Downloadable Basia interview

Via basiasongs.com. Basia always gives a good interview but she's really in her groove here. It was conducted by Mark Watkins for a radio station in the UK before the London shows and he asks her about the new album and the good ol background too. Enthusiastic memories of early Matt Bianco as well.

What's fantastic is that you can download this and listen anytime! Read here for details.

Basia in Perfect: a song surfaces!

Whoa! Thanks to marek for this one!
"It's early and unknown recording called "Obłęd w podmiejskiej dyskotece" (Insanity In The Suburban Disco / Madness In The Out-of-town Disco) from "Historie nieznane 1971-1991" (Unknown Stories 1971-1991) album. It was recorded when Basia was singing with Perfect band."

YouTube

Download directly.

No one will ever claim this as part of Basia canon but it's neat to see something like this surface.

A (Christmas) Gift

Just in time for the holiday's full swing is the Matt Bianco Christmas song, "The Happy Christmas Song"! We also have the demo to "Half A Minute." You might remember these from the '04-'05 official Matt Bianco site, here's the background from then:

“Half A Minute” demo (early 1983)-- right click to save
This was the first song we wrote as Matt Bianco. It was recorded on a 4 track Portastudio in a damp basement of a house I was sharing with Andy & Peter Ross (who introduced us to their dad - Ronnie). When Basia recorded her vocals it was the first time she had met Mark. She arrived as we were finishing the lyrics; she read them, learnt the melody, recorded it, tracked it and added backing vocals; all within a couple of hours.

Also playing with us for the first time was Ronnie Ross, on baritone sax. Peter Ross plays percussion and Kito Poncioni plays bass and guitar. Although it sounds rough it does have a certain charm.

The Happy Christmas Song” demo-- right click to save
In the run up to the Christmas of '83, having just signed our record deal with WEA, we presented them with this portastudio demo as a joke. It was never meant to be taken seriously and never saw the light of day - until now. Peter Ross plays drums and sleigh bells.

Many thanks to Danny for sharing these with us again!

Downloads section is back

The former Files section is now called Downloads and again contains the one extant Bronze demo, Danny solo and Danny singing in a lost Blue Rondo demo, original Time and Tide demos, the last Matt Bianco track which evolved into a Basia one, Basia singing a Ronnie Ross composition, and Danny and Andy Ross just being ridiculous.

Treasures all! So download away.

"Time and Tide" demo; "Peppercorn Blue"

The demo for "Time and Tide" is now on the Downloads section, and our last song is another surprising lost track by Danny. Hope you guys have enjoyed these early works as much as I have!

"From Now On" demo

A nice, nice variant on the classic Time and Tide track.

Matt Bianco, "Undercover" (original demo)

Today's song, the long-rumored last original-lineup Matt Bianco song from 1985, is going to sound familiar. And much like the original Matt Bianco, this song also split into two entities: a Basia song and a lyrical theme for a future Reilly/Fisher song. Anyway, check it out to see what I mean.

"3AM Blues," Blue Rondo A La Turk

A "lost" demo from Danny's days in Blue Rondo A La Turk is the next track— and it's pretty much guaranteed to surprise you.

"The Night is Still A Child" and "Scrapple from the Apple"

Tonight, we have Basia without Danny and then Danny without Basia. First, Basia sings a Ronnie Ross composition in a touching, pensive performance from 1981. It may sound like a jazz standard at first, see what you think.

And for something completely different, a rendition of "Scrapple From The Apple." This one speaks for itself so we leave you to it! Listen here to both of tonight's tracks.

These mp3s are complete with ID3 tags for those who use iTunes, by the way.

Exclusive early tracks and demos

Basia and Danny are sharing music from their early years with the fans, and starting today it will be our pleasure to have a new song every few days on the Downloads section. These songs, recorded from 1981 to 1986, range from funny studio experiments to unused demos to the beginnings of songs from Time and Tide. Danny has also sent commentary on each song that you can also read as you download.

Today's track is practically mythical in the fandom, but it's very, very real! In 1981 Basia and Danny were part of a jazz-funk group called Bronze, and they cut a real gem of a track called "No Cinderella" for a demo being shopped to labels at the time. The band broke up after meeting a (surprising) lack of interest, sending this song to Danny's closet for the next twenty-five years: until today!