Open Fire, Two Guitars
| Open Fire, Two Guitars | ||||
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| Studio album by Johnny Mathis | ||||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Recorded | January 1959 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 43:05 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Mitch Miller | |||
| Johnny Mathis chronology | ||||
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Open Fire, Two Guitars is the eighth album released by legendary singer Johnny Mathis. Of his recordings, it is his seventh original studio album (his fifth album was the compilation Johnny's Greatest Hits).
Overview
In a major departure from all his previous albums, Mathis sings with the backing of two guitars played by Al Caiola and Tony Mottola plus an upright bass (Frank Carroll on nine of the tracks, Milt Hinton the rest) for rhythmic support. This allows the purity, sensitivity and sheer beauty of the Mathis voice to shine through. The album is a testament to the stature of Mathis in 1959 that Columbia Records allowed him to make an album outside the proven formula of his previous albums as well as the courage of the artist in allowing his vocal instrument to be so completely exposed without the security of the full orchestra. Quite a feat for a 23-year-old singer with only two years of recording experience behind him. The result is an artistic triumph for Mathis and the album remains one of his most treasurable among his legion of fans.
The album peaked at #4 on the Billboard album chart.[1]
| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
Track listing
- "An Open Fire" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:52
- "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson) – 4:07
- "In the Still of the Night" (Cole Porter) – 2:35
- "Embraceable You" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:28
- "I'll Be Seeing You" (Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain) – 4:26
- "Tenderly" (Jack Lawrence, Walter Gross) – 2:58
- "When I Fall in Love" (Edward Heyman, Victor Young) – 4:31
- "I Concentrate on You" (Cole Porter) – 3:16
- "Please Be Kind" (Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin) – 3:24
- "You'll Never Know" (Mack Gordon, Harry Warren) – 4:07
- "I'm Just a Boy in Love" (Shirley Cowell) – 2:44
- "My Funny Valentine" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 3:37