Sounds of Christmas
| Sounds of Christmas | ||||
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| Studio album by Johnny Mathis | ||||
| Released | October 4, 1963 | |||
| Recorded | 1963 | |||
| Genre | Christmas music | |||
| Length | 38:19 | |||
| Label | Mercury Records | |||
| Producer | Don Costa | |||
| Johnny Mathis chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   Review |
Sounds of Christmas is the 21st album released by vocalist Johnny Mathis. It was his 17th 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.
Overview
After a highly successful career as a recording artist with Columbia Records from 1956 to 1963, Mathis moved to Mercury Records for which he recorded exclusively from 1963 to 1967, releasing ten studio albums and thirteen singles. The change was motivated by a desire for greater control over his recordings including owning the masters. This album was the first to be recorded by the singer's own production company, Global Records, for distribution by Mercury.
As with Mathis' final studio albums for Columbia, Don Costa, although he was credited as a producer, 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 its budget Harmony Records imprint, with different cover art and omitting two songs, "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Have Reindeer, Will Travel", from the original track list. This incarnation of the album was later reissued on compact disc. The complete album was issued on CD with its original title and tracklist by Legacy Recordings in November 2014, as part of the box set The Complete Global Albums Collection. The 2015 Mathis compilation The Complete Christmas Collection 1958–2010, a 3-CD set on the Real Gone Music label, also includes the entirety of the Sounds of Christmas album in its tracklist.
Track listing
- "The Sounds of Christmas" (Jerry Livingston, Paul Francis Webster) - 2:35
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin) - 3:34
- "A Marshmallow World" (Peter DeRose, Carl Sigman) - 2:37
- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Traditional) - 3:19
- "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) - 4:12
- "The Little Drummer Boy" (Katherine Davis, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone) - 3:32
- "Have Reindeer, Will Travel" (Livingston, Webster) - 3:31
- "The Secret of Christmas" (Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) - 4:12
- "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks) - 2:20
- "Carol of the Bells" (Peter J. Wilhousky)- 1:22
- "Christmas Is a Feeling in Your Heart" (Joe Darion, Joe Kleinsinger) - 3:03
- "Hallelujah Chorus" (George Frederick Handel) - 4:02
Billboard album chart
Continuing his run of highly successful albums, the album's original release this album peaked at #2 on the Billboard album chart, his twentieth consecutive album to chart.[1]