...

Apologies if this has been posted before--but awhile ago, I remember reading that this album was recorded, around 80/81, but it was shelved for some reason. Does anybody know why? A few of the tracks here:

...

Johnny Mathis with CHIC - I Want To Fall In Love

...

...

Mathis/Chic -It's Alright To Love Me

...

...

...

Mathis/Chic -Something to Sing About

...

...

Mathis/ Chic - Love and Be Loved

...

...

...

Mathis/Chic - I Love My Lady

...

...

...

[Edited 1/24/14 10:41am]

Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers gave this explanation for why the project was shelved:



''He had been this big superstar, then his light dimmed a little, and then he came back after that massive record with Deniece Williams. His popularity rekindled, he went on this reckless tear - partying and hanging out; it really frightened the people closest to him. When we did this record, it was so exciting and youth oriented. All his people went 'oh my god.'...

The Johnny Mathis record to me sounded like Al Jarreau meets Chic. It didn't sound like Johnny Mathis to me - it was even more edgy than I'd ever heard him.. That's why it was pulled. His audience at the time was like middle-aged women who would go out to Vegas, and this was pushing his envelope."

I don't think it worked. New fans would not get it, old fans would be turned off by the Pop/R&B sound. I think CBS was trying to capitalize on the success of "Too Much Too Little Too Late."

*

I've lived with the album for awhile, the songs are good (CHIC) songs, but doesn't tranlate well with John's voice.

*

Nile and Nard were VERY selective who they were going to produce at the time....CBS must have made them a offer they could not refuse.

*

Full pockets and much relfief for them when the album was shelved.

*

It's cool to have in my collection.

Identity said:

Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers gave this explanation for why the project was shelved:



''He had been this big superstar, then his light dimmed a little, and then he came back after that massive record with Deniece Williams. His popularity rekindled, he went on this reckless tear - partying and hanging out; it really frightened the people closest to him. When we did this record, it was so exciting and youth oriented. All his people went 'oh my god.'...

The Johnny Mathis record to me sounded like Al Jarreau meets Chic. It didn't sound like Johnny Mathis to me - it was even more edgy than I'd ever heard him.. That's why it was pulled. His audience at the time was like middle-aged women who would go out to Vegas, and this was pushing his envelope."

...

Interesting, thanks! it's Ironic that now his people apparently have been trying to get Sony to release this stuff...

....

Speaking of the of the Mathis/Al Jarreau similarity, I originally thought that this 1984 Mathis hit was Al Jarreau--at least the first time I heard it on the radio...it had that 80's Jarreau feel to it....

...

Johnny Mathis - "Simple" (1984)

...

...

From a 2013 interview with Nile Rodgers:

A different kind of artist whose outtakes we hear on the Savoir Faire box is Johnny Mathis. How did that come about?

A friend of a friend informed us he was interested and we really hit it off. He had just come off hit records with Deniece Williams and we were coming up with what we thought was a new Johnny Mathis style. But the company stopped it before we got very far with it. We were fucking up more than we should have. Here is what was happening. In the hotel where Diana Ross was living there was a disco and we would go there with Johnny Mathis and have a great time. Management was concerned. “What if [disco] becomes his audience. What if he gave up on his old audience?” We said, “We’re not changing his audience, we’re expanding it.” A lot of it was our own fault, our interactions with the record company. I am always dedicated to the artist. Unfortunately, labels see that as adversarial.

Source: http://bigread.mojo4music...e-rodgers/

G3000 said:

I don't think it worked. New fans would not get it, old fans would be turned off by the Pop/R&B sound. I think CBS was trying to capitalize on the success of "Too Much Too Little Too Late."

*

I've lived with the album for awhile, the songs are good (CHIC) songs, but doesn't tranlate well with John's voice.

*

Nile and Nard were VERY selective who they were going to produce at the time....CBS must have made them a offer they could not refuse.

*

Full pockets and much relfief for them when the album was shelved.

*

It's cool to have in my collection.

...

Ok, thanks--I guess a lot of people wanted that CHIC sound...Diana Ross, David Bowie, Duran, Duran, Madonna, Power Station, etc...even at at a time when CHIC themselves couldn't get played on the radio anymore, because of the "Disco Sucks" movement...

...

TeeeeHaaaaHoooo said:

From a 2013 interview with Nile Rodgers:

A different kind of artist whose outtakes we hear on the Savoir Faire box is Johnny Mathis. How did that come about?

A friend of a friend informed us he was interested and we really hit it off. He had just come off hit records with Deniece Williams and we were coming up with what we thought was a new Johnny Mathis style. But the company stopped it before we got very far with it. We were fucking up more than we should have. Here is what was happening. In the hotel where Diana Ross was living there was a disco and we would go there with Johnny Mathis and have a great time. Management was concerned. “What if [disco] becomes his audience. What if he gave up on his old audience?” We said, “We’re not changing his audience, we’re expanding it.” A lot of it was our own fault, our interactions with the record company. I am always dedicated to the artist. Unfortunately, labels see that as adversarial.

Source: http://bigread.mojo4music...e-rodgers/

...

Ndeed! Fascinating...

...

It was recorded in 1981,a year after Diana Ross' super successful Chic-produced album.I think the idea was...if Bernard and Niles could make Diana Ross sound cool and hip,they would be able to do the same with Johnny Mathis.However,his record company hated the record.Still,I hope it gets released someday.As a huge Chic fan,I'd love to hear it.

Never a Mathis fan. Too Pop for my tastes. the only CD I own by him is the one he recorded with Deniece. But, if someone issued the Chic album, I think I would definately buy it.

that would have been the ONLY time it would have worked, very early 80's quite a few big producers were working with AC artists, Jim Steinman gave Barry Manilow his last Top 20 hit with "read em and weep" in 1983, Manilow almost never sang that song again live because the sessions vocally were too much and dramatic, and also Steinman wrote and produced "Making Love out of nothing at all" a number 2 hit for Air Supply the same year and also would be their last top 10 hit in america.

I'm not sure why CBS considered this abandoning his audience, when Johnny recorded some R&Bish material in the early 1970s and even appeared on Soul Train. He also had a popular disco song.

ChickenMcNuggets said:

Now, what about that album Chic supposedly did for Fonzi Thornton, Frostbite, that "I Work For a Living" and "I'll Change My Game" came from? [Edited 1/24/14 19:33pm]

An entire album's worth of music was recorded and subsequently abandoned in 1982 for reasons unknown. I'd would love to get my hands on a bootleg copy.