Wives and Lovers (Jack Jones album)

Wives and Lovers
Studio album by
Jack Jones
ReleasedDecember 1963
Genre
Length35:25
LabelKapp Records
KL 1352 (M); KS 3352 (S)[1]
ProducerMichael Kapp
Jack Jones chronology
Call Me Irresponsible
(1963) 		Wives and Lovers
(1963) 		Bewitched
(1964)
Singles from Wives and Lovers
  1. "Wives and Lovers"
    Released: November 1963

Wives and Lovers is the seventh studio album by American singer Jack Jones, released in December 1963 by Kapp Records. The album was met with a mostly positive critical reception, and also reached high positions on the charts.

Background and content

Jack Jones, who had received his first hit and Grammy award winner in 1962 with "Lollipops and Roses" had released a top 20 pop hit in 1963 titled "Wives and Lovers", was at his peak popularity.[2] Riding high on the success Jones would record a same-named album produced by Micheal Kapp himself. Arrangers would include Marty Paich and Ralph Carmichael.[3][2] The album included covers of old standards like "Come Rain or Come Shine", "Nina Never Knew", and "I Wish You Love", but contained newies like "Toys in the Attic" and "Charade", both from their respective same-named films.[3][2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Record Mirror[5]

Wives and Lovers was given a positive critical response following its release. Variety notes "Jones puts his smooth, lyrical style to good use on numbers which are arranged by Pete King, Glenn Osser, Marty Patch, and Ralph Carmicheal."[6] Billboard magazine named the album among its "Pop Spotlight" LPs in late December 1963 and said that "Jack Jones continues to build as an artist", continuing "'Wives and Lovers is included here, along with some slick items like 'Toys in the Attic,' 'Angel Eyes,' 'Fly Me to the Moon' and a neat teaming with pianist Roger Williams on the new movie theme, "Charade." Concluding that the album is a "Strong wax and the last named item could get much play."[7] Cashbox noted that Jones "follows his best-selling 'Call Me Irresponsible' LP with this new package on Kapp tagged after his click single, 'Wives And Lovers.'" The magazine said that the album has a "dozen warm and feelingful readings of such goodies as 'Wives and Lovers,' 'I Wish You Love' and a powerful survey of 'Charade'".[8] Record Mirror believed Jones "should be the next biggest to breakthrough here in the ballad field," and said that "This is classy song-selling."[5]

Retrospectives were also positive. Jason Ankeny on AllMusic stated, "The LP boasts an old-guard charm, recruiting arrangers including Marty Paich and Ralph Carmichael to create a delightful collection of string-sweetened, jazz-influenced ballads perfectly attuned to Jones' rich, crystalline vocals." Adding "An unusually clever interpreter, Jones approaches standards like 'Fly Me to the Moon' and 'Come Rain or Come Shine' with intelligence and class, never succumbing to pathos."[2] It was given a four-star rating by The Encyclopedia of Popular Music as well.[4]

Chart performance

Immediately after being released, Wives and Lovers was reported getting strong sales action by dealers in major markets.[9] The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated December 28, 1963, and remained on the chart for 53 weeks, peaking at number 18.[10] It debuted on the Cashbox Top 100 Albums chart in the issue dated December 14, 1963, and remained on the chart for a total of 35 weeks, peaking at number 15.[11] On the magazine's Top 50 Stereo chart it peaked at number 17.[11] The album's title track debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated November 2, 1963, peaking at number 14 during a 14-week run, his highest single chart.[12] and debuted on the magazine's Easy Listening chart November 23, peaking at number nine during a 11-week run.[13] The track debuted on the Cashbox singles chart in the issue dated November 2, 1963, peaking at number 12 during an 15-week run.[14]

Track listing

Side one

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wives and Lovers"Burt Bacharach, Hal David2:29
2."Toys in the Attic" (from the U.A. release: Toys in the Attic)George Duning, George David Weiss, Joe Sherman2:52
3."Songs About Love"Al Stillman, Henry Mancini2:26
4."I'm Moody"Jack Fulton, Matt Dennis2:43
5."Angel Eyes"Earl K. Brent, Matt Dennis2:54
6."Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)"Bart Howard2:58

Side two

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Charade" (from the Universal Pictures film: Charade)Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer3:14
2."I Wish You Love"Albert A. Beach, Charles Trenet4:04
3."Nina Never Knew"Louis Alter, Milton Drake3:04
4."Summertime Promises"Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen2:35
5."I See Your Face Before Me" (from the Broadway musical: Between the Devil)Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz3:13
6."Come Rain or Come Shine" (from the Broadway musical St. Louis Woman)Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer2:40

Charts

Chart (1963–1964) Peak
position
US Billboard Top LPs[10] 18
US Cashbox Top 100 Albums[11] 14
US Cashbox Top 50 Stereo[11] 17

References

  1. ^ Kinslow, Chris (2022). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. p. 1991. ISBN 978-1-68145-973-8. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Wives and Lovers album by Jack Jones". AllMusic. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Jones, Jack (December 1963). "Wives and Lovers". Kapp Records. KL 1352 (M); KS 3352 (S) (LP).
  4. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 766. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "AND THE NEW L.P's" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 176. July 25, 1964. p. 9. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  6. ^ "Variety Records Reviews: B'way's 110, Darin's Folk Hits, Jones Lovers, Morgan's Victors, Gore's Hearts Top New Albums". Variety. Vol. 233, no. 2. December 4, 1963. p. 42.
  7. ^ Billboard magazine, Album Reviews (Spotlight Picks), December 21, 1963 page 25. Retrieved February 7, 2026
  8. ^ "Album Reviews: Pop Picks". Cash Box. Vol. 25, no. 12. December 14, 1963. p. 22.
  9. ^ Billboard magazine, December: breakout albums.
  10. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums: 1955–1996. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 396. ISBN 0898201179.
  11. ^ a b c d Hoffmann, Frank W (1988). The Cash box album charts, 1955–1974. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. p. 188. ISBN 0-8108-2005-6.
  12. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wisc.: Record Research. p. 366. ISBN 0898201551.
  13. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn presents Billboard top adult songs, 1961-2006. Menomonee Falls, Wis. : Record Research Inc. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-89820-169-7.
  14. ^ Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. p. 182. ISBN 1-56308-316-7.
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