Matt Bianco (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Matt Bianco
Studio album by Matt Bianco
Released 1986
Recorded 1985-1986
P.W.L. Studios, Workhouse, Marquee, Mayfair, Sarm West: recording;
The Borough, P.W.L. Studios:
digital mixing;
CBS Studios: mastering.
Genre Jazz, Pop, Soul, Dance, Ballad, Latin pop
Length 42:49 (LP)
44:55 (CD)
Label WEA
Producer Mark Reilly
(production and lyrics)
Mark Fisher
(production/brass arranger)
Phil Harding for P.W.L.
(production/sound engineering)
Tim Young (mastering)
Professional reviews
Matt Bianco chronology
Whose Side Are You On?
(1984)		 Matt Bianco
(1986)		 Indigo
(1988)

Matt Bianco was the second, eponymous album by the British jazz/pop/soul band Matt Bianco, released in 1986 for WEA Records. It was the first album by the band as a duo, made up of vocalist Mark Reilly and musician Mark Fisher, after the departure of Polish singer Basia Trzetrzelewska and keyboard player Danny White, who left the original trio to establish a solo career under the joint name of Basia.

The second long playing by the group with the new line-up was more successful than the debut album as for chart position in the United Kingdom, reaching Number 26 in the UK Albums Chart, but spanning 3 hit singles which were generally less successful than the previous ones. The exception was the first single, an up-to-date cover version of Rodgers Grant, Pat Patrick and Jon Hendricks's vocal classic "Yeh Yeh", a UK Number One, for two consecutive weeks, in the lasting interpretation of Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, back in 1965, then breaking The Beatles' long-term hold on the Number One spot. Matt Bianco's own version got to a respectable Number 13, staying in the British charts for 10 weeks, in 1985. The other two, "Just Can't Stand It" and "Dancing in the Street", both released in 1986, the former just before the album release and the latter soon after it, only charted for 2 and 3 weeks, bombing at Number 66 and 64 respectively.

With Mark Fisher replacing White and Trzetrzelewska, the sound changed considerably. Fisher, a keyboardist, composer, and studio wizard, contributed a more contemporary sound, compared to that of the early Matt Bianco. The use of synthesizers increased notably: Yamaha's DX-7 can be heard providing the slap bass in most songs, but the choice of noted studio musicians remained consistent, with late Ronnie Ross being the most prominent example. After the first album with the new line-up, they took a 13-piece band on to a European tour, that saw them perform in front of an audience of more than 250,000 attendees in total. The CD edition of the album, one of the very first ones to be ever marketed, featured one difference: "Yeh Yeh" only appeared in its 12" Dance Mix, while the single version was only included on the vinyl record (both versions were instead featured on the MC edition, depending upon the various countries).

The album featured black performer Jenni Evans on female vocals, even reproducing her photograph in the booklet: for some time, it seemed likely that she would join the group, as a stable replacement for what was Basia's former role, though the two singers were rather different vocally, from a technical point of view, besides skin and voice colour, but on the following album, 1988 Indigo, she had suddenly disappeared from the line-up, replaced by Sheila Ferguson and some male backing singers, though no inside photos appeared on that album, but those of the two Marks, this way making it absolutely clear, once and for all, that Matt Bianco had definitely become a duo by then. The initial image of Evans was probably used to make the shift from trio to duo smoother, especially after the huge success achieved by the band with their first line-up, so as not to risk losing their numerous fans, just gained with the trio debut album.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Yeh Yeh" (Single Version) - 3:17 (on LP edition only)
    "Yeh Yeh" (12" Dance Mix) - 5:23 (on CD edition only)
  2. "Dancing in the Street" - 3:56
  3. "Undercover" - 4:32
  4. "Fly by Night" - 3:50
  5. "Smooth" - 4:37
  6. "I Wonder" - 3:55
  7. "Just Can't Stand It" - 3:54
  8. "Summer Song" - 5:34
  9. "Sweetest Love Affair" - 3:43
  10. "Up Front" - 5:31

[edit] Singles form the album

  • September 1985 - "Yeh Yeh" (#13 UK - 10 weeks)
  • February 1986 - "Just Can't Stand It" (#66 UK - 2 weeks)
  • June 1986 - "Dancing in the Street" (#64 UK - 3 weeks)

[edit] Credits

[edit] Band and production

[edit] Additional musicians

  • Jordan Bailey: background vocals on tracks #1, and #2
  • Shirley Lewis, Helena Springs: background vocals on track #5
  • Trevor Murrel: drums on tracks #3, #6, and #9
  • Robin Jones: percussion on tracks #1, #2, #3, #4, #8, and #10
  • Steve Sidwell: trumpet on track #1; trumpet solo on tracks #3, and #7
  • Ronnie Ross: alto sax on tracks #3, #8, and #10; baritone sax on tracks #1, #3, #4, #5, and #9
  • Bill Eldridge: trumpet on track #2
  • Stuart Brooks: trumpet on track #2
  • Martin Dobson: tenor sax on track #2
  • Dave Bishop: tenor sax on track #2
  • Tony Fisher: trumpet on tracks #3, and #9; flugelhorn on tracks #2, and #4
  • Derek Watkins: trumpet on tracks #3, and #9; flugelhorn on track #3
  • Bert Ezard: trumpet and flugelhorn on track #3
  • Cliff Hardie: trombone on tracks #3, and #9
  • Stan Sulzmann: tenor sax on tracks #3, and #9
  • Jim Sullivan: acoustic guitar on track #4
  • Jamie Talbot: alto sax on track #6
  • John Barclay: trumpet on track #9

[edit] Other staff

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Languages