Released 1986 Label WEA | Length 42:49 (LP)
44:55 (CD) | |
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 Producer Mark Reilly
(production and lyrics)
Mark Fisher
(production/brass arranger)
Phil Harding for P.W.L.
(production/sound engineering)
Tim Young (mastering) | ||
Matt Bianco was the second album by the British band Matt Bianco, released in 1986 for WEA. For this album, the band's line-up comprised vocalistMark Reilly and musician Mark Fisher. Jenni Evans sings backing vocals on nearly every track (and lead vocal on two cuts), but was not listed as an official band member.
Contents
Album background and chart history
Jenni 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 the singer's solo career under the name of Basia.
Evans would leave Matt Bianco shortly after this album, but Fisher would become a long-term member of the group. Fisher, a keyboardist, composer, and studio wizard, contributed a more contemporary sound compared to the band's earlier work. 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 group's debut release, reaching #26. It also provided three chart singles, although the only one to make the top 50 was "Yeh Yeh". This was issued as a single in September 1985, about six months prior to the album. 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 version of "Yeh Yeh" reached #13 and stayed 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 and on some LP editions, while the 7" version only appears on some vinyl records. 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 some LP editions only)
"Yeh Yeh" (12" Dance Mix) - 5:23 (on CD edition and on some LP editions) - "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
Credits
Matt Bianco:
with: