Discography

In the studio...

Orchestrations for new album: Mark Hole

Hear Matheson's arrangements and orchestrations on the début album, F Sharp, of extraordinary singer/songwriter, Mark Hole, to be released 30^th Oct 2008.

The track My Friend from the album, featuring brass band & fife arranged and performed by Matheson, was awarded Track of the Week by Mars Planets Radio.

Mark Hole — F#
(Click to enlarge)

Matheson's Solo CDs:

Solo CD: "The Spice Of Life"

— a collection of comic songs, novelty numbers, musical theatre ballads, written, produced and performed by Matheson, Indigo Ivories label, 2008.

The Spice of Life

Due for release in April July 2008, Matheson's latest album, The Spice of Life, can be pre-purchased from this order form, or you can subscribe to the newsletter if you'd rather receive an email upon its release with details as to how/where to buy.

Featuring four rearrangements of popular songs and ten eclectic original compositions by Matheson, the album vacillates between the satirical and the serious, the parody and the pioneering, with as many hilarious moments as there are melancholy.

A few tasters from the album:

"Somewhere Out There"

A prestissimo patter-song with a politico-geographical bent...

The Countries Song

See www.the-countries-song.com for more information + to hear the mp3.

“...I'll search Belarus and Bahrain, Uganda and Spain
The Gambia, Zambia and The Ukraine
Trinidad & Tobago, The Congo and Togo and Tonga and Tajikistan...

Costa Rica, Barbados, Afghanistan, Egypt, Japan
Then in Cyprus, Benin, The Bahamas, Iran
Nicaragua, Monaco, Cuba, Nauru
Vanuatu, Lesotho, Peru:

I'll travel by boat or by bike or by train
Helicopter or hovercraft, parachute, plane
Because somewhere out there though I've no idea where
Is my dream come true...!”

"The Elements Song: Part II"

Another patter-song: an 'update' to Tom Lehrer's original The Elements, exploring the heavy nucleuses discovered since 1959 when Tom penned a mere(!) 102 to the tune of Gilbert & Sullivan's I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General.
Extra verses take us up to 116 elements, followed by an intrepid foray into the tongue-twisting world of subatomic particle nomenclature...

The Elements Song: Part II

See www.the-elements-song.com for more information + to hear the mp3.

“Then came hahnium, dubbed 'dubnium', with dubious applications
— More protons in its nucleus than Cruella has Dalmatians!”

“But why reject cause and effect — the cosmic chain reaction;
The predetermined universe and physical attraction?
If up until they prove free will, you claim it's an illusion…
…We can all commit adultery and blame atomic fusion!”

CD with Alex Panayi: "Native Hue"

Eclectic multi-lingual CD with a theatrical philosophy, 2004, starring Alex Panayi on lead vocals, featuring Greek pop legend Σοφία Βόσσου (Sofía Vóssou), lead singer of girl-band Hi-5 — Μαρλαίν Αγγελίδου (Marlen Angeledis), and the London Community Gospel Choir.

To buy, see Shop

Matheson Bayley & Alex Panayi - "Native Hue"
Click to enlarge.

Freshly interpreted cover versions of popular European songs from fourteen countries, presented in a panoply of genres varying from Swing & Bossa Nova, through Gospel and Ethnic Funk, to C&W & Baroque counterpoint.

Recorded in London, Cyprus & Greece, 2004, with Cypriot vocal genius Alex Panayi.
Link to an encyclopædic article about Alex Panayi

Track 3 features the London Community Gospel Choir
Track 8 features the guest vocals of Sofia Vossou
Track 9 features the guest vocals of Marlen Angelidou

John Park, Fringe Report
(review of "Native Hue")
“ …very emotional piano opening; elegant rich and romantic, delivered with full poetry; bursts of astonishing piano excitement; piano runs in and out of the vocal with outrageous virtuosity … almost circus-like excitement […] …skin-prickling, full-blooded emotional power: drama, passion, throbs with sex. Piano is histrionic, precise, passionate; exuberant showmanship coupled with showbiz razzmatazz and Chopin-esque precision. […] Matheson Bayley is Liberace for the 21st Century. ”

Arranged, orchestrated & edited by Matheson. Produced by Matheson and Alex.

The songs are sung in the languages listed below — lead vocals, Alex Panayi — with Matheson singing as a duet with Alex on Tracks 2, 5, 7, 14 & 15. Matheson also sings backing vocals on tracks 5 & 12, and can be heard playing trombone on track5, double bass on track 10, guitar on track 2, and piano wherever it is heard.

Track Listing:

1	Nacida Para Amar	Spanish
2	Where Are You?	English, Dutch, Finnish, Turkish, Dalć & Greek
3	Fångad Av En Stormvind	Swedish
4	C'est Le Dernier Qui A Parlé	French
5	Dinge-Dong	Dutch
6	Lep Poletni Dan	Slovenian
7	Dinle	Turkish
8	Aniksi (Άνοιξη)	Greek
9	Nómiza Pos Tha'Nai Fteroúgisma	Cypriot
10	Lusitana Paixão	Portuguese
11	Shara Barkhovot	Hebrew
12	Johnny Blue	German
13	Rapsodia	Italian
14	ESC Kids	Irish, with original spoof lyric by Matheson (View lyric)
15	Ya Hatiri Sou	Greek language version of track 7

Matheson on double bass

To listen to excerpts from Native Hue, double-click the track title you want to listen to.
There may be a delay of a few seconds before the music starts...Still can't hear it? — See technical help

Flash required

Solo CD: "ESC 2003: Piano Improvisations"

Matheson Bayley - "ESC 2003: Piano Improvisations"

Solo piano CD, 2003, with 16 tracks performed by Matheson, each in a very different style, including one piano/voice with Matheson singing in Latvian his rearrangement of Issavienojums as a ballad.

To buy, see Shop

John Park, Fringe Report
(review of "Piano Improvisations")
“ …Fabulous, emotional, robust, pizazz, over-the-top exuberance … outrageous and unapologetic. ”

Track Listing:

1	Slovenia	Arpeggiated Virtuoso Transcription
2	Croatia	Jazz, Kossak Dance & Glissandomania
3	Ukraine	Stride Trad Jazz
4	France	Ethno-Ballad
5	Russian Federation	Rachmaninovian Disco
6	Bosnia-Herzegovina	Tango
7	Portugal	Ballad
8	Spain	Oneiric & Dance Beat
9	Belgium	Nocturne
10	Turkey	Extravaghastly
11	Cyprus	Modern Jazz
12	Austria	Um-Cha, Maestoso & Waltz
13	Germany	7/8 Dance
14	United Kingdom	Beethovian, à la "Moonlight Sonata"
15	Norway	Dedicated to Nina Simone, in the style of her classic interpretation of "You'll Never Walk Alone"
14	"Issavienojums"	Latvian language Version of "My Star", Latvian Entry ESC 2000 — Piano & Vocals, Matheson Bayley

Upcoming Solo CD: "Indigo Ivories"

— Matheson brings his distinctive dramatic orchestral playing to interpretations of 15 musical theatre and popular songs on solo piano. Due for release May August 2008, Indigo Ivories label.

Matheson Bayley - "Indigo Ivories"

CDs including Matheson compositions/orchestrations/production:

Christos Alexandrou - "One Look"

Christos Alexandrou’s 2006 album One Look (featuring Matheson’s compositions, orchestrations & production), Play Music, 2007

Tracks:

Title	Genre	Origin	Matheson's involvement
She's Like The Wind	Musical Theatre Rock-Tango	Patrick Swayze's song from Dirty Dancing	Arrangement, orchestrations, programming, musical direction, production
Come What May	Pop ballad	From the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge	Arrangement, orchestrations, various live instruments, programming, production
Make Your Darkness Light	Pop	Original composition by Nassos Sopilis	Co-lyricist with Stratos Sopilis
Moving Too Fast	Musical Theatre Jazz-Rock	From Jason Robert Brown's musical The Last Five Years	Piano, arrangement, production
If You Ask Me To Lie	Ethnic Musical Theatre Ballad	Original Composition by Matheson	Music, lyric, orchestrations, production, various solo instruments
Remember	Pop Ethnic Ballad	James Horner's song from the hit movie Troy	Arrangement, orchestrations, various live instruments, programming, production

Hi-5 - "Μακριά Απ' Αυτή Τη Γη"
Click to enlarge.

Vocal arrangements for the songs Επιστροφή (Epistrofí), Μπούρου-Μπούρου (Boúrou-Boúrou), and the chart-topping Γεννήθηκα Ξανά (Yenníthika Ksaná), (which went Double Platinum) — from Greek pop group Hi-5’s third album: Μακριά Απ’ Αυτή Τη Γη (Makriá Ap’ Aftí Ti Yi), which also went Double Platinum, Warner Music, 2004

Lisa Andreas performing "Τώρα Και Πάντα"

Matheson co-wrote the lyric, with Andrew Adams, for Τώρα Και Πάντα ("Now And Forever") — Greek language version of Stronger Every Minute (View Lyric), the Cypriot entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, 2004, sung by Lisa Andreas + arranged and produced both a rock ballad version for RIK Cypriot Television's Song For Europe and a musical theatre version with Lisa singing and Matheson on piano

Other CDs featuring performances by Matheson:

Lakis Papadopoulos - "Den Eho Stigmes"

Treble Recorder, Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone & Trumpet on Λάκης Παπαδόπουλος' 13th album, Δεν Έχω Στιγμές, EMI 2006
Piano for Amazing Grace, Love's Promised Land & A Stranger's Smile on Indonesian artist Joy Destiny Tobing's 4^th (début international) album, 2005
Backing Vocals for recording of the Sákis Rouvás pop song Shake It which reached number 1 in several charts having achieved 3^rd place at the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest, EMI 2004

Joy Tobing - "Rise"
Click to enlarge.

Sakis Rouvas - "Shake It"

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