Matt Bianco (album)
Encyclopedia
Matt Bianco was the second album
by the British
jazz/pop
/soul
band Matt Bianco
, released in 1986
for WEA
. For this album, the band's line-up was made up of vocalists Mark Reilly
and Jenny Evans, and musician
Mark Fisher.
singer Basia Trzetrzelewska and keyboard player Danny White
, who left the original trio
to establish a solo
career for the female singer under the name of Basia
.
Evans would leave Matt Bianco shortly after this album, but Fisher would come to be a long-term member of the group. Fisher, a keyboardist
, composer
, and studio
wizard, contributed a more contemporary sound to the band compared to that of the early Matt Bianco. The use of synthesizer
s 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 for this album, with Ronnie Ross
being the most prominent example.
In terms of its chart position
in the United Kingdom
, this album was more successful than the debut album for the group, reaching #26. It also spun off three chart singles, although the only one to make the top 50 was "Yeh Yeh
". "Yeh Yeh" was actually issued as a single about six months prior to the release of this album in September, 1985. A cover
version of a song which had been a UK Number One for Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames
in 1965, Matt Bianco's own version of "Yeh Yeh" got to a respectable #13, staying in the British charts
for 10 weeks.
The other two singles from this album, "Just Can't Stand It" and "Dancing in the Street", were both released in 1986
, and only charted for 2 and 3 weeks, at #66 and #64 respectively.
After completing this album, Matt Bianco took a 13-piece band on a Europe
an tour that saw them perform in front of an audience of more than 250,000 attendees in total.
and LP versions of this album feature a minor difference: "Yeh Yeh" appears in its 12" Dance Mix on the CD, while the 7" version appears on the vinyl record. Meanwhile, both the 7" and 12" versions are featured on some (but not all) cassette editions of the album.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
jazz/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
band Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
, released in 1986
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
for WEA
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
. For this album, the band's line-up was made up of vocalists Mark Reilly
Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
and Jenny Evans, and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Mark Fisher.
Album background and chart history
Jenny Evans and Mark Fisher were brought in after the departure of PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
singer Basia Trzetrzelewska and keyboard player Danny White
Danny White
Wilford Daniel "Danny" White is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys, an American football coach in the Arena Football League and also occasionally appears as an analyst on broadcasts of college football games. He was named the head coach of the Arena Football League expansion...
, who left the original trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
to establish a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career for the female singer under the name of Basia
Basia
Basia Trzetrzelewska is a Polish singer-songwriter and record producer. She established a successful international recording career featuring characteristically Latin-flavoured jazz-pop crossover songs during the late 1980s and early 1990s and the late 2000s and 2010s, particularly in the United...
.
Evans would leave Matt Bianco shortly after this album, but Fisher would come to be a long-term member of the group. Fisher, a keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
wizard, contributed a more contemporary sound to the band compared to that of the early Matt Bianco. The use of synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s increased notably: Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
's DX-7 can be heard providing the slap bass in most songs, but the choice of noted studio musicians remained consistent for this album, with Ronnie Ross
Ronnie Ross
Albert Ronald "Ronnie" Ross was a jazz baritone saxophonist.Ross moved to England in 1946 and began playing tenor saxophone in the 1950s with Tony Kinsey, Ted Heath, and Don Rendell. During his tenure with Rendell he switched to baritone saxophone...
being the most prominent example.
In terms of its chart position
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, this album was more successful than the debut album for the group, reaching #26. It also spun off three chart singles, although the only one to make the top 50 was "Yeh Yeh
Yeh Yeh
"Yeh Yeh" is a Latin soul tune that was written as an instrumental by Rodgers Grant and Pat Patrick and first recorded by Mongo Santamaría on his 1963 album Watermelon Man . Lyrics were written for it shortly thereafter by Jon Hendricks of the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. This version of...
". "Yeh Yeh" was actually issued as a single about six months prior to the release of this album in September, 1985. A cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
version of a song which had been a UK Number One for Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
in 1965, Matt Bianco's own version of "Yeh Yeh" got to a respectable #13, staying in the British charts
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for 10 weeks.
The other two singles from this album, "Just Can't Stand It" and "Dancing in the Street", were both released in 1986
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
, and only charted for 2 and 3 weeks, at #66 and #64 respectively.
After completing this album, Matt Bianco took a 13-piece band on a Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an tour that saw them perform in front of an audience of more than 250,000 attendees in total.
Track listing
The CDCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and LP versions of this album feature a minor difference: "Yeh Yeh" appears in its 12" Dance Mix on the CD, while the 7" version appears on the vinyl record. Meanwhile, both the 7" and 12" versions are featured on some (but not all) cassette editions of the album.
- "Yeh YehYeh Yeh"Yeh Yeh" is a Latin soul tune that was written as an instrumental by Rodgers Grant and Pat Patrick and first recorded by Mongo Santamaría on his 1963 album Watermelon Man . Lyrics were written for it shortly thereafter by Jon Hendricks of the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. This version of...
" (Single Version) - 3:17 (on LP edition only)
"Yeh Yeh" (12" Dance Mix) - 5:23 (on CDCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
edition only) - "Dancing in the Street" - 3:56
- "Undercover" - 4:32
- "Fly by Night" - 3:50
- "Smooth" - 4:37
- "I Wonder" - 3:55
- "Just Can't Stand It" - 3:54
- "Summer Song" - 5:34
- "Sweetest Love Affair" - 3:43
- "Up Front" - 5:31
Singles from the album
- September 19851985 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
- "Yeh YehYeh Yeh"Yeh Yeh" is a Latin soul tune that was written as an instrumental by Rodgers Grant and Pat Patrick and first recorded by Mongo Santamaría on his 1963 album Watermelon Man . Lyrics were written for it shortly thereafter by Jon Hendricks of the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. This version of...
" (#13 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
- 10 weeks) - February 19861986 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
- "Just Can't Stand It" (#66 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
- 2 weeks) - June 19861986 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
- "Dancing in the Street" (#64 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
- 3 weeks)
Band and production
- Mark ReillyMark ReillyMark Reilly is a former Scottish professional association football player, who played in over 450 league matches for . He was part of the side that won the 1997 Scottish Cup Final....
: lead male vocals, lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
, and productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
; background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on track #4 - Mark Fisher: keyboards, mirage bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, slap bass, DX-7 slap bass, DX-7 guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, melodicaMelodicaThe melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
, brassBrassBrass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, and production - Jenny Evans: lead female vocals on tracks #4, and #10; background vocals on tracks #1, #2, #3, #6, #7, #8, and #9
- Phil HardingPhil Harding (producer)Phil Harding is an English audio engineer, producer and remixer, best known for his extended collaboration with keyboardist and programmer Ian Curnow....
: production for P.W.L.Pete WatermanPeter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
, and sound engineering - Duffy & Jamie: assistants @ P.W.L. StudiosStock Aitken WatermanStock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s...
- Stuart: assistant @ WorkhouseWorkhouseIn England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
- Gerry & Stuart: assistants @ MarqueeMarqueeMarquee may refer to:* A large tent, open-sided and installed outdoors for temporary functions* "Marquee", a song by Superchunk from their 1997 album Indoor Living* Marquee Cinemas, a movie theater chain in the United States...
- Tim YoungTim YoungTimothy or Tim Young may refer to:*Tim Young *Tim Young *Tim Young *Tim Young *Tim Young *Timothy R. Young, U.S. representative from Illinois*Timothy Young , a character in the Saw films...
: mastering and digitalDigitalA digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
@ CBS StudiosCBS StudiosCan refer to the following : *CBS, Television Network.*CBS Studio Center, a television and motion picture production facility in Studio City, California*CBS Broadcast Center, main New York City studio complex on W...
Additional musicians
- Jordan Bailey: background vocals on tracks #1, and #2
- Shirley Lewis, Helena Springs: background vocals on track #5
- Trevor Murrel: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
on tracks #3, #6, and #9 - Robin Jones: percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
on tracks #1, #2, #3, #4, #8, and #10 - Steve SidwellSteve Sidwell (musician)Steve Sidwell is a conductor, composer, and instrumentalist specialising in swing music. Renowned as an arranger and composer, Steve, has featured on numerous albums, television shows, advertising campaigns and films with his distinctive and innovative orchestrations and compositions.He is also a...
: trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
on track #1; trumpet soloSolo (music)In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
on tracks #3, and #7 - Ronnie RossRonnie RossAlbert Ronald "Ronnie" Ross was a jazz baritone saxophonist.Ross moved to England in 1946 and began playing tenor saxophone in the 1950s with Tony Kinsey, Ted Heath, and Don Rendell. During his tenure with Rendell he switched to baritone saxophone...
: 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; flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
on tracks #2, and #4 - Derek WatkinsDerek Watkins (trumpeter)Derek Watkins is a British trumpeter and session musician renowned for playing the trumpet and flugelhorn...
: trumpet on tracks #3, and #9; flugelhorn on track #3 - Bert Ezard: trumpet and flugelhorn on track #3
- Cliff Hardie: tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
on tracks #3, and #9 - Stan SulzmannStan SulzmannStanley Ernest Sulzmann is an English jazz saxophonist.Sulzmann began on saxophone at age 13 and played in Bill Ashton's London Youth Jazz Orchestra, later the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music from 1969-1972...
: tenor sax on tracks #3, and #9 - Jim SullivanBig Jim SullivanBig Jim Sullivan is an English musician, whose career started in 1959. He is best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Sullivan was one of the most "in-demand" studio musicians in the UK, and performed in more than one thousand charting singles over his career...
: acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
on track #4 - Jamie TalbotJamie TalbotJames Robert "Jamie" Talbot is an English jazz alto saxophonist.Talbot played with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and then with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra while young.He attended the Royal College of Music in 1978-79, then recorded throughout the decades of the 1980s and 1990s with...
: alto sax on track #6 - John Barclay: trumpet on track #9
Other staff
- Haydn Cottam: sleeveSleeveSleeve is that part of a garment which covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The pattern of the sleeve is one of the characteristics of fashion in dress, varying in every country and period...
paintingPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is... - Graham SmithGraham Smith (photographer)__NoTOC__Graham Smith is a photographer from Middlesbrough, England, who was particularly active in photographing Middlesbrough and the northeast of England in the 1970s and 1980s....
: sleeveSleeveSleeve is that part of a garment which covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The pattern of the sleeve is one of the characteristics of fashion in dress, varying in every country and period...
designDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
and sleeveSleeveSleeve is that part of a garment which covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The pattern of the sleeve is one of the characteristics of fashion in dress, varying in every country and period...
photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - Sheila Rock: sleeve photography
- Carl Leighton-Pope for Bonaire Group: managementManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...