The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway

The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway
File:Johnny-Mathis-The-Rhythms-And-B-456199.jpg
Studio album by Johnny Mathis
Released	1960
Recorded	April 1960
Genre	Pop
Length	84:08
Label	Columbia
Producer	Mitch Miller
Johnny Mathis chronology
Faithfully (1959)Faithfully1959 The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway (1959) Johnny's Mood (1960)Johnny's Mood1960

The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway is the twelfth album released by Johnny Mathis. It is the tenth original studio album recorded by the singer (two compilations, Johnny's Greatest Hits and More Johnny's Greatest Hits, were among his album releases to this point). Originally released in 1960 as a two-LP set, it was also released as two single LP's as The Rhythms of Broadway and The Ballads of Broadway respectively.

Overview

While the earlier Mathis albums had mostly been recorded under the musical direction of Percy Faith, for this album that function was handled by Glenn Osser for the ballads record and by Ralph Burns for the uptempo record. While the ballads follow the pattern of his previous performances being touched with typical Mathis elegance and restraint, the uptempo numbers find Mathis in a very loose and uninhibited state which may surprise those only familiar with his later work. Indeed, on the upbeat songs he at times seems to channeling one of his musical heroes, Lena Horne, emulating her exaggerated enunication and throwing in a number of Horne's guttural growls for effect. While exciting in their way, these performances owe more to Horne than Mathis and he is more effective on uptempo material on other albums such as 1958's Swing Softly and 1962's Live It Up!

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Track listing

The Ballads of Broadway

1. "Moanin' Low" - 3:56
2. "Fun to Be Fooled" (Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin, E. Y. Harburg) - 4:02
3. "I Have Dreamed" (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) - 4:04
4. "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) - 3:57
5. "My Romance" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) - 3:10
6. "Dancing on the Ceiling" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) - 3:54
7. "I Married an Angel" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) - 3:48
8. "Isn't It a Pity?" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) - 3:55
9. "Spring Is Here" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) - 3:48
10. "Don't Blame Me" (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) - 4:38
11. "Taking a Chance on Love" (Vernon Duke, John LaTouche, Ted Fetter) - 3:33
12. "The Party's Over" (Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green) - 4:01

The Rhythms of Broadway

1. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim) - 2:51
2. "Guys and Dolls" (Frank Loesser) - 3:00
3. "I Wish I Were in Love Again" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) - 3:36
4. "You Do Something to Me" (Cole Porter) - 3:05
5. "Let's Misbehave" (Cole Porter) - 2:46
6. "I Could Have Danced All Night" (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) - 3:01
7. "A Cock-Eyed Optimist" (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) - 2:33
8. "I Just Found Out About Love" (Jimmy McHugh) - 3:12
9. "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" (Cole Porter) - 3:50
10. "I Am in Love" (Cole Porter) - 4:15
11. "Love Eyes" - 2:32
12. "Love Is a Gamble" - 2:35

Billboard Album Chart

This lavish two record set was the eleventh consecutive Johnny Mathis album to chart, peaking at #6 on the Billboard album chart in its original release. This proved conclusively at the time that no matter what style of music Mathis chose to record and release on album it would be successful.

Highlights

On a number of his earlier albums, Mathis had recorded songs by Cole Porter. For this collection he included four songs by this great composer, all on the uptempo record: "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" from 1928's "Paris", "You Do Something to Me" from 1929's "Fifty Million Frenchmen", "Let's Misbehave" from 1937's "You Never Know", and "I Am in Love" from 1953's "Can-Can".

To this point, Mathis had less frequently dipped into the catalogue of Rodgers and Hart. However, their work is heavily featured throughout this collection with five of their collaborations recorded: "Dancing on the Ceiling" from 1930's "Ever Green", "My Romance" from 1935's "Jumbo", "I Wish I Were in Love Again" from 1937's "Babes in Arms" and "I Married an Angel" and "Spring Is Here" from the 1938's "I Married an Angel".

Other notable songs on the album include the Gershwin's "Isn't It a Pity?" from 1933's "Pardon My English", Lerner and Loewe's "I Could Have Danced All Night" from 1956's "My Fair Lady", "The Party's Over" from 1956's "Bells Are Ringing" with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Comden and Green, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "A Cock-Eyed Optimist" from 1949's "South Pacific" and "I Have Dreamed" from 1951's "The King And I", Frank Loesser's "Guys and Dolls" from the 1950 musical of the same name, and "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from 1959's "Gypsy: A Musical Fable" which featured the words of Stephen Sondheim set to the music of Jule Styne.

External links

• All Music Review