I had been contemplating a 'Definitive' Eric Coates collection for some time but it was the discovery of Michael Payne's Ph.D. Thesis for Durham University "The Man Who Writes The Tunes" that encouraged me to start serious work on it. Michael has since turned this thesis into the definitive book on Coates, "The Life And Music Of Eric Coates" published by Ashgate in 2012, and I was delighted when he agreed to write the booklet notes. The track order: My original concept was to present the recordings in strict chronological order but it became apparent that, although this would be ideal for those wishing to analyse and study Coates' work, some pieces would appear twice on the same CD which would be frustrating for the normal listener. The approach therefore has been to make each disc a varied and enjoyable selection of his work. � Alan Bunting