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The Precious Moments: Cherry Red Collects Matt Monro's "Complete EMI Recordings 1971-1984"

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Matt Monro Complete EMI

BUY NOW FROM CHERRY RED

Thanks to the herculean efforts of Michele Monro and the Matt Monro Estate and engineer/restoration specialist Richard Moore, the music of Matt Monro (1930-1985) has been particularly well served in the CD/digital era.  The late singer so closely identified with such classics as "If I Never Sing Another Song," "My Kind of Girl," and "Walk Away" was admired by Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Bing Crosby, Quincy Jones, and Michael Jackson for his warm, clear baritone and direct, understated way with a song.  He was a close collaborator of George Martin's and a muse of sorts for John Barry, whose "From Russia with Love," "Born Free," "This Way, Mary," and "Wednesday's Child" were among the memorable songs he immortalized.  On June 23, the Monro Estate teams with Cherry Red's Strawberry imprint to add a new, comprehensive collection to the Matt Monro discography.  The Complete EMI Recordings 1971-1984 features four complete albums, 15 singles, and various outtakes and rarities (including live performances and alternative mixes) to paint a complete portrait of the singer during this period of enormous change and creativity.

In 1971, Matt Monro left the American Capitol Records label to return to his 1960-1965 home of EMI in the United Kingdom.  At Capitol, he had continued to work in the U.K. with George Martin but was also paired for U.S. sessions with producer Dave Cavanaugh and arrangers including Sid Feller, Billy May, and Phil Wright.  Back at EMI, he would be initially assigned to the Columbia label (rather than Parlophone, for which he had recorded previously) but would also appear on EMI proper when the conglomerate experimented with consolidating its labels under one brand.  The Cherry Red set brings together every one of Matt's EMI masters from this period including the albums For the Present (1973, his final full-length album with George Martin), The Other Side of the Stars (1975), The Long and Winding Road (1975), and If I Never Sing Another Song (1979).

Both The Long and Winding Road and If I Never Sing Another Song make their CD debuts in this package.  When The Other Side of the Stars was originally issued - comprising recordings which had sat on the shelf for two years - it appears that rough mixes were mostly utilized.  For this edition, the album (and two additional songs recorded during the sessions) has been completely remixed from the original 16-track tapes.  Previous CD issues of both The Other Side of the Stars and For the Present have been derived from sources including vinyl dubs; For the Present has been sourced here from the original stereo master tapes.

The Complete EMI Recordings 1971-1984 offers Monro's distinctive, smooth, and moving interpretations of songs including John Barry and Don Black's "This Way, Mary" and "Curiouser and Curiouser;" George Harrison's "Isn't It a Pity," Jimmy Webb's "Didn't We" (in two unique versions), Smokey Robinson and Michel Legrand's "Happy," Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher's "You and Me Against the World," Cat Stevens' "Morning Has Broken," Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn, and T.S. Eliot's "Memory" from Cats, and Paul Anka's "I Don't Want to Run Your Life."  The latter was recorded at Monro's final recording session, held at George Martin's AIR Studios on July 7, 1984.

Among the rarities are "Diana," a 1981 tribute to the Princess; jingles for Woolworth's and others; the Roy Budd soundtrack cut "Alone Am I" from Tomorrow Never Comes; two new mixes of "Love Story" (one version in English and one in Spanish); and alternate takes of songs including "What a Wonderful World," "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy," "Let There Be Love," and Lerner and Loewe's "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore" as well as Matt's alternate vocal on Charles Aznavour's "Yesterday When I Was Young."

A handful of previously unreleased tracks premiere here, among them "And You Smiled" in Spanish (1973), an early mix of "Darling, Come Home Soon," and a pair of live tracks recorded down under in 1981: "If They Could See Me Now" and a medley of "You Are My Sunshine/You Are the Sunshine of My Life."  Neither was ever recorded by Monro in the studio.

The new collection has been mastered from the original tapes by Richard Moore at Mint Audio and designed by John Sellards; it's fully authorized by Michele Monro and the Matt Monro Estate.  The four discs are housed in a digipak.

Matt Monro died of cancer on February 7, 1985 at the age of 54, yet the extraordinary musical legacy of the golden-voiced vocalist lives on.  Look for The Complete EMI Recordings 1971-1984 on June 23 from Cherry Red/Strawberry.  You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below.  We'll update with Amazon links as soon as they go live.

Matt Monro, The Complete EMI Recordings 1971-1974 (Cherry Red/Strawberry, 2023)

CD 1

  1. Singin' In the Rain
  2. First of May
  3. Michelle
  4. Didn't We
  5. Speak Softly Love
  6. Bridge Over Troubled Water
  7. I Am
  8. Curiouser and Curiouser
  9. Ethel Baby (Mr Wonderful)
  10. Till Then My Love
  11. The Me I Never Knew
  12. Sarah's Coming Home
  13. Time to Go (included on The Rarer Monro, EMI Gold 5099962466325, 2012)
  14. O My Child (included on The Rarer Monro, EMI Gold 5099962466325, 2012)
  15. Only Friends (Columbia single DB 8900, 1972)
  16. Mama Packed a Picnic Tea (Columbia single DB 8788, 1971)
  17. Isn't It a Pity (Columbia single DB 8788, 1971)
  18. Love Story (New Mix)
  19. This Way Mary (Columbia single DB 8860, 1972)
  20. Wish Now Was Then (Columbia single DB 8860, 1972)
  21. Didn't We (Alternate Arrangement)
  22. How Can I Live Without Your Love (included on The Rarer Monro, EMI Gold 5099962466325, 2012)
  23. Historia De Amor (Love Story) (New Mix)
  24. Let The Train Take the Strain (Jingle Bells) (included on The Rarities Collection, Parlophone 82564604452, 2013)

Tracks 1-12 from For the Present, Columbia (U.K.) SCX 6625, 1973

CD 2

  1. Let There Be Love (New Mix)
  2. What A Wonderful World (New Mix)
  3. When You Wish Upon A Star (New Mix)
  4. Over The Rainbow (New Mix)
  5. For All We Know (New Mix)
  6. Let Me Sing And I'm Happy (New Mix)
  7. Be My Love (New Mix)
  8. Chattanooga Choo Choo (New Mix)
  9. I Love You Because (New Mix)
  10. No Regrets (New Mix)
  11. You're Sensational (New Mix)
  12. I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore (New Mix)
  13. Yesterday When I Was Young (New Mix)
  14. It's That Time Again (New Mix)
  15. I Am In Life (Columbia single DB 8988, 1973)
  16. There Ya Go (EMI single 2091, 1973)
  17. What A Wonderful World (Take 2) (included on Alternate Monro, Parlophone 825646413478, 2013)
  18. Let There Be Love (Take 2) (included on Alternate Monro, Parlophone 825646413478, 2013)
  19. Let Me Sing and I'm Happy (Take 1) (included on Alternate Monro, Parlophone 825646413478, 2013)
  20. Yesterday When I Was Young (Alternate Vocal) (included on Alternate Monro, Parlophone 825646413478, 2013)
  21. I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore (Take 4) (included on Alternate Monro, Parlophone 825646413478, 2013)
  22. Amor Habla Me Dulcemente (Speak Softly Love) (EMI/Odeon (Spain) single J00620924, 1973)

Tracks 1-12 from The Other Side of the Stars, Columbia SCX 5678, 1975

CD 3

  1. Happy
  2. You And Me Against the World
  3. Only Once
  4. Did It Happen
  5. Sunday Kind Of Woman
  6. I Can't Stop Loving You
  7. I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten
  8. All The Wishing in the World
  9. The Auction
  10. Ready Steady Go
  11. Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife
  12. The Long and Winding Road
  13. I've So Much To Be Thankful For (included on The Rare Monro, EMI Gold 372 5582, 2006)
  14. Did It Happen (Early Version) (included on Alternate Monro, Parlophone 825646413478, 2013)
  15. And You Smiled (EMI single 2091, 1973)
  16. How Could I Ever Leave You (EMI single 2186, 1974)
  17. Darling Come Home Soon (EMI single 2186, 1974)
  18. So Little Time (EMI single 2273, 1975)
  19. The Little Things (EMI single 2446, 1976)
  20. One Last Try (included on The Rarer Monro, EMI Gold 5099962466325, 2012)
  21. Darling Come Home Soon (Early Mix) (*)
  22. And You Smiled (Spanish) (*)
  23. The Wonder Of Woolworths (Jingle) (included on The Singer's Singer, EMI 7243 535814 2 8, 2001)
  24. Zal (Jingle) (included on The Rarer Monro, EMI Gold 5099962466325, 2012)

Tracks 1-12 from The Long and Winding Road, EMI EMC 3096, 1975

CD 4

  1. With These Hands
  2. You Light Up My Life
  3. Answer Me
  4. I Think I'm Getting Over You
  5. When A Child Is Born
  6. If I Never Sing Another Song
  7. May Each Day
  8. Morning Has Broken
  9. By Her Side
  10. Mary's Boy Child
  11. The Last Farewell
  12. The Touch Of Your Love (included on The Rare Monro, EMI Gold 372 5582, 2006)
  13. Alone Am I (included on Tomorrow Never Comes, Cinephile CD CINCD020, 2000)
  14. The Precious Moments (EMI single 5087, 1980)
  15. Diana (EMI single 5194, 1981)
  16. Be My Lady (from The Very Best of Matt Monro Vol. 3, EMI Philippines EMDR 8803, rec. 1983)
  17. Memory (from The Very Best of Matt Monro Vol. 3, EMI Philippines EMDR 8803, rec. 1983)
  18. You Bring Out The Best In Me (Columbia single DB 9097, 1984)
  19. I Don't Want To Run Your Life (Columbia single DB 9097, 1984)
  20. If They Could See Me Now (Live) (*)
  21. You Are My Sunshine / You Are the Sunshine of My Life (Live) (*)

Tracks 1-12 from If I Never Sing Another Song, Columbia SCX 6605, 1979

(*) denotes previously unreleased song

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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