BMG UK CD News
By Dereck Mannering

 
 
The long wait is almost over. I am very pleased to bring you news of two stellar additions to the Lanza CD catalog, both from BMG's London office. A special new "best of Lanza" 2-CD compilation which I've been involved with is being readied for release in Great Britain and a fabulous 'two-on-one' compilation is also in the works.
 
The CD under consideration is a 'twofer': two terrific original Lanza albums SERENADE and A CAVALCADE OF SHOW TUNES issued for the first time on a single disc. The London office has sought copyright clearance for this from New York and all going well the CD should be available in Britain later this summer.
 
The other Lanza compilation is a 2-disc set scheduled for release in the U.K. at the end of May. Several months ago BMG in London contacted me and asked me to work on MARIO LANZA: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION, a 24-track CD featuring Lanza in top vocal form. Record companies are constantly re-packaging their artists' greatest hits and BMG has decided to promote this new compilation with a TV-advertised marketing campaign.
 
What makes this new collection extra special is the second disc in the package: Christopher Lee's superb reading of THE MARIO LANZA STORY, which I adapted for BMG several years ago from my first Lanza biography. This is the first time Lee's narration has been issued on Compact Disc and given his recent high-profile appearances in the "Lord of the Rings" and the latest "Star Wars" movies this has to be seen as a marketing plus for both BMG and Lanza. In addition, a selection of photographs from my new pictorial book MARIO LANZA: A LIFE IN PICTURES will be included in the accompanying CD booklet.
 
Choosing material for the hits CD was a challenge. I had previously compiled "The Ultimate Collection" for BMG, a disc that is still on sale worldwide, and the Company wanted to avoid duplicating as many selections as possible on the new release. The solution lay in the many newly remastered Lanza recordings released over the past few years, in particular the outstanding work done by our host Jeff Rense in bringing to light some fabulous material from the Coca-Cola series. "The Ultimate Collection" featured Mario's RCA renditions of "Because", "Granada", "O Sole Mio", "The Loveliest Night of the Year" and "La Donna e Mobile". These tracks have been replaced on the new compilation with sparkling performances from "The Mario Lanza Show". Other highlights include the much sought-after "Romance", Mario's best ever "La Danza", and his peerless RCA version of "Che Gelida Manina".
 
THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION Compact Disc and my new book MARIO LANZA: A LIFE IN PICTURES will be on sale in the U.K. at the end of May; the SERENADE/CAVALCADE CD should follow soon after. All will be available online from Amazon.co.uk.
 
DEREK MANNERING
 
MARIO LANZA - THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION
 
Disc 1
 
1. BE MY LOVE (RCA)
2. GOLDEN DAYS (MGM)
3. BECAUSE (Coke Show)
4. LA BOHÈME: CHE GELIDA MANINA (RCA)
5. ONE ALONE (Coke Show - with Introduction)
6. LA DANZA (Coke Show)
7. THE LOVELIEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR (Coke Show)
8. ARRIVEDERCI ROMA (MGM)
9. NIGHT AND DAY (Coke Show)
10. CORE'NGRATO (RCA)
11. DRINK, DRINK, DRINK (MGM)
12. BEGIN THE BEGUINE (Coke Show)
13. O SOLE MIO (Coke Show)
14. RIGOLETTO: LA DONNA È MOBILE (Sung In English) (Coke Show)
15. APRIL IN PARIS (Coke Show - with Introduction)
16. GRANADA (Coke Show)
17. BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE (RCA)
18. RIGOLETTO: QUESTA O QUELLA (RCA)
19. I'LL WALK WITH GOD (MGM)
20. TORNA A SURRIENTO (Coke Show)
21. Schubert AVE MARIA (For the First Time)
22. ROMANCE (Coke Show)
23. MARTHA: M'APPARI (RCA)
24. WITHOUT A SONG (Coke Show)
 
Disc 2
 
THE MARIO LANZA STORY read by Christopher Lee


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