these fleeting chart results. 

Although these four albums did not contain much material that was premiered exclusively by Mathis, what thrills old and new fans of the singer’s easy listening output is the pure instrumental beauty of his voicing of the familiar ballads of those years. Take ‘Love Story’, the Francis Lai classic, for instance, Mathis blends perfectly into composer-arranger Perry Botkin Jr.’s tender yet emotionally charged string formations. ‘Rose Garden’ is next transformed into a rose-tinted semi-symphony with Mathis drawing listeners into new dimensions of the song away from its jaunty country music association. I particularly like the less-popular Gerry Goffin-Carole King composition ‘I Was There’ with its slightly melancholic and bittersweet lyrics about missed romances treated ever so sympathetically by Mathis’ exceptional vocal prowess. ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’ gets a symphonic string-filled arrangement where Mathis’ voice stands out like an ethereal blend of oboe and alto sax to sing the lead notes. This is definitely not a Carpenters’ experience, not even comparable to it, but an altogether whole new rendition Johnny Mathis style.

YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND delivers more of Mathis’ uniquely ‘symphonic voice’ on soft rock and folk-rock classics such as Carole King’s composition that lends itself as the title track. On another King favourite, ‘It’s Too Late’, Mathis reinvents the song into a smooth sugar-coated ode to heartbreak that makes the actual emotional letdown go easier. Mathis’ arranger on the bulk of this album, D’Arneill Pershing, is nothing short of transformative of familiar lovesick tunes such as ‘How Can I Mend a Broken Heart’, ‘Help Me Make it Through the Night’, and the creatively ‘balladized’ reworking of the Beatles’ ‘We Can Work it Out’ with strings and horns.

     After these two vinyl remasters, one just had to sit down and daydream through ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, the poignant violin solo introduction on ‘Speak Softly Love’, ‘Betcha by Golly Wow’, ‘Make it Easy on Yourself’ and ‘Run to Me’. I daresay, this is symphonic easy listening talent not to be missed on digital remaster circa 2021!

ALAN

January 2024