The Joy of Living (album)

The Joy of Living
Studio album by
Nelson Riddle
Released1959
Recorded1959
StudioCapitol Records, Hollywood, California
GenreTraditional pop
Length34:01[1]
LabelCapitol ST-1148
Nelson Riddle chronology
Sea of Dreams
(1958) 		The Joy of Living
(1959) 		Sing a Song with Riddle
(1959)

The Joy of Living is the sixth studio album by American composer and arranger Nelson Riddle, released in 1959.[1][2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

William Ruhlmann reviewed the album for Allmusic and wrote that the arrangements "never get too lively or somber" and felt the casual, mid-tempo pieces were an assertion by Riddle of his stature with the popularity of Billy May and Gordon Jenkins. Ruhlmann felt the album was a precursor to Riddle's arrangements on Frank Sinatra's 1960 album Nice 'n' Easy as an "easygoing collection of small tonal joys".[1]

Gramophone magazine described The Joy of Living as an "outstanding Riddle collection" upon its 1998 reissue.[3]

Single

Capitol Records released the title track "The Joy of Living" as a 45 rpm single, backed with a Nelson Riddle composition, "Somethin' Special."[4]

Track listing

Side 1

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries"Lew Brown, Nacio Herb Brown, Ray Henderson2:08
2."You Make Me Feel So Young"Mack Gordon, Josef Myrow3:14
3."Makin' Whoopee"Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn4:20
4."Bye Bye Blues"David Bennett, Chauncey Gray, Frederick Hamm, Bert Lown2:33
5."It's So Peaceful in the Country"Alec Wilder2:50
6."The Joy of Living"Philip J. Davis2:49

Side 2

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."It's a Big Wide Wonderful World!"John Rox2:13
2."June in January"Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin2:13
3."Isn't This a Lovely Day"Irving Berlin2:46
4."Indian Summer"Al Dubin, Victor Herbert2:51
5."It's a Grand Night for Singing"Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers2:49
6."I Got the Sun in the Morning"Berlin2:43

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b c d The Joy of Living at AllMusic
  2. ^ "Nelson Riddle - The Joy of Living at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  3. ^ Sir Compton Mackenzie; Christopher Stone (1998). Gramophone. General Gramophone Publications Limited. p. 120.
  4. ^ "Somethin' Special". cat45.com.