Matt's Dissatisfaction with "The Lady Smiles"

[LindyG]

Hi Richard,
In The Singer's Singer, Michele wrote that Matt felt "The Lady Smiles' "had been butchered" and that it was the "worst offender" of three that offended his ear. (pg 381 in the paperback, for anyone who wants the ref)

I've listened to this recording 4 times in the last 24 hours, trying to find what offended Matt. And I don't get it. While it isn't the most exciting/interesting song, because not very inspired lyrics or melody (unlike "What to Do", which follows it, and "Only the Night Wind Knows" BEAUTIFUL!), I don't hear what offended Matt so.

It's a Sid Feller arrangement, and with Matt singing, how can it offend anyone?

Do you hear it, Richard?

Thanks

[Rmoore]

What offended Matt with The Lady Smiles (and a lot of other tracks from the Broadway sessions) was that they took recordings of him and a small group of musicians (piano, bass, drums & guitar) and overdubbed them all with strings and brass without his knowledge. He loved the intimate feel of the small group sessions. They were all 'head arrangements' ie they took the song and improvised arrangements in the studio. Matt loved those undubbed recordings and was unhappy when they were released, dubbed without his knowledge.

I suppose he must have eventually got used to it, but this was probably the reason the 'Invitation to Broadway' album was shelved for nearly two years before it was released.

Richard

[Eman]

Wow, it would have been interesting to hear those "head sessions" without all the overdubs. Maybe in the future they could be released kind of like the Beatles did with "Let It Be, Naked".

[Rmoore]

It is actually on our list. The multi-tracks still exist for those sessions which includes all of the Broadway album, plus several single or compilation tracks and two otherwise unreleased songs (which incidentally have never been overdubbed either). All the tracks were recorded in New York - Matt's only ever sessions there - so we'd like to them out as 'The New York Sessions' at some point. Ideally with both stripped down tracks and remixed overdubbed tracks in the same set. It's the project I've most wanted to do after Rarer, and researched the existence of all the undubbed ad dubbed multi tracks three years ago! (and both Michele & I always have lists of things we'd LIKE to put out.)

However we will have to see what happens with the EMI/Universal buyout and see if the label(s) will go for it.

Richard

[hpooch]

Yes, Richard, the "New York Sessions" CD would be a wonderful CD to look forward to in the future.
Has there been any discoveries of anyone that recorded any of Matt's live shows from Las Vegas?
It would really be a great future CD if ever there was one titled "Matt-Live in Las Vegas". We can only hope!

[Rmoore]

Not as yet, and unfortunately I doubt it would happen, Michele has all of Matt's contracts and had a show been taped professionally we'd know about it. Michele and I have often spoken about wishing his last big concert at the Barbican in London had been recorded, this was widely regarded as his greatest show ever.

We do know that one show was filmed in San Francisco for (of all people) the Philippines government archive, and we have a very poor quality vhs dub of it - Unfortunately when the Marcos regime fell most of the TV archives were destroyed and I have tried many many times to get answers from the holders of the current archive as to it's status, all I get is that it is 'unlikely' to have survived.

I have drawn a blank tracking down the company that filmed it too, although I doubt they would have kept a copy for 30 years!

Richard