Audio CD Box Set – 5th November 2001
Label E.M.I
Discs 4
ASIN No B00005OB0C
Catalogue No. 5358142
The
term “Singer’s Singer” can
imply that a performer’s status within
the industry is greater than his status among
the public. And up until this box set was
released a few years ago, that nickname seemed
regrettably appropriate. Ironically, though,
the very release of such an important product
showed that Matt Monro, though always a singer’s
singer in the best sense, was suddenly the
world’s singer too. No performer gets
this kind of attention from a major record
company without an expectation of commercial
success.
To
fans like me who had spent years hoping for
some kind of posthumous breakthrough, a catalyst
that promised a tangible legacy for all time,
this box set was it. When Matt’s daughter
Michele decided to undertake the project,
she established herself as the leader of a
new parade into the world of immortality.
Having reached a point in her life when she
was ready to take on the role of mythmaker,
Michele dove right in, and the results have
been utterly astounding.
Thank
her for this box set and book, for the discovery
and release of lost recordings and film footage,
for a No. 1 concert DVD, for a Top 10 commemorative
album, for a biographical documentary, for
much of the success of her brother’s
concert tour, for Matt Monro merchandise,
and, of course, for this Web site. All of
it in just a few short years.
The
“Singer’s Singer” box set
includes four CDs as well as a book that is
substantial enough to have been released on
its own. Here you have all of Matt’s
hits along with many fan favorites and several
unreleased recordings. There are 100 tracks
in all, which must approach a fifth of his
total career output. Most fans probably played
CD 4 first, with its many unreleased tracks
and unexpected gems. Here we find broadcast-quality
recordings of several of Matt’s commercials,
an extended version of Eurovision contender
“I’ve Got The Moon On My Side,”
and oddities like “Be My Lady,”
which was recorded in the Philippines and
whose arrangement is one of Asia’s most
popular Matt Monro karaoke tracks.
This
set will always be special to me, not just
for its impeccable song list, but also because
its release burst into a phenomenon that has
left me slack-jawed ever since.
Written
by: David Durrett,Jacksonville,
Florida
Exclusive:
Marks & Spencer CD
Released: 7th January 2006
Label: EMI Gold
