The Singles (Johnny Mathis album)
| The Singles | ||||
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| Box set by Johnny Mathis | ||||
| Released | September 25, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 1956–1981 | |||
| Genre | Vocal Stage & Screen R&B Pop/Rock Easy listening |
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| Length | 4:19:12 | |||
| Label | Columbia/Legacy | |||
| Johnny Mathis chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| TheSecondDisc.com | Positive |
The Singles is a four-disc box set by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released in 2015 by Columbia Records to commemorate the singer's 80th birthday. In his review of the collection Joe Marchese explains that it "doesn't bring together every track released by the legendary artist on 45 RPM; such an endeavor would take far more than four discs. Instead, it features the tracks originally released by Mathis on Columbia in the singles format – in other words, non-LP sides – between the years of 1956 and 1981, in their original single mixes." His description of the compilation echoes that of compilation producer Didier C. Deutsch in the liner notes as explanation for the exclusion of the hit singles "Misty" from 1959's Heavenly and his "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" duet with Deniece Williams from You Light Up My Life in 1978. Deutsch excuses these as "songs extracted from specific albums to call attention to these albums." The set does, however, include "Ten Times Forever" and "I Was There" from his first 1971 LP, Love Story, and a shorter version of "If We Only Have Love" than the one that was included on his other 1971 album, You've Got a Friend.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that "the first two discs contain the music that crystallized Johnny Mathis' appeal: he made the middle of the road seem fresh and if Mitch Miller's productions grow wearisome, Mathis' voice never does." The Second Disc's Joe Marchese argued that "this assemblage of hits and rarities belongs on the shelf of every fan of Johnny Mathis – which is to say of any fan of immaculate vocals, impeccable musicianship, and the full spectrum of American popular song.
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