Johnny Mathis’ Complete Columbia Box Set (1 Viewer)

[Rodney]

​

This lavish 68-CD box, due on December 8 just in time for the holidays, features:

• 62 original Columbia albums that have been remastered (13 of which are available on CD for the very first time – and many more of which have never appeared on CD in the United States) plus Mathis' news album;
• Two previously unreleased albums: the hotly–anticipated I Love My Lady, produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of CHIC in 1981; and The Island, helmed by Sergio Mendes in 1989);
• A new 2-CD collection featuring 40 previously unreleased songs;
• A numbered certificate HAND-SIGNED by Mr. Mathis; and
• A 200-page booklet with liner notes and rare photographs.

The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection is housed in a sturdy box with a lift-off lid, and includes the following albums, each packaged in an individual mini-LP replica jacket:

(*) denotes album previously unreleased on CD

1. Johnny Mathis (1956)
2. Wonderful Wonderful (1957)
3. Warm (1957) (gold)
4. Good Night, Dear Lord (1958)
5. Swing Softly (1958) (gold)
6. Merry Christmas (1958) (5x platinum)
7. Open Fire, Two Guitars (1959) (gold)
8. Heavenly (1959) (platinum)
9. Faithfully (1959) (gold)
10. Johnny’s Mood (1960)
11. The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway (2 CDs – 1960)
12. I’ll Buy You a Star (1961)
13. Live It Up! (1962)
14. Rapture (1962)
15. Johnny (1963)
16. Romantically (1963)
17. Up, Up and Away (1967)
18. Love is Blue (1968)
19. Those Were the Days (1968)
20. Love Theme from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (A Time for Us) (1969)
21. Give Me Your Love for Christmas (1969) (platinum)
22. Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head (1970)
23. Close to You (1970)
24. Johnny Mathis Sings the Music of Bacharach & Kaempfert (1970) *
25. Love Story (1971)
26. You’ve Got a Friend (1971) *
27. Johnny Mathis in Person: Recorded Live At Las Vegas (1972) *
28. The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) (1972) * (note: previously available only as a DTS disc)
29. Song Sung Blue (1972) *
30. Me and Mrs. Jones (1973) *
31. Killing Me Softly with Her Song (1973) *
32. I’m Coming Home (1973)
33. The Heart of a Woman (1974) *
34. When Will I See You Again (1975) *
35. Feelings (1975) (gold) *
36. I Only Have Eyes for You (1976) *
37. Mathis Is… (1977)
38. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me (1977) *
39. You Light Up My Life (1978) (platinum)
40. That’s What Friends Are For – Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams (1978) (gold)
41. The Best Days of My Life (1979)
42. Mathis Magic (1979)
43. Different Kinda Different (1980) *
44. I Love My Lady (recorded 1981 – previously unreleased)
45. Friends in Love (1982)
46. Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole – Johnny Mathis & Natalie Cole (1983, previously unreleased in the U.S.)
47. A Special Part of Me (1984)
48. Live (1984)
49. Right from the Heart (1985)
50. Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis (1986)
51. The Hollywood Musicals (1986)
52. Once in a While (1988)
53. In the Still of the Night (1989)
54. The Island (recorded 1989 – previously unreleased)
55. In a Sentimental Mood: Mathis Sings Ellington (1990)
56. How Do You Keep the Music Playing? (1993)
57. All About Love (1996)
58. Because You Loved Me: The Songs of Diane Warren (1998)
59. Mathis on Broadway (2000)
60. The Christmas Album (2002)
61. Isn’t It Romantic: The Standards Album (2005)
62. A Night to Remember (2008)
63. Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville (2010)
64. Sending You a Little Christmas (2013)
65. Odds & Ends: That’s What Makes The Music Play (2 CDs – contains previously unreleased material)
66. Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Songbook (2017)

 

[Rodney]

This set looks great. I just may be looking to get this set! The price tag is steep, but that is a lot of music!

 

[Richard M S]

I want this!!! I find him so under-appreciated.

I mean they are handing out Kennedy Center Honors like crackers these days , I cannot believe he has never been awarded one.

 

[JohnMor]

I want this!!! I find him so under-appreciated.

I mean they are handing out Kennedy Center Honors like crackers these days , I cannot believe he has never been awarded one.

I'm shocked to find he hasn't been.

 

[JohnMor]

Beautiful set! I wish Columbia would do this for Barbra.

 

[Mike Frezon]

The price tag is steep, but that is a lot of music!

What IS the price tag? And will it be widely available for sale?

 

[Rodney]

It retails for $499.99
It is $427.49 at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble
I found it for $413.10 at oldies.com

I also checked Deep Discount but it doesn't show up in a search. Any other recommendations on places to purchase?

 

[Dave B Ferris]

Import CD's, possibly.

 

[Rodney]

Import CD's, possibly.

Good one, Dave. They have the lowest price so far at $337.24

 

[David Norman]

It retails for $499.99
It is $427.49 at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble
I found it for $413.10 at oldies.com

I also checked Deep Discount but it doesn't show up in a search. Any other recommendations on places to purchase?

Odd that it would should up at importcd, bn but not DD since they're stocked by the same folks. DD search engine can be a little strange somedays, but UPC gave me this though still quite a bit more than importcds. Even if BN price stays the same after release and is coupon eligible it might get around $300+tax for members (lots of ifs) which still barely beats importcd.

http://www.deepdiscount.com/the-voice-of-romance-the-columbia-original-album-collection/889853689224


I've noticed in the past like Movie Boxsets many of the big Music sets are notably cheaper via Amazon international

UK $330
Germany $230-250 depending on shipping speed. Since it's the same UPC I assume it's the same package and English Language liner notes and booklets, but I can't be 100% sure.

 

[Rodney]

Thanks for the DD link. Not sure why it didn't come up with my search, but who knows?

Good call on checking Amazon International. I guess that makes the german site the least expensive to date.
I like>50% off MSRP!

 

[Richard Gallagher]

(*) denotes album previously unreleased on CD

1. Close to You (1970)

Was "Close to You" released on CD? I've never been able to find it on CD, not even used copies. Amazon makes it appear that there is a CD, but when you click on it you see that it is actually a CD called "Close to You" by Johnny Osbourne. Otherwise I see vinyl, reel to reel and 8-track, but no CD.

I suspect that it will be a long time before any U.S. retailer comes close to the Amazon.de price.

 

[Phil A]

Thanks for posting. I added a couple of things to my wishlist from HDTracks. So much stuff from back then that I have forgotten about.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Has anyone ordered and received this yet? I ordered it from Amazon.de but it hasn't shipped yet and I'm not sure that they have it in stock.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

My order from Amazon.de has been shipped and DHL is supposed to deliver it tomorrow.

The price at Amazon.de has doubled since I ordered it! I paid $270.86 for it, which works out to about $4 per album.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Chances are....you're going to be listening to a fair amount of Johnny Mathis in a very short amount of time, Rich!

 

[Richard Gallagher]

After a hiccup by DHL yesterday, it arrived a half hour ago from Amazon.de. I am pleased to announce that everything is in English, including the booklet, so it is exactly the same as the set being sold by Amazon in the U.S. - except that with shipping my set cost $230 less. Unfortunately, the bargain price at Amazon.de has evaporated. It looks Import CDs has the lowest price now, but they are showing it as backordered.

A removable sheet on the back of the sturdy box says that this is a "Limited Edition Box Set." The autographed card that comes in the box is numbered. Mine is number 778 of 1500. Maybe Sony means that only 1500 will have signed cards, that's unclear.

The spines of the slimcases are numbered from 1-68, which is helpful. The slimcases otherwise are exact reproductions of the original albums, including the original liner notes.I'll have to find my magnifying glass to read some of them!

I haven't had a chance to listen yet, but I'm sure that they will be fine. The only negative review on Amazon is by someone who claimed that there isn't much bass. Were any Johnny Mathis albums heavy on bass? None that I can recall, not that I've heard all of them.

 

[Charles Ellis]

Of course if it were truly a complete collection it would include his 63-67 Mercury output (aka The Global Collection) which has also been rereleased on CD by Columbia.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Of course if it were truly a complete collection it would include his 63-67 Mercury output (aka The Global Collection) which has also been rereleased on CD by Columbia.

Except that it doesn't pretend to be complete. It's called The COLUMBIA Original Album Collection. The Global Collection is available in its own box set.

Incidentally, The Global Collection is $30 less (including shipping to the U.S.) at Amazon.co.uk than at Amazon.com.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

I don't claim to be an audiophile, but these CDs sound excellent to my ears. There also are bonus tracks on many of the albums.