Mario Lanza
The Definitive Collection
NEWS FROM BMG
Hello to all my friends
in the BMLS. I am happy to announce
the scheduled release of the above 2-CD set in the UK towards 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 “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 recordings as possible on the new
release. The solution lay in the
many newly remastered tracks released over the past few years, in particular the
outstanding work done by Jeff Rense in bringing to light some fabulous material
from the Coca-Cola series. “The
Ultimate Collection” featured Mario’s RCA recordings 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 renditions from “The
Mario Lanza Show”. Other
highlights include the much sought-after “Romance”, Mario’s best
ever “La Danza”, and is peerless RCA version of “Che Gelida
Manina”.
I
want to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Pam Latham,
Maynard F Bertolet, John Rice and Mike Murphy of the BMLS who came to my help at
the eleventh hour with some back-up material for the new greatest hits release.
Pam, Maynard, John and Mike played a crucial part in helping to make this
exciting new release a reality and BMG and I are most grateful for their
support.
THE
DEFINITIVE COLLECTION compact discs
and my new book MARIO LANZA: A LIFE IN PICTURES
will be on sale in the UK at the end of May.
DEREK MANNERING
