''Matt Bianco'' was the second album by the British band

Matt Bianco Matt Bianco are a British band that were formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid-1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music. The group's name suggests that Matt Bianco is a person, often assumed to be an alias for th ...

, released in 1986 for

WEA The Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of the ...

. For this album, the band's line-up comprised vocalist

Mark Reilly Mark Francis "Mavis" Reilly (born 30 March 1969) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played in over 250 league matches for Kilmarnock. He was part of the side that won the 1997 Scottish Cup Final. Reilly began his career at Mothe ...

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.

Album background and chart history

Jenni Evans and

Mark Fisher Mark Fisher (11 July 1968 – 13 January 2017), also known under his blogging alias k-punk, was an English writer, music critic, political and cultural theorist, philosopher, and teacher based in the Department of Visual Cultures at Goldsm ...

were brought in after the departure of Polish singer

Basia Trzetrzelewska Barbara Stanisława Trzetrzelewska (Polish: , born 30 September 1954), better known as Basia, is a Polish singer-songwriter and recording artist noted for her Latin-inspired jazz-pop music. She began singing professionally in various Polish ban ...

and

keyboard player A keyboardist or keyboard player 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 instr ...

Danny White, who left the original trio to establish the singer's solo career under the name of

Basia Barbara Stanisława Trzetrzelewska (Polish: , born 30 September 1954), better known as Basia, is a Polish singer-songwriter and recording artist noted for her Latin-inspired jazz-pop music. She began singing professionally in various Polish ban ...

. 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 Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

DX-7 The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1989. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units. In the early 1980 ...

can be heard providing the

slap bass Slapping and popping are ways to produce percussive sounds on a stringed instrument. It is primarily used on the double bass or bass guitar. Slapping on bass guitar involves using the edge of one's knuckle, where it is particularly bony, to ...

in most songs, but the choice of noted studio musicians remained consistent for this album, with

Ronnie Ross Albert Ronald Ross (2 October 1933 – 12 December 1991) was a British jazz baritone saxophonist. Life Born in Calcutta, India, to Scottish parents, Ross moved to England in 1946 and was educated at the Perse School in Cambridge. He beg ...

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 No. 26. It also provided three chart singles, although the only one to make the top 50 was "

Yeh Yeh "Yeh, Yeh" (in some territories released as "Yeah, 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 ...

". This was issued as a single in September 1985, about six months prior to the album. A

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of a song which had been a

UK Number One The UK Singles Chart is a weekly record chart which for most of its history was based on single sales from Sunday to Saturday in the United Kingdom. Since July 2014 it has also incorporated streaming data, and from 10 July 2015 has been based o ...

for

Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames were a British rhythm and blues group during the 1960s whose repertoire spanned jazz, soul, ska, and calypso. They were originally the backing band for rock and roll singer Billy Fury. At the end of 1961, the ...

in 1965, Matt Bianco's version of "Yeh Yeh" reached No. 13 and stayed in the

British charts The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

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 No. 66 and No. 64 respectively. After completing this album, Matt Bianco took a 13-piece

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran *Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

on a European

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed b ...

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 A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

. Meanwhile, ''both'' the 7" and 12" versions are featured on some (but not all) cassette editions of the album. # "

" (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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Credits

Matt Bianco: *Mark Reilly: lead male vocals;

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

on track No. 4 *Mark Fisher:

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, mirage bass,

guitar,

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features 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. The keyboard usual ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

arrangement with: *Jenni Evans: lead female vocals on tracks No. 4, and #10; background vocals on tracks No. 1, #2, No. 3, #6, No. 7, #8, and No. 9 * Jordan Bailey: background vocals on tracks No. 1, and No. 2 * Shirley Lewis,

Helena Springs Helena Lisandrello, known professionally as Helena Springs (born 1961), is an American singer. The singer was first a backup vocalist for Bob Dylan, starting in 1978 aged 17, and co-wrote 19 songs with him, more than any of his other collabor ...

: background vocals on track No. 5 * Trevor Murrel: drums on tracks No. 3, #6, and No. 9 * Robin Jones: percussion on tracks No. 1, #2, No. 3, #4, No. 8, and No. 10 *

Steve Sidwell Steven James Sidwell (born 14 December 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Sidwell was a product of the Arsenal academy, and after winning two FA Youth Cups, he had constructive loan spells at Bren ...

: trumpet on track #1; trumpet solo on tracks No. 3, and No. 7 *

alto sax The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

on tracks No. 3, #8, and #10;

baritone sax The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

on tracks No. 1, #3, No. 4, #5, and No. 9 *

Bill Eldridge Bill Eldridge was an Australian producer. He worked at ABC radio as an actor and producer. He also produced some early TV plays such as ''Roundabout''. Eldridge was a BBC Radio producer and came to Perth in 1947. Select Credits *''Candida'' (1951) ...

: trumpet on track No. 2 *Stuart Brooks: trumpet on track #2 *

Martin Dobson Martin Dobson (born 14 February 1948; Rishton) popularly known as Dobbo is a former professional footballer and England international who played as a midfielder. He was the first player to be transferred for £300,000 when Everton bought him fro ...

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

on track No. 2 * Dave Bishop: tenor sax on track No. 2 * Tony Fisher: trumpet on tracks No. 3, and #9;

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

on tracks No. 2, and No. 4 * Derek Watkins: trumpet on tracks No. 3, and #9; flugelhorn on track No. 3 * Bert Ezard: trumpet and flugelhorn on track No. 3 * Cliff Hardie:

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

on tracks No. 3, and No. 9 *

Stan Sulzmann Stanley Ernest Sulzmann (born 30 November 1948) is an English jazz saxophonist. Biography He was born in London, England. Sulzmann began playing the saxophone at age of 13 and played in 1964 Bill Ashton's London Youth Jazz Orchestra, later th ...

: tenor sax on tracks No. 3, and No. 9 * Jim Sullivan: acoustic guitar on track No. 4 *

Jamie Talbot James Robert Talbot (born 23 April 1960 in London) is an English jazz alto saxophonist. Talbot played with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and then with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He attended the Royal College of Music during 1978� ...

: alto sax on track No. 6 * John Barclay: trumpet on track No. 9

Production and engineering

* Phil Harding: production for

PWL Pete Waterman Entertainment (PWE) is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by British pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL (Pete Waterman Limited), is most famous for being the home of hit record prod ...

, and

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

ing *Produced by Reilly, Fisher, Harding (except No. 1 and No. 5, produced by Reilly, Harding) *Duffy & Jamie: assistants @ P.W.L. Studios *Stuart: assistant @

Workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...

*Gerry & Stuart: assistants @ Marquee *Tim Young: mastering and

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals **Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...

mixing @

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

Studios

Other staff

Haydn Cottam Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

sleeve A sleeve ( ang, slīef, a word allied to ''slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, acro ...

painting * Graham Smith:

design and

photography * Sheila Rock: sleeve photography * Carl Leighton-Pope for Bonaire Group: management

Certifications

References

Paul Gambaccini Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born April 2, 1949) is an American-British radio and television presenter and author in the United Kingdom. He has dual United States and British nationality, having become a British citizen in 2005. Known as "The Grea ...

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

, Jonathan Rice, ''Guinness Book of British Hit Singles'' (9th edition) –

External links

Amazon.com: product info and reviews
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matt Bianco (Album) 1986 albums Matt Bianco albums