| Matt Bianco | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Matt Bianco |
| Cover: | Matt Bianco Album.jpg |
| Released: | 1986 |
| Recorded: | 1985–1986 |
| Studio: | P.W.L. Studios, Workhouse, Marquee, Mayfair, Sarm West |
| 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 PWL (production/sound engineering) Tim Young (mastering) |
| Prev Title: | Whose Side Are You On? |
| Prev Year: | 1984 |
| Next Title: | Indigo |
| Next Year: | 1988 |
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 vocalist Mark 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.
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.
Simon Mills of Smash Hits praised the album, stating that the songs "are totally frivolous and throwaway but at the same time indeniably catchy and irresistible", and wondered why Reilly was not a famous pop star, since "he's devastatingly handsome" and "writes fab, squeaky clean Euro-Latin pop tunes", he wrote.
In terms of its chart position in the United Kingdom, this album was more successful than the group's debut release, reaching number 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 number 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 No. 66 and No. 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.
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.
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[1] | 89 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[2] | 31 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[3] | 11 |
| Chart (1986) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[4] | 23 | |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] | 38 | |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[6] | 49 | |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] | 29 |
Matt Bianco:
with:
background vocals on tracks No. 1, and No. 2
drums on tracks No. 3, #6, and No. 9
percussion on tracks No. 1, #2, No. 3, #4, No. 8, and No. 10
trumpet on track #1; trumpet solo on tracks No. 3, and No. 7
alto sax on tracks No. 3, #8, and #10; baritone sax on tracks No. 1, #3, No. 4, #5, and No. 9
trumpet on track No. 2
tenor sax on track No. 2
tenor sax on track No. 2
trumpet on tracks No. 3, and #9; flugelhorn on tracks No. 2, and No. 4
trumpet on tracks No. 3, and #9; flugelhorn on track No. 3
trumpet and flugelhorn on track No. 3
trombone on tracks No. 3, and No. 9
tenor sax on tracks No. 3, and No. 9
acoustic guitar on track No. 4
alto sax on track No. 6
trumpet on track No. 9
production for PWL, and sound engineering
sleeve painting
sleeve design and sleeve photography
sleeve photography