Live It Up! (Johnny Mathis album) explained

Live It Up! is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on December 11, 1961,^[1] by Columbia Records and was the second of two album collaborations with arranger and conductor Nelson Riddle. The singer again eschewed ballads as he had on Swing Softly and selected a balance of new and established material.

The album debuted on Billboard magazine's album chart in the issue dated February 24, 1962, to begin a stay of 39 weeks, during which time it got as high as number 14.^[4]

This album was released for the first time on compact disc in a two-disc set with his other Riddle project, 1961's I'll Buy You A Star, on June 9, 2009.^[5]

Reception

Billboard was enthusiastic. "This is easily one of Mathis's best albums", they wrote. "He's really in a swingin' mood, and he gets standout arrangements to match from Nelson Riddle."

Track listing

Side one

1. "Live It Up" (Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman) – 3:28
2. "Just Friends" (John Klenner, Sam M. Lewis) – 4:01
3. "Ace in the Hole" from Let's Face It! (Cole Porter) – 2:46
4. "On a Cold and Rainy Day" (Lee Pockriss, Paul Vance) – 3:06
5. "Why Not" (Otis G. Clements, Sydney Shaw) – 2:08
6. "I Won't Dance" from Roberta (Dorothy Fields, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern, Jimmy McHugh) – 3:58

Side two

1. "Johnny One Note" from Babes in Arms (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 2:39
2. "Too Much Too Soon" (Marvin Fisher, Jack Segal) – 2:51
3. "The Riviera" (Cy Coleman, Joseph Allen McCarthy) – 3:03
4. "Crazy in the Heart" (William Engvick, Alec Wilder) – 3:55
5. "Hey, Look Me Over" from Wildcat (Coleman, Carolyn Leigh) – 1:48
6. "Love" from Ziegfeld Follies (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin) – 3:46

Recording dates

From the liner notes for :^[1]

• April 24, 1961 — "Ace in the Hole", "Johnny One Note", "Just Friends", "Live It Up", "The Riviera"
• April 25, 1961 — "Crazy in the Heart", "Hey, Look Me Over", "I Won't Dance", "Love", "On a Cold and Rainy Day", "Too Much Too Soon", "Why Not"

Personnel

• Johnny Mathis – vocals
• Irving Townsend – producer^[3]
• Nelson Riddle – arranger and conductor^[3]
• Bob Cato – cover photo^[3]
• Curtis F. Brown – liner notes^[3]

Notes and 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. Web site: Live It Up! - Johnny Mathis. allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. 8 November 2016.
3. (1962) Live It Up! by Johnny Mathis [album jacket]. New York: Columbia Records CS 8511.
4. .
5. Web site: I'll Buy You a Star/Live It Up! - Johnny Mathis. allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. 5 November 2016.