Love Is the Thing
Love Is the Thing | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 1957 | |||
Recorded | December 19, 28, 1956 at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 45:43 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | Lee Gillette | |||
Nat King Cole chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Love Is the Thing is a 1957 album released by American jazz vocalist Nat King Cole. It is the first of four collaborations between Cole and influential arranger Gordon Jenkins.[3][4]
Launching the charting single "Stardust", which peaked at #79,[5] the album reached #1 on Billboard's "Pop Albums" chart and tied at #1 on the UK Charts with the soundtrack for the 1956 film The King and I.[6] According to the records of the RIAA, the album achieved gold status in 1960 and broke platinum in 1992.[7] The LP was Cole's first gold album.
Overview[]
In 1956, Cole came together with popular music arranger Jenkins to produce the first of the four collaborations that are described by critics as among the best of either artist.[4][5] American Jazz commenter Scott Yanow noted that the album "sticks exclusively" to the role Cole had established in 1950s popular opinion as a "superb ballad vocalist".[8] While Love Is the Thing little reflects the jazz roots whence Cole emerged,[8] the singer's "restrained vocal approach" and the arranger's "unhurried string charts" combined to produce a romantic album of enduring popularity.[4]
Cole's three further albums with Jenkins were The Very Thought of You (1958), Every Time I Feel the Spirit (1959), and Where Did Everyone Go? (1963).
Release history[]
Originally released by Capitol Records, the album has been re-issued by various companies in alternate forms.
A 1996 re-release on 24-kt gold foil by the Digital Compact Classics label included three bonus tracks,[8][9] the same tracks incorporated in the re-titled 1991 CD Love Is the Thing (And More).[5] In 2007, The Collectors' Choice label reissued the album in conjunction with the final Cole/Jenkins collaboration on a single disc entitled Love Is the Thing/Where Did Everyone Go?[4] In 2010 the audiophile Analogue Productions label issued a hybrid SACD of the album, containing its original 12 tracks in mono, stereo, and three-track multichannel sound.
The original mono edition of the LP (Capitol W 824) contained two tracks not found on the original stereo edition (Capitol SW 824), those being "Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much" and "Love Letters," neither of which have appeared in stereo on any reissue.
Track listing[]
- "Stardust" (Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish) – 3:15
- "It's All in the Game" (Charles G. Dawes, Carl Sigman) – 3:07
- "When I Fall in Love" (Edward Heyman, Victor Young) – 3:10
- "Ain't Misbehavin'" (Harry Brooks, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller) – 3:17
- "When Sunny Gets Blue" (Marvin Fisher, Jack Segal) – 2:46
- "Love Is the Thing" (Ned Washington, Young) – 3:01
- "At Last" (Gordon, Harry Warren) – 3:00
- "Stay as Sweet as You Are" (Mack Gordon, Harry Revel) – 2:59
- "I Thought About Marie" (Gordon Jenkins) – 3:06
- "Where Can I Go Without You?" (Peggy Lee, Young) – 2:57
Bonus Tracks[]
- "Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much" (Irving Berlin) – 2:50
- "Love Letters" (Heyman, Young) – 2:46
- "Someone to Tell It To" (Sammy Cahn, Dolores Fuller, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:17
- "The End of a Love Affair" (Edward Redding) – 3:11
- "If Love Ain't There" (Johnny Burke) – 3:01
Personnel[]
- Nat King Cole – vocals
- Lee Gillette – producer
- Steve Hoffman – mastering, remastering
- Gordon Jenkins – arranger, conductor
- Charlie LaVere – piano
- John Kraus – engineer
- Marcia McGovern – pre-production
- Bob Norberg – remastering
- Larry Walsh – remastering
Chart positions[]
Chart (1957) | Peak position |
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UK Albums Chart[10] | 1 |
References[]
- ^ Yanow, Scott. Love Is the Thing at AllMusic
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 44. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Where Did Everyone Go? at AllMusic
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Love Is the Thing/Where Did Everyone Go? at AllMusic
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Love Is the Thing (And More) at AllMusic
- ^ Nat King Cole: Love Is the Thing Archived 2007-12-15 at the Wayback Machine The Official UK Charts Company. Accessed December 5, 2007.
- ^ "American album certifications – Nat King Cole – Love Is the Thing". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Love Is the Thing at AllMusic
- ^ Puccio, John. (January 1999). "Nat 'King' Cole: The Greatest Hits" Sensible Sound.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company – Nat King Cole – Love Is The Thing". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- 1957 albums
- Nat King Cole albums
- Albums arranged by Gordon Jenkins
- Capitol Records albums
- Albums conducted by Gordon Jenkins
- Albums recorded at Capitol Studios