I'm Coming Home (album)
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''I'm Coming Home'' is an
album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American pop singer
Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...
that was released on September 21, 1973, by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
and was mainly composed of material written by the songwriting team of its producer,
Thom Bell Thomas Randolph Bell (January 27th, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist, and composer known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. He found success as a producer ...
, and
Linda Creed Linda Diane Creed (December 6, 1948 – April 10, 1986), also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 19 ...
. Unlike several of the Mathis albums before it, ''I'm Coming Home'' relied primarily on new songs and included only two covers of established chart hits, both of which were by
The Stylistics The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. All of ...
("
I'm Stone in Love with You "I'm Stone in Love with You" is a 1972 single by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. The song is noted for lead singer Russell Thompkins Jr.'s distinctive falsetto singing, which he employs through most of the record. The song was written ...
" and " Stop Look and Listen to Your Heart"). The album made its first appearance on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine's Top LP's & Tapes chart in the issue dated November 17, 1973, and remained there for 22 weeks, peaking at number 115. It also began an 11-week run on the UK album chart on March 8, 1975, during which time it made it to number 18. On July 1, 1975, the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
awarded the album with Silver certification for sales of 60,000 units. Type ''Johnny Mathis'' in the ''Keywords'' box and select ''Artist'' in the ''Search by'' box and click ''Search''. The title track was released as the first single from the album on July 27, 1973, and entered ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
s list of the 50 most popular
Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
songs in the US the following month in the issue of the magazine dated August 25 to begin an 18-week stay that included a week at number one—Mathis's first week in the top spot on that particular chart.. The song entered the
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
in the September 22 issue, reaching number 75 over the course of 10 weeks,. and gave him his first
Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
chart entry in almost 10 years when it started a five-week run in the October 6 issue that took the song to number 92.. The second single released in the US, " Life Is a Song Worth Singing", made its first appearance on the Easy Listening chart in the issue dated December 22, 1973, and got as high as number eight during its 15 weeks there. The December 29 issue saw its debut on the Hot 100, which resulted in a 12-week stay and a peak position at number 54, and its eight-week Soul chart run began in the January 26 issue and took it to number 65. A third song from the album, "Sweet Child", began a five-week run on the Easy Listening chart that spring in the June 1 issue and got to number 35. The only song from the album to make the UK singles chart, "
I'm Stone in Love with You "I'm Stone in Love with You" is a 1972 single by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. The song is noted for lead singer Russell Thompkins Jr.'s distinctive falsetto singing, which he employs through most of the record. The song was written ...
", started its 12 weeks there on January 25, 1975, and made it to number 10. It also entered the Easy Listening chart in the US two months later, on March 29, and reached number 16 during its nine weeks there. The album was released for the first time on compact disc on July 1, 2003. On March 10, 2015, Real Gone Music released ''Life Is a Song Worth Singing: The Complete Thom Bell Sessions'', a two-disc set featuring remastered editions of ''I'm Coming Home'' and Mathis and Bell's other LP collaboration, '' Mathis Is...'', along with bonus tracks on each disc.


History

Upon the album's CD release in 2003, writer Ellis Widner noted that the original release came at a point at which "Mathis knew it was time to refresh his music and renew his career. It had been four years since his last hit" on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (1969's number 96 entry, " Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet (A Time for Us)"). Bell was fresh off of a series of hits with
The Delfonics The Delfonics were an American R&B/soul vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Delfonics were most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La (Means I Love You)", "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This ...
, The Stylistics, and The Spinners. "Following several smashes on both the pop and R&B charts, Bell was ready to approach what he calls 'the sterling of sterling: Mathis. I kept hearing Mathis in my mind. You work hard reaching that pinnacle to work with him. And that’s what I did. I worked as hard as I could. After I started with the Spinners is when I told my manager, "I’d like to grab Mathis."'" Before writing the songs for the album, Bell and Creed did extensive interviews with Mathis to get his "'thoughts about different things.'" "'They're like internal musings,'" said Mathis about the material that resulted. Bell recalls how moved the singer was by what they presented for him to record and how he explained, "'That's the reason we sat with you—to see what kind of person you are, to see what makes you tick.'" Bell also chose to present Mathis's voice in a different way. "'Everyone who recorded him had recorded his voice high,' he says. 'I took him from way in the air and brought him down. He has a much more mature, rich sound singing a little lower. He was so relieved. He couldn't believe I was taking him down.'"


Reception

''Billboard'' recommended the album. "When Mathis is provided with the proper material for his voice, sparks fly, and that's the case here." They enjoyed several of the selections, including "I'm Stone in Love with You", "which he does majestically. His recent single-LP title tune is superb listening, as are 'And I Think That's What I'll Do', 'Life Is a Song Worth Singing' (a production masterpiece), and 'A Baby's Born'. Mathis sings with an inspired feeling, turning 'Stop Look and Listen to Your Heart' into a delightful thought for repeating."
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Craig Lytle wrote retrospectively: "Most of these numbers have that Stylistics, Spinners, and even
Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top 1 ...
aura, and are good listening songs."


Track listing

All songs written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed except as noted:


Side one

# " I'm Coming Home" – 3:24 # "I'd Rather Be Here with You" – 3:47 # "Foolish" (T. Bell, Creed, Bruce Hawes, Joseph B. Jefferson) – 4:38 # "
I'm Stone in Love with You "I'm Stone in Love with You" is a 1972 single by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. The song is noted for lead singer Russell Thompkins Jr.'s distinctive falsetto singing, which he employs through most of the record. The song was written ...
" (Anthony Bell, T. Bell, Creed) – 3:30 # "And I Think That's What I'll Do" – 3:41


Side two

# " Life Is a Song Worth Singing" – 6:06 # "A Baby's Born" – 4:28 # "Sweet Child" – 4:02 # " Stop Look and Listen to Your Heart" – 4:18 # "I Just Wanted to Be Me" (Bruce Hawes, Joseph B. Jefferson) – 3:12


Real Gone Music CD Bonus Tracks

;Disc one (''I'm Coming Home'') bonus tracks # "I'm Coming Home" (Stereo Single Version) – 3:24 # "I'm Stone in Love with You" (Unreleased Instrumental Version) – 3:30 # "And I Think That's What I'll Do" (Unreleased Instrumental Version) – 4:36 # "Life Is a Song Worth Singing" (Mono Single Edit - Short Version) – 3:20 ;Disc two (''Mathis Is...'') bonus tracks # "
Betcha by Golly, Wow "Betcha by Golly, Wow" is a song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed, originally titled "Keep Growing Strong" and recorded by Connie Stevens under the Bell label in 1970. Stevens' recording runs two minutes and thirty seconds. The composition la ...
" – 2:49 #*recorded in 1972 for his album '' The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)'' # "
Break Up to Make Up "Break Up to Make Up" was a 1973 hit by the Philadelphia soul group the Stylistics. The song was written by Thom Bell, Linda Creed, and Kenneth Gamble. An R&B ballad, it was the seventh track from their 1972 album ''Round 2'' and was released as ...
" (T. Bell, Creed,
Kenneth Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...
) – 3:50 #*rec. in 1973 for his album ''
Killing Me Softly with Her Song "Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a song composed by Charles Fox with lyrics by Norman Gimbel. The lyrics were written in collaboration with Lori Lieberman after she was inspired by a Don McLean performance in late 1971. Denied writing credit ...
''
# "You're As Right As Rain" – 3:02 #*rec. in 1975 for his album ''
When Will I See You Again "When Will I See You Again" is a song released in 1974 by American soul group The Three Degrees from their third album, ''The Three Degrees''. The song was written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Sheila Ferguson sang the lead, acc ...
''
# "You Brought Me Love" performed with
Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...
(Andy Goldmark) – 4:07 #*rec. in 1991 for his album '' Better Together: The Duet Album'' # "
You Make Me Feel Brand New "You Make Me Feel Brand New" is a 1974 single by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. An R&B ballad, the song was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. Background Stylistics tenor Airrion Love starts out the song and then alternates with ...
" performed with
Yolanda Adams Yolanda Yvette Adams (born August 27, 1961) is an American gospel singer, actress, and host of her own nationally syndicated morning gospel show. She is one of the best-selling gospel artists of all time, having sold over 10 million album ...
– 5:12 #*rec. in 2008 for his album '' A Night to Remember'' # "Loving You-Losing You" (Mono Single Version) (
LeRoy Bell LeRoy Bell (born August 8, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He and his friend Casey James played in Special Blend, and then went on to form their own duo Bell and James, also composing songs that were hits for other artists most not ...
, T. Bell) – 3:46 #*rec. in 1977 for his album ''Mathis Is...''


Recording dates

From the liner notes for '' The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection'':(2017) ''The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection'' by Johnny Mathis
D booklet D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''. History The ...
New York: Sony Music Entertainment 88985 36892 2.
*May 23, 1973 – "A Baby's Born", "Foolish", "I'd Rather Be Here with You", "Sweet Child" *May 24, 1973 – "And I Think That's What I'll Do", "I'm Coming Home", "I'm Stone in Love with You", "Life Is a Song Worth Singing" *May 25, 1973 – "I Just Wanted to Be Me", "Stop Look and Listen to Your Heart"


Personnel


Original album

*
Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...
- vocals *
Thom Bell Thomas Randolph Bell (January 27th, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, pianist, and composer known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. He found success as a producer ...
- producer, arranger, conductor *Mike Hutchinson - engineer *Don Murray - engineer *Ken Robertson - engineer *
Joe Tarsia Joseph Dominick Tarsia (September 23, 1934 – November 1, 2022) was an American recording studio owner and engineer from Philadelphia who was credited on many classic pop music tracks, earning him over 150 gold and platinum record awards. He wa ...
- engineer *Robert Blakeman - photography


Real Gone Music reissue(2015) ''Life Is a Song Worth Singing: The Complete Thom Bell Sessions'' by Johnny Mathis

D booklet D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''. History The ...
New York:
Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
RGM 0342.

*Gordon Anderson – producer *Joe Marchese - liner notes; compiler, producer *Jeff James - Sony producer; compiling assistant *Johnny Mathis - compiling assistant *Tom D. Kline - design *
Michael Ochs Michael Ochs (born 1943) is an American photographic archivist best known for his extensive collection of pictures related to rock music dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. The Michael Ochs Archives, located in Venice, California, contained 3 mil ...
Archives – photo *
Getty Images Getty Images Holdings, Inc. is an American visual media company and is a supplier of stock images, editorial photography, video and music for business and consumers, with a library of over 477 million assets. It targets three markets— creative ...
- photo *Remastered by Sean Brennan at Battery Studios,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...


References


Bibliography

* * * * {{Authority control 1973 albums Johnny Mathis albums Albums produced by Thom Bell Albums arranged by Thom Bell Albums recorded at Sigma Sound Studios Columbia Records albums