''The Ultimate Hits Collection'' is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

by American pop singer

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

that was released in 1998 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

. In addition to offering several hit singles, the collection includes the first release of " Brazil (Aquarela do Brasil)", a song that was originally recorded for his 1986 collaboration with

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

, '' The Hollywood Musicals'', but not included in the final track selection.(1998) ''The Ultimate Hits Collection'' by Johnny Mathis

D booklet D, or d, is the fourth letter of 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 Th ...

New York: Columbia Records CK-65540. __TOC__

Reception

In giving a grade of A− to the compilation,

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

is especially fond of "

Wonderful! Wonderful! "Wonderful! Wonderful!" is a song written by Ben Raleigh and Sherman Edwards that became the A-side of the first 7-inch single recorded by American singer Johnny Mathis. The recording was produced by Mitch Miller and released on November 5, 195 ...

", " It's Not for Me to Say", " Chances Are", " The Twelfth of Never", and " Wild Is the Wind", noting that "those five songs are the substance of Mathis's legend and legacy. Poised on the cusp of black and white, masculine and feminine, they projected an image of egoless tenderness, an irresistible breath of sensuality." In addition to receiving a five-star rating from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, this release has also been designated by the site as an Album Pick.

Track listing

Personnel

– vocals ;Compilation *Didier C. Deutsch – producer *Joanna Ifrah – associate producer *Joy Gilbert – product manager *Patti Matheny – A&R coordinator *Jon Newman – packaging manager *Tom Ruff – mixing/mastering engineer *Steve Berkowitz – liner notes *Will Friedwald – liner notes *Mixed and mastered at

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhat ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Hits Collection 1998 compilation albums Johnny Mathis compilation albums Columbia Records compilation albums