Rapture (Johnny Mathis album)

Rapture is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on September 17, 1962,[1] by Columbia Records and returned him to singing a full line-up of the sort of ballads that he was known for.

Rapture
Studio album by Johnny Mathis
Released	September 17, 1962[1]
Recorded	August 1, 1962 August 6–8, 1962[1]
Genre	Vocal[2]
Length	42:20
Label	Columbia
Producer	Ernie Altschuler[3]
Johnny Mathis chronology
Live It Up! (1962) Rapture (1962) Johnny's Newest Hits (1962)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Billboard	positive[4]

The album made its first appearance on Billboard magazine's album chart in the October 27, 1962, issue and reached number 12 during its 37 weeks there.[5]

The first compact disc release of the album came on June 9, 2009, when it was issued as disc one of a two-CD set that also included his 1963 offering Romantically.[6]

Reception

Billboard captured the feel of the album in their review. "'Velvety' is a good one-word description of this new album by Mathis, who's given lush musical settings by Don Costa's ork."[4] They also singled out certain tracks. "The material is all in a softly romantic vein, with 'My Darling, My Darling', 'Stars Fell on Alabama', and 'Stella by Starlight' among the best."[4] The review also noted that a small reproduction of the cover painting was included with the LP as a bonus.[4]

Track listing

Side one

1. "Rapture" (Marian Kennedy) – 3:20
2. "Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow" from the musical Strip for Action[7] (Harold Adamson, Jimmy McHugh) – 3:08
3. "Moments Like This" from College Swing (Burton Lane, Frank Loesser) – 2:50
4. "You've Come Home" from Wildcat (Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh) – 3:58
5. "Here I'll Stay" from Love Life (Alan Jay Lerner, Kurt Weill)– 4:20
6. "My Darling, My Darling" from Where's Charley? (Loesser) – 3:45

Side two

1. "Stars Fell on Alabama" (Mitchell Parish, Frank Perkins) – 3:24
2. "I Was Telling Her About You" (Moose Charlap, Don George) – 3:38
3. "Lament (Love, I Found You Gone)" (Joe Bailey, Morris Levy, Dinah Washington) – 3:20
4. "The Love Nest" from the musical Mary[8] (Otto Harbach, Louis Hirsch) – 3:05
5. "Lost in Loveliness" from The Girl in Pink Tights (Leo Robin, Sigmund Romberg) – 4:19
6. "Stella by Starlight" (Ned Washington, Victor Young) – 3:33

Recording dates

From the liner notes for The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection:[1]

• August 1, 1962 — "Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow", "Rapture", "Stars Fell on Alabama", "You've Come Home"
• August 6, 1962 — "I Was Telling Her About You", "Lost in Loveliness"
• August 7, 1962 — "Here I'll Stay", "Lament (Love, I Found You Gone)"
• August 8, 1962 — "The Love Nest", "Moments Like This", "My Darling, My Darling", "Stella by Starlight"

Personnel

• Johnny Mathis – vocals
• Ernie Altschuler – producer[3]
• Don Costa – arranger and conductor[3]
• Ralph Cowan – cover painting[3]

References

1. (2017) The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment 88985 36892 2.
2. "Rapture - Johnny Mathis". allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
3. (1962) Rapture by Johnny Mathis [album jacket]. New York: Columbia Records CS 8715.
4. "Spotlight Albums of the Week". Billboard. 1962-10-13. p. 22.
5. Whitburn 2010, p. 503.
6. "Rapture/Romantically - Johnny Mathis". allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
7. (1956) "Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow/That's All There Is to That" by Nat King Cole [side A label]. Los Angeles: Capitol Records CL 14621.
8. (1920) "The Love Nest/Blue Diamonds" by John Steel/Henry Burr [side A label]. Camden: Victor Talking Machine Co. 18676.

Bibliography

• Whitburn, Joel (2010), Joel Whitburn Presents Top Pop Albums, Seventh Edition, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0-89820-183-7