Matt Monro - The George Martin Years CD (& appreciation thread) *

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by vzok, Aug 6, 2016.

  1. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    Matt Monro releases pre Parlophone Era. Demos/Radio/Live

    Demo/Acetates

    Vesti La Giubba (Put on the Costume) (from I Pagliacci)

    Piano Demo recorded in Hong Kong circa 1952


    All Of Me

    How Deep Is The Ocean

    Two of the few surviving songs from “Terry Parsons Sings” radio show. Hong Kong


    Polka Dots and Moonbeams

    I Hear Music

    Acetate Demo from 1956


    All above available on CD bundled with the Special Edition of “The Singer’s Singer – the Life and Music Of Matt Monro” Except ”I Hear Music“ which was on Matt Uncovered/Rarities


    The Nearness of You

    Undated Acetate issued on “Words and Music”


    I Suddenly*

    We’ll have a lot to tell the children

    Aladdin’s Lamp

    Dreamdust

    Publishers Demos recorded between 1957 & 59 issued on Special Edition of “The Singer’s Singer“ or * Matt Uncovered/Rarities


    Quite Suddenly

    The Ghost Of The Past Ember - EMBS 120

    Demos recorded in 1959 for the songwriter Merick Farran and released without Matt permission. Matt sued and won. He hated the recordings and these have never been officially re-issued.


    Radio Transcriptions

    I’ve Got My Eyes On You

    Amor Amor

    Birth Of The Blues

    Chattanooga Choo Choo

    Did You Ever See A Dream Walking

    Everything I Have Is Yours

    I'll Be Around

    It's Only A Paper Moon

    I've Got The World On A String

    My Funny Valentine

    The Nearness Of You

    You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me

    You're Sensational

    Recorded for Reditune a library music company owned by Rediffusion. Issued on Matt Uncovered/Rarities


    Devil Moon


    It Can’t Be Wrong

    I’ve Got You Under My Skin

    BBC Stereo Tests. Probably unbroadcast, issued on Matt Uncovered/Rarities


    Radio Broadcasts (includes previously unpublished info)

    Saturday Club – Saturday 20th December 1958 - BBC Light Programme

    (Matt’s songs pre-recorded 16th December 1958)

    Accompanied by The Bill McGuffie Trio

    Produced by Jimmy Grant

    You Make Me Feel So Young

    Prisoner Of Love Matt Uncovered – The Rarer Monro


    Saturday Club – Saturday 21st March 1959 - BBC Light Programme

    (Matt’s songs pre-recorded 16th March 1959)

    Accompanied by The Bill McGuffie Trio

    Produced by Jimmy Grant

    This Is Real, This Is Love

    I Remember It Well – with June Marlow

    French Poodle Heart Of A Man - Night Owl NOMCD 101


    Saturday Club – Saturday 16th May 1959 - BBC Light Programme

    (Matt’s songs pre-recorded 11th May 1959)

    Accompanied by The Bill McGuffie Trio

    Produced by Jimmy Grant

    Say Something Sweet To Your Sweet Heart

    The Heart Of A Man

    Flattery – With June Marlow Heart Of A Man - Night Owl NOMCD 101


    Saturday Club – Saturday 20th June 1959 - BBC Light Programme

    (Matt’s songs pre-recorded 16th June 1959)

    Accompanied by Ken Jones Five

    Produced by Jimmy Grant

    My Favourite Song

    The Heart Of A Man

    Come To My Arms Baby

    Just One Of Those Things

    Pennies From Heaven - with Ken Jones Heart Of A Man - Night Owl NOMCD 101
     
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  2. voles

    voles Forum Lurker

    Location:
    UK
    I don't think 'Prisoner Of Love' from 16th December 1958 is on Matt Uncovered – The Rarer Monro. I only have the single version and the 1963 performance on Matt at The BBC.

    Also, I believe the CD you mentioned is called Heart Of The Man. I only point this out because of the trouble I have had tracking it down under the title Heart of A Man.

    Its reasonably priced though Amazon Marketplace


    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2018
  3. vzok

    vzok Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    UK
    Richard, do you have any information on the US albums like Yesterday and From Russia With Love. A lot of the tracks on them were UK singles.

    Was the original intention for those songs to be singles and then the US retrospectively compiled an album from them, or were they recorded for the US album originally? If so why not release the albums in the UK?
     
  4. Great Music Lover

    Great Music Lover Well-Known Member

    Location:
    UK
    My copy of The Singer's Singer arrived a few days ago. Just curious, but apart from the size difference of the packaging, is the book that comes with "The Singer's Singer 4 CD Set any different between the Long-box version and this later normal square version. I was expecting more pages in the little booklet. I'm trying to find the microscope within the later packaging to read the text, especially the tracklisting on the back of the later "square type" release. If this later version has a cut down booklet, which does not seem to mirror the contents of the CD as it seems so brief in narrative, what will I be missing.
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2018
  5. voles

    voles Forum Lurker

    Location:
    UK
    Not sure the publishers of these otherwise excellent sets really thought about the likely age of its audience. :)
     
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  6. Great Music Lover

    Great Music Lover Well-Known Member

    Location:
    UK
    Indeed. The only slight positive is that it is black text on a white background or reversed in some areas of the booklet. I’ve seen some releases that use a strange combination of colours like light pink text on a red background or light blue text on a dark blue background. And to think some of these art designers earn loads of dosh. Ah the fun of getting old eh. You gotta laugh!!
     
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  7. Great Music Lover

    Great Music Lover Well-Known Member

    Location:
    UK
    Just got around to looking at the booklet inside "Matt Uncovered" and on the track listing details, they have used a light grey text on a white background, and the text is even smaller. Of course the designers are probably viewing it on a giant Mac screen.
     
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  8. vzok

    vzok Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    UK
    The original “Singer’s Singer” had a larger book. The re-release skipped that book partly because by then the full Matt biography had been released and also the price of the second version was much lower. The re-release has been remastered since the 2001 version.
     
  9. Great Music Lover

    Great Music Lover Well-Known Member

    Location:
    UK
    So are you saying that the book in the old version contained more biography info or more recording session data.
     
  10. vzok

    vzok Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    UK
    I’ve not seen the old book but I believe it was a mini biography.
     
  11. voles

    voles Forum Lurker

    Location:
    UK
    If you want a biography, you can't do better than The Singer's Singer - Special Reserve. You can get it for a reasonable price if you look around the usual marketplaces. This handsome publication not only has the full biography by Michelle Monro and a CD of otherwise unreleased goodies - it also has the excellent and more readable Sessionography by Richard Moore himself.
     
  12. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    Well spotted. That was on the same show and survives, but not on Uncovered and is currently unreleased.
     
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  13. voles

    voles Forum Lurker

    Location:
    UK
    So Mirage on the Rarities Collection is the same track as released on Love is The Same Anywhere? Later mastering?
     
  14. voles

    voles Forum Lurker

    Location:
    UK
    Shame.
     
  15. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    That is correct.
     
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  16. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    The majority were recorded as singles and later compiled. there were a few exceptions though. See last paragraph..

    Like the Beatles and many other British acts, despite the recordings being owned by a UK company with a US label, Capitol decided to pass on Matt when he first came to prominence. Initially Warwick picked up his earliest Parlophone recordings and then Liberty took them on. Like many US labels they didn't want to replicate the UK releases. They wanted to create their own. All Matt's Parlophone recordings were made available to them and they compiled their own releases. These were

    My Kind Of Girl - Matt Monro - My Kind of Girl
    From Hollywood with Love (Also issued as From Russia, but renamed due to the confusion with the film soundtrack) - Matt Monro - From Hollywood With Love
    Walk Away - Matt Monro - Walk Away
    All My Loving - Matt Monro - All My Loving
    Yesterday - Matt Monro - Yesterday

    An a compilation. Matt Monro's Best - Matt Monro - Matt Monro's Best

    "From Hollywood", "All My Loving" and "Yesterday" had recordings either first released or sometimes recorded especially for the US market. These tracks later found their way on to UK releases in the 60's & 70's, but some didn't get UK release until the 1990's
     
  17. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    Also correct. I thin it's because the song is called "Heart of A Man" that I made the mistake.
     
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  18. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    The original long box - Poorly mastered version - has a thicker long booklet with a potted biography - Which they printed wrongly and missed out a page of Michele's notes! This was not replicated for the re-issue as by that time Michele's full biography was available. We had no control over font sizes etc. It was at a time when EMI were cost cutting and being forced to use smaller booklets, so notes often were cut or made smaller!
     
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  19. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    Again it was make it small or lose it!
     
  20. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    Not just "remastered" as that perhaps sounds like it used he same tapes. It was re-compiled from all the first gen master tapes located both in the UK & US. With as much stereo that existed being used.
     
  21. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    Correct
     
  22. voles

    voles Forum Lurker

    Location:
    UK
    Is this a different take to take 9 on The Alternate Monro?
     
  23. RMoore

    RMoore Forum Resident

    Yes. The recording of "When Love Comes Along" is odd. I'll get round to that (and From Russia) at some point, Although both are pretty much explained in the Sessionography. This version the same backing track as the single, but a different vocal.
     
  24. vzok

    vzok Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    UK
    All this talk about the various rarities released over the last few years just reminds me how much I enjoy these CDs. There are many tracks on them that I enjoy more than a lot of the studio albums material. Even some of the very early, somewhat unpolished songs are great. I love "Dreamdust".

    I still think the finest Matt release is the Complete Singles Collection.
     
  25. voles

    voles Forum Lurker

    Location:
    UK
    Yes - a completists dream! However many tracks have been remastered since; some, I believe, more than once. I am also not sure, except in the case of from Russia With Love obviously, how many single versions differ from their album counterparts...

    I love all the subsequent collections as well but they leave me wondering what overlaps and what doesn't.

    For example is 'I've Got Love' on the The Rarities Collection the same as the take on The George Martin Years?

    It's the word 'Rarities' in the CD title makes me wonder in these cases.

    However, I fully understand that this not a concern to everyone. I suspect that most normal people just sit back and listen to the lovely music without caring where it fits in the history of Matt Munro's recorded output! :)
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2018

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