Memories Of You

A combination of audio featuring 30 previously unreleased radio recordings with the Ted Heath Orchestra and video footage from 'Morecambe and Wise', 'The Cilla Black Show', 'Saturday Night at the Mill' and Matt's own TV special 'Matt Sings Monro'
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paul jh
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Memories Of You

Post by paul jh » Mon Jun 08, 2009 7:04 pm

:) Just how beautiful is Memories of You? The first time I heard it I almost drove through a red light. I liked it on the Decca album, but it's better on Matt at the BBC because it has the inimitable Matt Monro styling. That down octave jump is thrilling. :o I just wish the song was longer.

I haven't finished listening to the CD yet, but Memories of You is the highlight so far. :D

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Lena & Harry Smith
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Post by Lena & Harry Smith » Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:16 am

Memories Of You, another great oldie and Matt does sings this song beautifully Paul.
Another is, Rosemary Clooney with clarinetist Benny Goodman. :lol:

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paul jh
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Post by paul jh » Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:50 pm

Thanks for the tip Lena and Harry. I've never heard Memories of You by Rosemary Clooney and will try to find it. I love that song.

I've now listened to the full CD of Matt at the BBC. Memories of You is still the top track for me.

I love hearing the Decca tracks in true Matt Monro styling. And he really makes the most of some rather poor material, like Garden of Eden.

I'm loving the quicker tempo of My Kind of Girl, as I was getting tired of this song. I like his improvisation throughout the song.

I'm still not liking It's Alright With Me, but it's better than the recording on The Rare Monro. I think it's best that Matt Monro stayed away from Cole Porter as I'm not sure Mr Porter's songs fit with Matt Monro's voice.

I'm not sure I hear the key changes that Michele has referenced. But I haven't played them back to back with the original recordings. Perhaps I Get Along Without You Very Well is a bit higher, but I don't think so. :?: Richard Moore: can you shed light on the key change mystery? By the way, that was superb restoration of these songs.

I love One Morning In May of course, but I'm missing some of the key cymbal clashes. The same thing happens in a few other tracks where I missed an instrument. I tried to add them in myself, but it doesn't work too well. :) For the most part the arrangements seem basically the same to me. :?: Did Matt Monro own these arrangements and carry them around with him, or did Ted Heath's arrangers try to copy the originals?

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Rmoore
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Post by Rmoore » Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:23 pm

Hi Paul,

Yes, I was very happy with how these tracks restored, but this is testiment to how well the songs were recorded.

I have listened side by side to all of the original recordings as I made copious notes for Michele. If you want more detail than are in the CD notes - including basic song by song differences - look at the CD of the month section on the main site where Michele has posted my original notes. Look for:

"Trivia Facts devised and written by Richard Moore"

But the reason for the key changes (which only happens on Decca Material) is that Matt was able to work with the arrangers to find the best key for him, rather than have they key decided for him, which is what would have happened on the original Decca sessions.

The arrangements would be either used with permission, adapted with permission (especially where a string section was originally featured) or completely new. Matt wouldn't own the arrangements as such they would be the copyright of the original arranger, but as most of these were by Johnnie Spence I doubt this would have been a problem.

Richard

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keithgood838
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Post by keithgood838 » Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:38 am

Hi Richard and Paul.
May I add my three-pennorth to your absorbing
technical discussion?
Richard, I'm frankly amazed to learn that the studio arrangers
could dictate the keys Matt should sing in. Matt's range
would invariably mean a choice of two, and he would be
the pre-eminent judge of which one suited him best.
It would be tantamount to trying to dictate a virtuoso
instrumentalist's playing style. Bloomin' cheek! :wink:
Keith

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Rmoore
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Post by Rmoore » Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:37 pm

You must remember when Matt recorded his Decca album that this was his first profesional solo recording. He recorded the album in one day and will have had very little rehearsal or consultation.

He would have been dictated to every step of the way - he was even told how he had to sing the songs - which is why they don't have the style he imprinted on his later recordings.

But when your working in the buses and get offered a recording contract, i suppose you go with the flow and count your blessings!

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paul jh
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Post by paul jh » Sat Jun 13, 2009 12:54 am

Richard - Thanks for the tip on your detailed album notes. I have just printed it and will review it closely at the weekend. Sometimes I don't have a chance to read everything on the main website.

Perhaps you discuss it in your notes, but I'm wondering why he recorded inferior songs like Garden of Eden for these BBC sessions, but didn't record Portrait of My Love? Perhaps it had to do with POML's string arrangement and it wouldn't work with the Ted Heath arrangements.

Keith - I think that Matt Monro could sing in many keys as he had an incredibly wide range. But you're right, the key makes a big difference in the overall feel of the song.

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Marian
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Post by Marian » Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:50 am

Garden of Eden had been a popular song for other singers at that time, so I presume Matt was encouraged to record songs like this in order to get into the 'hit parade' too :wink:

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Rmoore
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Post by Rmoore » Sat Jun 13, 2009 1:39 pm

Whilst I don't have a definitive answer to this question I've got a few ideas.

You must understand the situation in which these songs they were recorded.

The Star Show was recorded for BBC Transcription services which meant that the programmes were recorded specifically for overseas sales and not for UK broadcast. First of all Matt was the resident singer and had to find 26 different songs to sing from his repertoire and record them in a very short space of time. They also had to appeal to a wide audience around the world, not the UK. Some of these songs had also been big hits abroad (albeit by other artists).

His most recent album was Hoagy Carmichael so it made sense that many of these songs were used along with a number of recent hits which would fit in with the style of the Ted Heath and His Music which of course was a big band. Therefore as you surmised, string laden ballads were out of the window. At the time the Ballad was what Matt had most success with so he had to look deaper into his catalogue to find material that would work. The time constraints would mean he had very little time to find new songs.

However at least he had the chance to re-record the songs in a way he wanted them to sound.

The exact reasons for why the material was chosen will probably never be known but Matt was very successful in 1963 and radio was thought of very much as a disposable medium so less time and trouble was taken over repertoire.

We must be grateful that these shows were tucked away in the corner of the BBC International archive as very little else (Including a whole series of 13 shows by Matt singing about 8 songs a week including Duets with many guests!) were not kept and unless anybody has off air recordings will never be heard again.

Michele has put together a list of all known TV & Radio shows Matt appeared in and it's frightening just how many are now gone forever.

Richard

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Marian
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Post by Marian » Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:06 pm

Very sad Richard that so many performances are gone for ever. :cry:

"The Garden of Eden" was a #1 Hit in the U.K Charts for Frankie Vaughan from the 25th January 1957, and remained there for 4 weeks!
So obviously some people liked it Paul :lol:
Marian :wink:

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