The Great Welsh Choral Collection Risca Male Choir Richard Williams Singers Tredegar Town Band Sing Lennon and McCartney Buy this CD for £8.95 + £1.00 P&P --------------------------------------------------------------- Why not Mix and Match 3 CDs for only £11.95? + £1.95 P&P. Choose 1 title from each category Great Welsh Choral Collection A Nation Sings Long and Winding Road Massed Male Voice Choirs of Wales Massed Male Voice Choirs of South Wales Lennon & McCartney The Crusaders 1000 Male Voice 20 Classic Welsh Melodies Seasons Greetings from Wales Themes and Dreams of Wales Famous Welsh Choirs Froncysyllte Male Choir Dunvant Male Choir Pontarddualais Male Choir Best of Welsh Comedy Ryan at the Rank Ryan a Ronnie The Many Faces of Ryan Cymanfa Ganu Best of Welsh Comedy

	1. Penny Lane		8. Fool on the Hill
	2. Michelle		9. Here, There and Everywhere
	3. Because		10. Your Mother Should Know
	4. Yesterday		11. She's Leaving Home
	5. When I'm 64		12. Imagine
	6. Let it be		13. The Long & Winding Road
	7. Beatle Brass

Generally, a good guide to the evaluation of the success of any songwriter is to assess the amount of ‘covers’ (re – working by other artists) that they have generated. While everyone acknowledges the success of the Beatles, the impact of the Lennon & McCartney song-writing partnership is less appreciated. So, let’s begin by putting a perspective on that: Lennon & McCartney are the most popular songwriters in the history of popular music – fact!

Collectively, their catalogue of songs have produced sales in excess of 1 Billion recorded units for the Beatles alone across the world – and that’s even before considering covers! Between them, Lennon & McCartney have had more covers than any other songwriters and the statistics associated with these songs are quite remarkable. Take ‘Yesterday’ (a McCartney composition), it has been played over 7 million times in the U.S. alone and 3,000 different artists have recorded the piece. So let me introduce you to Version No. 3000 and one!

I had always been keen to bring together the work of  L. & M. with a Welsh Male Choir. It was not a new idea as there had been various choral versions of the ‘obvious’ (‘Yesterday’ & ‘When I’m 64’) but there was much more in their catalogue to musically investigate. A good cover version to me always meant that the artist brought something new to the arrangement and not to ‘hack out’ another version just for the sake of it. So I set about finding the artists whose style and versatility would lend itself to Lennon & McCartney music – and who would enjoy the challenge!

As it was, the choice soon became obvious with the Male Voice being Risca, the Female group – Richard Williams Singers and Brass Band, Tredegar Town Band as I had always been a great admirer of all their work. But they had never worked together and the bringing together of 150 members of three different organisations to rehearse and record was quite a logistical challenge, but credit to each one of them, they responded very positively to the project. As a reflection of their wholesale cooperation, I do recall putting a statement on the sleeve of the original record release which (rather cheekily) read ‘THIS RECORD WAS ACHIEVED WITHOUT THE AID OF A COMMITTEE MEETING’.

But it was true as Martin Hodson, Richard Williams & Albert Meak had not only arranged and conducted the sessions, but through their support and enthusiasm had not only made this recording happen, but had thankfully let me avoid the many inevitable Committee meetings.

As you will hear, the logistical problems were obviously overcome and it is now down to you to assess whether everyone’s efforts were worth it or not. For my part, I have many happy memories of those recordings sessions, which were the start of a long association with the artists involved. Trying to create a recording can be most challenging, but all the negatives can be wiped out by a single positive which can create a longstanding memory. When you listen to ‘The Long & Winding Road’, think of my luck actually sitting in the studio with the 150 performers LIVE! (None of this easy – option, multi – tracking here!). To hear all the groups merging together & creating this marvellous ‘wash of sound with a beautiful ballad will live long in the memory - A marvellous moment.

So please enjoy the wonderful music of Lennon & McCartney as it is given a very special ‘Welsh Treatment’ on this release which rightly forms part of Black Mountain’s GREAT WELSH CHORAL COLLECTION.

RISCA MALE CHOIR                                       RICHARD WILLIAMS SINGERS
Conductor: Martin Hodson                                       Conductor: Richard Williams

                                          TREDEGAR TOWN BAND
                                          Conductor: Albert Meak
                                      Sing
                       Lennon & McCartney

1. Penny Lane 
2. Michelle 
3. Because
4. Yesterday 
5. When I’m 64
6. Let it Be
7. Beatle Brass
8. Fool on the Hill
9. Here, There & Everywhere
10. Your Mother Should Know
11. She’s Leaving Home
12. Imagine
13. The Long & Winding Road

Arrangements:  Martin Hodson, Richard Williams & Albert Meak
                                  Tudor Williams & Edward Huckridge
Piano: Jonathan Griffiths ~ Piano on ‘Here, There & Everywhere’: Jon Styler
Synthesizer & Bass: Jon Quirk ~ Flute on ‘Fool on the Hill’: Rhian Smith
Recording: Peter Hunt & Geoff Atkins
Recording Facility: Studio One, BBC Llandaff  
Compilation & Production: Mike Evans

A tribute to Lennon and McCartney and the 150 members of Risca Male Choir, Richard Williams Singers and Tredegar Town Band.