- Matt Bianco (album)
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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, 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 
The reviews parameter has been deprecated. Please move reviews into the “Reception” section of the article. See Moving reviews into article space.
Matt Bianco chronology Whose Side Are You On?
(1984)Matt Bianco
(1986)Indigo
(1988)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.
Contents
Album background and chart history
Jenny Evans and Mark Fisher were brought in after the departure of Polish 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 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 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 European tour that saw them perform in front of an audience of more than 250,000 attendees in total.
Track listing
The CD 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 Yeh" (Single Version) - 3:17 (on LP edition only)
"Yeh Yeh" (12" Dance Mix) - 5:23 (on CD 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 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)
Credits
Band and production
- Mark Reilly: lead male vocals, lyrics, and production; background vocals on track #4
- Mark Fisher: keyboards, mirage bass, slap bass, DX-7 slap bass, DX-7 guitar, melodica, brass arrangement, 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 Harding: production for P.W.L., and sound engineering
- Duffy & Jamie: assistants @ P.W.L. Studios
- Stuart: assistant @ Workhouse
- Gerry & Stuart: assistants @ Marquee
- Tim Young: mastering and digital mixing @ CBS Studios
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
Other staff
- Haydn Cottam: sleeve painting
- Graham Smith: sleeve design and sleeve photography
- Sheila Rock: sleeve photography
- Carl Leighton-Pope for Bonaire Group: management
References
- Paul Gambaccini, Tim Rice, Jonathan Rice, Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (9th edition) - ISBN 0-85112-526-3
External links
Categories:- 1986 albums
- Matt Bianco albums
- Jazz albums
- "Yeh Yeh" (Single Version) - 3:17 (on LP edition only)
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