In the Still of the Night (album)

In the Still of the Night is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on August 8, 1989,[1] by Columbia Records and continues the trend that began with his 1986 collaboration with Henry Mancini, The Hollywood Musicals, in that the project is devoted to a specific theme that ties the songs together. Mathis hints at the theme for this album in the liner notes for his 1993 box set The Music of Johnny Mathis: A Personal Collection, where he gives his thoughts on the 1964 Little Anthony and the Imperials song "I'm on the Outside Looking In" that he covered for his 1988 album Once in a While: "That was group singers' kind of material. I was singing other stuff. It wasn't the picture of the lone crooner standing in the spotlight. That's what I was doing when all this other stuff was going on. I never listened to it until it was brought to my attention by [that album's producers] Peter Bunetta and Rick Chudacoff."[3] Mathis chose to continue his work with Bunetta and Chudacoff on this project, which focuses on "this other stuff" that Mathis refers to: pop and R&B hits from the 1950s and 1960s.

In the Still of the Night
Studio album by
Johnny Mathis
ReleasedAugust 8, 1989[1]
RecordedMay–November 1988[1]
StudioAlpha Studios,
Burbank, California ,
Conway Studios,
Hollywood, California,
Smoketree Studio,
Chatsworth, California[2]
Genre
Length39:23
LabelColumbia
ProducerPeter Bunetta
Rick Chudacoff [2]
Johnny Mathis chronology
Once in a While
(1988)		 In the Still of the Night
(1989)		 The Island
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
Peoplepositive[4]

Reception

Although the album did not make it onto Billboard magazine's Top Pop Albums chart, it did receive praise in People magazine, where the reviewer remarks that Mathis and the album producers "make these songs sound reconsidered, not merely recycled."[4] It's also noted that "Mathis's ability to extract every last nuance from a lyric has never been employed to better advantage"[4] and that "Take 6's presence enables him to prove that he can keep up with the younger generation."[4]

The album also received a positive retrospective review from Allmusic, where Bil Carpenter wrote, "Clean, uncomplicated orchestration"[3] and "One of Mathis's best recordings to date."[3]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In the Still of the Night" (featuring Take 6)Fred Parris2:38
2."It's All in the Game" (featuring Take 6)Charles Dawes, Carl Sigman2:33
3."Since I Fell for You"Buddy Johnson3:09
4."You Belong to Me"Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, Redd Stewart3:40
5."True Love Ways"Buddy Holly, Norman Petty2:58
6."Since I Don't Have You"James Beaumont, Walter Lester, Joseph Rock, John Taylor, Joseph Verscharen, Janet Vogel2:39
7."Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye"John D. Loudermilk4:37
8."The End of the World"Sylvia Dee, Arthur Kent3:07
9."All Alone Am I"Arthur Altman, Manos Hadjidakis3:24
10."For Your Love"Ed Townsend3:37

Recording dates

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

  • May 1988–December 1988 – "All Alone Am I", "The End of the World", "Since I Don't Have You", "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye", "True Love Ways", "You Belong to Me"
  • July 27, 1988 – "For Your Love", "In the Still of the Night", "It's All in the Game", "Since I Fell for You"

Personnel

From the liner notes for the original album:[2]

  • Johnny Mathis – vocals
  • Peter Bunetta – producer
  • Rick Chudacoff – producer
  • Jay Landers – executive producer
  • Cedric Dent – arranger (background vocals)
  • Mervyn Warren – arranger (background vocals)
  • Gary Brandt – recording engineer
  • Marc Ettel – recording engineer
  • Daren Klein – recording engineer
  • Frank Wolf – recording engineer
  • Mick Guzauski – mixing engineer
  • Mixed at Conway Studios, Hollywood, California
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering engineer
  • Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, California
  • Don Adey – assistant engineer (Alpha)
  • Bryant Arnett – assistant engineer (Conway)
  • Kristen Connolly – assistant engineer (Smoketree)
  • Richard McKernan – assistant engineer (Conway)
  • Marnie Riley – assistant engineer (Conway)
  • Steve Satkowski – assistant engineer (Alpha)
  • 24 Collection, Bal Harbour – wardrobe
  • Kyle Plyer – styling
  • Deev – grooming
  • Rebecca Chamlee Keeley – art direction
  • David Vance – photographer

Musicians
  • Garrett Adkins – trombone
  • Rick Braun – trumpets
  • Peter Bunetta – drums
  • Sonny Burke – organ
  • Alvin Chea (Take 6) – background vocals; featured vocals ("In the Still of the Night", "It's All in the Game")
  • Rick Chudacoff – bass
  • Brad Cole – keyboards
  • Cedric Dent (Take 6) – background vocals; featured vocals ("In the Still of the Night", "It's All in the Game")
  • Bill Elliott – keyboards
  • Melvin Franklin – background vocals
  • Mara Getz – background vocals
  • John Helliwell – clarinet and tenor sax
  • Dann Huff – guitar
  • Mark Kibble (Take 6) – background vocals; featured vocals ("In the Still of the Night", "It's All in the Game")
  • Darrell Leonard – trumpet
  • Claude McKnight III (Take 6) – background vocals; featured vocals ("In the Still of the Night", "It's All in the Game")
  • Doug Norwine – tenor sax
  • Jimmy Roberts – tenor sax
  • Amy Shulman – harp
  • Leslie Smith – background vocals
  • David Thomas (Take 6) – background vocals; featured vocals ("In the Still of the Night", "It's All in the Game")
  • Mervyn Warren (Take 6) – background vocals; featured vocals ("In the Still of the Night", "It's All in the Game")
  • David Woodford – baritone sax and flute

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. (1989) In the Still of the Night by Johnny Mathis [album jacket]. New York: Columbia Records OC 44336.
  3. "In the Still of the Night - Johnny Mathis". allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  4. "Picks and Pans Review: In the Still of the Night". People. November 27, 1989.

Bibliography
  • Whitburn, Joel (1994), Joel Whitburn's Pop Hits, 1940-1954, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0898201063
  • Whitburn, Joel (2002), Joel Whitburn's Top Country Singles, 1944-2001, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0898201519
  • Whitburn, Joel (2004), Joel Whitburn Presents Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles, 1942-2004, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0898201608
  • Whitburn, Joel (2007), Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0898201691
  • Whitburn, Joel (2009), Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 1955-2008, Record Research Inc., ISBN 0898201802
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