The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection

Johnny Mathis was surprised when Columbia Records notified him that they would be releasing a box set of everything he had recorded for the label.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/johnny-mathis-box-set-chic-album-interview-8054953/|last= Caulfield |first=Keith |title= Johnny Mathis Talks 68-CD Box Set of Entire Catalog: Hear 3 Unreleased Tracks With CHIC |publisher= billboard.com |date=4 December 2017 |accessdate=27 December 2023}}:"When they said they were going to release all of my recordings that I've done," he laughs, "I said, 'You mean, all of them?'" Regarding the songs on the albums included, he explained that his early success gave him the freedom to choose what to record, saying, "[M]ost of the stuff I ever wanted to do, from the time I was a little kid growing up in San Francisco, I've been fortunate to be able to put them into recordings."{{cite web|url=https://www.sacculturalhub.com/entertainment/articles/johnny-mathis-plans-santa-rosa-show-releases-box-set-the-voice-of-romance/|last= Coleman |first=Michael P. |title= Johnny Mathis plans Santa Rosa show, releases Box Set The Voice Of Romance |publisher= sacculturalhub.com |date=9 February 2018 |accessdate=27 December 2023}} Upon receiving his own copy of the box set, he described it as "the greatest feeling I've ever had in my musical life."{{cite web|url=https://www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/2018/03/johnny-mathis-the-tvd-interview/|last= Catlin |first=Roger |title= Johnny Mathis, The TVD Interview |publisher= thevinyldistrict.com |date=29 March 2018 |accessdate=27 December 2023}} He told The Arizona Republic, "I saw all of the years and years of dedication and working hard and learning and trying to improve… It's hard to explain to even the most devoted fans what you've gone through in your life."{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2018/03/16/singer-johnny-mathis-new-box-set-tour-autobiography/399759002/|last= Cordova |first=Randy |title= Singer Johnny Mathis on new box set, tour, possible autobiography |publisher= The Arizona Republic |date=16 March 2018 |accessdate=27 December 2023}}

In his review of the box set for The Second Disc, Joe Marchese asserted, "What it reveals is that the history of Johnny Mathis is, put simply, the history of American music in the second half of the twentieth century."{{cite web|url=https://theseconddisc.com/2017/12/holiday-gift-guide-review-johnny-mathis-the-voice-of-romance-the-columbia-original-album-collection/|title=Holiday Gift Guide Review: Johnny Mathis, "The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection" |publisher=theseconddisc.com|date=13 December 2017 |accessdate=22 December 2017}} In summation he wrote that Mathis's "consistence of quality and variation of style" were the most compelling reasons he had to recommend it. Elmore Magazine's Suzanne Cadgène admired many qualities of the release, including the organization and labeling of the discs, the album cover reproductions, the extensive liner notes, and the "delicious" music.{{cite web|url=https://www.elmoremagazine.com/2017/12/reviews/albums/johnny-mathis-2|last= Cadgène |first=Suzanne |title= Album Reviews > Johnny Mathis > "The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection" |publisher=Elmore Magazine |date=8 December 2017 |accessdate=27 December 2023}} In addition to noting how "handsomely designed" it was, Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times praised the box set for its inclusion of the two previously unreleased Mathis albums, stating, "Both demonstrate how nimble a singer Mathis has always been — and how curious a mind."{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-box-sets-20171203-htmlstory.html|last= Wood |first=Mikael |title= Notable box sets and period releases of 2017, including Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash and Ella Fitzgerald |publisher=The Los Angeles Times |date=3 December 2017 |accessdate=27 December 2023}} Brenda Nelson-Strauss of Black Grooves recommended the collection "if you're interested in a complete career retrospective with plenty of tempting bonus material and you have a large budget".{{cite web|url=https://blackgrooves.org/johnny-mathis-the-voice-of-romance-columbia-original-album-collection/|last= Nelson-Strauss |first=Brenda |title= Johnny Mathis, "The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection" |publisher=Black Grooves|date=1 December 2017 |accessdate=27 December 2023}} Michael P. Coleman of Sac Cultural Hub wrote, "We all know the hits, but the album cuts are equally breathtaking … [T]hese albums are bonafide masterpieces."

Recording dates and release information taken from the liner notes.(2017) The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment 88985 36892 2.

Recording dates and release information taken from the liner notes.

1. "Teacher, Teacher" (Alternate Version) performed with Ray Conniff & His Orchestra (Robert Allen, Al Stillman) – 2:37
2. *recorded 6/16/57
3. "Wild Is the Wind" (Alternate Version) from Wild Is the Wind (1957); performed with Ray Ellis & His Orchestra (Dimitri Tiomkin, Ned Washington) – 2:33
4. *rec. 10/31/57
5. "Now That You've Gone (Puisque tu pars)" (Petula Clark, Norman Newell, Hubert Ballay) – 3:01
6. *rec. 11/2/67; previously unreleased
7. "What to Do About Love" (Leon Carr, Paul Vance) – 2:28
8. *rec. 5/31/60
9. "Each Time We Kiss" (Clyde Otis, Colin Towns) – 2:39
10. *rec. 3/4/61
11. "My Favorite Dream" (Lee Pockriss, Vance) – 2:55
12. *rec. 10/9/61
13. "A Clock Without Hands" (Jerry Livingston, Paul Francis Webster) – 2:58
14. "The Joy of Loving You" (Bart Howard) – 3:05
15. *above two rec. 3/29/62; above five from the album I'll Search My Heart and Other Great Hits
16. "You Are There" (Johnny Mandel, Dave Frishberg) – 3:06
17. "Fifty Fifty" (Jerry Fuller) – 3:19
18. *above two rec. 9/22/76; both previously unreleased
19. "That's What Makes the Music Play" (Will Jennings, Roger Nichols) – 3:11
20. "Let Me Be the One" (Nichols, Paul Williams) – 3:31
21. *above two rec. 9/27/76; both previously unreleased
22. "El Amar y el Querer" (Manuel Alejandro, Ana Magdalena) – 4:13
23. "Cosas Pequeñas" (Alejandro, Magdalena) – 3:11
24. "Cuando Vuelvas a Casa" (Alejandro, Magdalena) – 4:00
25. *above three rec. 2/11/83; all three from his CBS Discos album Cuando Vuelvas a Casa
26. Medley performed with Barbra Streisand – 4:43
    a. "I Have a Love" from West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim)
    b. "One Hand, One Heart" from West Side Story (Bernstein, Sondheim)
27. *rec. 11/30/92; from the Barbra Streisand album Back to Broadway
28. "The Shadow of Your Smile" performed with Dave Koz and Chris Botti (Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster) – 5:22
29. *rec. 5/6/06; from the 2006 Mathis compilation Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

Credits taken from the liner notes.

• Mitch Miller – producer (tracks 1, 2, 4)
• Robert Mersey – producer (track 3)
• Frank DeVol – producer (track 5)
• Irving Townsend – producer (tracks 6–8)
• Jerry Fuller – producer (tracks 9, 10)
• Roger Nichols – producer (tracks 11, 12)
• Jack Gold – producer (tracks 13–15)
• Barbra Streisand – producer (track 16)
• Phil Ramone – producer (track 17)

Credits taken from the liner notes.

• Johnny Mathis – executive producer; vocals
• Adam Block – executive producer
• John Jackson – executive producer
• Didier C. Deutsch – compilation producer
• Mike Piacentini – compilation producer; mastering engineer
• Timothy J. Smith – A&R coordination
• Mark Neuman – product direction
• Jeremy Holiday – product direction
• William McKinney – project direction
• Tom Cording – press coordination
• Gabby Gibb – press coordination
• Matt Kelly – tape research
• Michael Kull – tape research
• Tina Ibañez – art direction & design
• James Ritz – liner notes

Images courtesy of Rojon Productions & Sony Music Photo Archives:

• CRPS
• Bob Cato
• Jeff Dunas
• Becky Fluke
• Don Hunstein
• Urve Kuusik
• Art Maillett
• Aaron Mollin
• Fred Mollin
• Ricky Robinson
• Rick Shaw
• Sandy Speiser
• David Vance

Chart positions courtesy of Joel Whitburn & Billboard Publications

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Category:2017 compilation albums

Category:Johnny Mathis compilation albums

Category:Legacy Recordings compilation albums