The open fire of the title is a warm hearth, not an invitation to gunplay.
On this 1959 album, Johnny Mathis creates an atmosphere of fireside intimacy by dispensing with his usual orchestral accompaniment so that the purity of his voice entices the listener's full attention.
Al Caiola and Tony Mattola play the two guitars that supplement Mathis' crooning, with an upright bass providing the album's only other instrument.
Producer Mitch Miller is often associated with gimmicky or novelty productions, but his work on Open Fire, Two Guitars is perfectly understated, emphasizing the gentle caress of Mathis' voice over the relaxed counterpoint of the two guitars.
The songs give prominence to the pop standards of Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, and the Gershwins, but the title track, "Open Fire," is a new composition by Leiber & Stoller.
The album's effect seems nearly a cappella at times, but "In the Still of the Night" finds Mathis intoning the lyrics over gently rhythmic guitar figures that educe new harmonic complexities from a well-known song.
The enduring popularity of Open Fire, Two Guitars is attributable in part to its hypnotic aura of closeness and confidentiality, but also to the simple instrumentation that appeals to many rock-era listeners' preference for guitars over orchestral arrangements.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open FireJerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | Johnny Mathis | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 2 | Bye Bye BlackbirdMort Dixon, Ray Henderson | Johnny Mathis | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 3 | In the Still of the NightFred Parris | Johnny Mathis | Play | 02:32 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 4 | Embraceable YouGeorge Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | Johnny Mathis | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 5 | I'll Be Seeing YouSammy Fain, Irving Kahal | Johnny Mathis | Play | 04:25 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 6 | TenderlyWalter Gross, Jack Lawrence | Johnny Mathis | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 15 MB |
| 7 | When I Fall in LoveEdward Heyman, Victor Young | Johnny Mathis | Play | 04:30 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 8 | I Concentrate on YouCole Porter | Johnny Mathis | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | Please Be KindSammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin | Johnny Mathis | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 10 | You'll Never KnowMack Gordon, Harry Warren | Johnny Mathis | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | I'm Just a Boy in LoveShirley Cowell | Johnny Mathis | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 12 | My Funny ValentineLorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers | Johnny Mathis | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 42 mins | 97 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 242 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sammy Cahn | Composer |
| 2 | Al Caiola | Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 3 | Frank Carroll | Bass |
| 4 | Saul Chaplin | Composer |
| 5 | Harold Chapman | Engineer |
| 6 | Shirley Cowell | Composer |
| 7 | Didier C. Deutsch | Reissue Producer |
| 8 | Mort Dixon | Composer |
| 9 | Sammy Fain | Composer |
| 10 | George Gershwin | Composer |
| 11 | Ira Gershwin | Composer |
| 12 | Mack Gordon | Composer |
| 13 | Walter Gross | Composer |
| 14 | Lorenz Hart | Composer |
| 15 | Ray Henderson | Composer |
| 16 | Edward Heyman | Composer |
| 17 | Milt Hinton | Bass, Guest Artist |
| 18 | Irving Kahal | Composer |
| 19 | Jack Lawrence | Composer |
| 20 | Jerry Leiber | Composer |
| 21 | Johnny Mathis | Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 22 | Mitch Miller | Producer |
| 23 | Cliff Morris | Engineer |
| 24 | Tony Mottola | Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 25 | Fred Parris | Composer |
| 26 | Cole Porter | Composer |
| 27 | Richard Rodgers | Composer |
| 28 | Mike Stoller | Composer |
| 29 | Robert Waller | Engineer |
| 30 | Harry Warren | Composer |
| 31 | Victor Young | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |