 “Iain has one of the best and most distinctive voices in popular music, and also one of the most recognizable musical styles. He has written some fabulous songs, and turned himself into a bloody good guitar player. Of all the soccer players turned musicians, he knocks spots off Julio Inglesias.” Richard Thompson “I played with Iain in Fairport Convention in the late 1960s, when he and Sandy Denny formed an incomparable and stunning vocal pairing.Since then I've only worked with him occasionally. More's the pity. But what I can say with complete confidence is that his commitment to music has always been total, his attention to detail is legendary and his standards are always of the highest calibre. And his voice, like his youthful good looks, never seems to age. Curse him!” Ashley Hutchings “Iain Matthew's is a brilliant musician and an arranger for the ages . Iain's version of my song ‘Seven Bridges Road’ is by far the best.” Steve Young |
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One of two recently released live recordings from Europe - the other being "Brosella" (to your right). Both releases were part of a CD and video combo but the videos were only manufactured in the PAL system which most people in America can't play - so here are the music CDs that you can now purchase separately. Play Woodstock Play Girl With The Clouds In Her Eyes Play Samples of the entire alum Songs on this album are: 1. Girl With The Clouds In Her Eyes 2. The Limburg Girl and The Traveling Man 3. I'm Alive 4. Contact 5. Something Mighty 6. Alone Again Blues 7. Rosa's Song (The Back Of a Bus) 8. A Lamb in Armor 9. One Door Opens 10. The Other Shoe 11. July Again 12. Funk and Fire 13. Woodstock 14. Unravel  | | One of two recently released live recordings from Europe - the other being "Brosella" (to your right). Both releases were part of a CD and video combo but the videos were only manufactured in the PAL system which most people in America can't play - so here are the music CDs that you can now purchase separately. Play Mercy Street Play On Squirrel Hill Play Samples of the entire alum Songs on this album are: 1. And Me 2. Compass and Chart 3. Even The Guiding Light 4. On Squirrel Hill 5. Jumping Off The Roof 6. House Unamerican activity Blues Dream 7. Yo-Yo Man 8. Economicas Of The Rat and The Snake 9. Following Every Finger 10. Rains of '62 11. Mercy Street 12. Back On The Bus 13. Meet Me On The Ledge |
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A funny thing happened on the 2003 Iain Matthews tour. The opportunity came up and the idea was fresh and the recording studio was available so this ground-breaking concept came to pass. Iain and band recorded the entire album that we all know and love, "If You Saw Thro' My Eyes" - LIVE. 32 years after its initial release, this wonderful idea is now yours to own on CD and for download. Play Desert Inn Play Reno Nevada Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Desert Inn 2. Hearts 3. Never Ending 4. Reno Nevada 5. Little Known 6. Hinge 1 7. Hinge 2 8. Southern Wind 9. It Came Without Warning 10. You Couldn't Lose 11. Morgan the Pirate 12. Thro' My Eyes | | In late 1970, shortly after his band Matthews Southern Comfort hit number one in Great Britain with its version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," Ian Matthews decided that he needed more creative freedom and left for a solo career. The subsequent album, If You Saw Thro' My Eyes, his fourth and best release since leaving Fairport Convention in 1969, was recorded and released within the next few months. It also reunited him with former Fairport bandmates Sandy Denny, who had left the band in late 1969, and Richard Thompson, who would depart by the time of this album's release. Both would bring their distinctive personalities to the proceedings without ever overwhelming Matthews' own vision. As a bandleader and songwriter, Matthews' growth is quite evident here, guiding a stellar cast through seven excellent new originals and three well-chosen covers (also included is the a cappella "Hinge" and its instrumental reprise). Throughout, Matthews' sweet yet evocative tenor is perfect for the material, which succeeds in its blend of British and American folk, rock, and pop. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play Reno Nevada Play Southern Wind Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Desert Inn 2. Hearts 3. Never Ending 4. Reno Nevada 5. Little Known 6. Hinge 1 7. Hinge 2 8. Southern Wind 9. It Came Without Warning 10. You Couldn't Lose 11. Morgan the Pirate 12. Thro' My Eyes |
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The brand new and as usual, spectacular album from Iain. Play Flying Visit Play Blind Faith Play Samples of the entire alum Songs on this album are: 1. Cartwheel Avenue 2. Flying Visit 3. One Dollar Opens 4. Power 5. Blind Faith 6. Contact 7. Favorite Son 8. July Rain 9. To Be White 10. Other Shoe 11. Start Again 12. Limburg Girl & The Travelling Man
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | In the wake of his 1988 comeback — an entire record dedicated to the work of Jules Shear — Iain Matthews seemed to gain confidence and momentum as a writer, beginning with 1990's Pure and Crooked. Of the three albums that followed, two of them, including God Looked Down, are made up solely of his own material (although the basic melody of "So Many Eyes" was taken from the traditional "Nottamun Town," from his Fairport Convention days). And while Matthews' work has always been quite personal and individualistic even when covering other people's tunes, there's something about God Looked Down that hits a little closer to the bone. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play The Beat I Walk Play Alone Again Blues Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. The Beat I Walk 2. God Looked Down 3. Southern Wind 4. You'll Know Lightening 5. Alone Again Blues 6. This Train 7. Power of Blue 8. Eye of the Needle 9. King of the Hill 10. Trigger Man 11. If It's Not One Thing It's Another
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Ian Matthews' fifth solo effort since leaving Matthews' Southern Comfort, Some Days You Eat the Bear and Some Days the Bear Eats You continues the country-rock of its predecessor, the Michael Nesmith-produced Valley Hi, but with more emphasis on the L.A. singer/songwriter sound and less on straightforward country. Though both records were recorded in Southern California, Nesmith brought a distinct Nashville flavor to Valley Hi, utilizing such country greats as steel guitarist Red Rhodes and fiddler Byron Berline. Here, Matthews (who handles the production duties) draws from the vast pool of L.A. session regulars, including Jackson Browne sideman David Lindley, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter from Steely Dan, and America's rhythm section. This — along with the occasional saxophone and double-tracked lead vocal — accentuates the pop sense evident just below the surface in Matthews' past work, giving Some Days You Eat the Bear a slightly more polished, commercial feel. For material, he once again borrows from the catalogs of favorites such as Jesse Winchester and Gene Clark (whose "Tried So Hard seems to be a leftover from the Valley Hi sessions), as well as covering now-classic tunes by the likes of Steely Dan, Danny Whitten, and Tom Waits, all of which suit his warm, emotive tenor nicely. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play Biloxi Play Keep on Sailing Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Ol' 55 2. I Don't Wanna Talk About It 3. A Wailing Goodbye 4. Keep on Sailing 5. Tried So Hard 6. Dirty Work 7. Do I Still Figure in Your Life 8. Home 9. Biloxi 10. The Fault Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | With ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith at the helm and an array of C&W sidemen on hand, Ian Matthews recorded what is probably his most overtly country album to date, 1973's Valley Hi. The record opens with a pair of tracks — his own "Keep on Sailing" and the traditional "Old Man at the Mill" — that had been scheduled to appear on the second release by his former band Plainsong, which Elektra chose to shelve. Matthews then proceeds to cover rarities by Randy Newman and Richard Thompson, whose "Shady Lies" had only surfaced before on an obscure 1969 recording by Fairport crony Marc Ellington, as well as chestnuts by Jackson Browne and country legend Don Gibson. Elsewhere, he delivers terrific versions of Nesmith's tale of friendship turned to love, "Propinquity," and Steve Young's now classic "7 Bridges Road." Matthews' excellent rendition of the latter set the standard for the song, which became a hit in the early '80s for the Eagles, using an identical arrangement. He also added one new original, along with two (including "Keep on Sailing" and "Save Your Sorrows") from the aborted Plainsong release, all three of which rank with his best. Though he has since stated his dissatisfaction with the album, Valley Hi nonetheless remains among Ian Matthews' finest. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play 7 Bridges Road Play These Days Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Keep on Sailing 2. Old man at the Mill 3. Shady Lies 4. These Days 5. Leaving Alone 6. 7 Bridges Road 7. Save Your Sorrows 8. What Are You Waiting For 9. Propinquity 10. Blue Blue Day Purchase This CD from Iain's web site |
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A Tiniest Wham finds Ian Matthews moving with assurance in the direction of acoustic pop. Matthews essentially eliminates the electric guitars that dominated his previous effort, Excerpts From Swine Lake, and sticks faithfully to his Epiphone Cortez acoustic. And yet the record does not sound "stripped down" or under-produced. If anything, A Tiniest Wham is more ambitiously — and far more vibrantly — produced than its predecessor. Matthews is joined by two highly talented fretsmiths, Bradley Kopp and Jim Fogarty, and the three of them apply a shiny multi-layered acoustic sheen to the songwriter's finely crafted tunes. Evan Cater - AllMusicGuide.com Play I'm Alive Play Funk and Fire Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. I'm Alive 2. Swinging from the Yardarm 3. Our Secret Storm 4. Funk and Fire 5. Another Delta Dawn 6. Like Mercury 7. The Great Afterthought 8. Sister 9. Sicknote 10. The Power and the Glory 11. The Onliest 12. Tailspin
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | In just under three years, Ian Matthews split from Fairport Convention, went solo, formed Matthews' Southern Comfort - with whom he scored a number one U.K. hit - left the group at the height of its popularity, recorded three more records on his own (only two were released at this time) and in early 1972 started Plainsong, his fourth band in five years. And while his track record led one to believe that Plainsong may be just another short stay, the subsequent album, In Search of Amelia Earhart, proved to be worth the venture. Ian Matthews was of course the obvious draw, but Plainsong seemed to be formed as more of a collective effort, with lead guitarist Andy Roberts, who shares the lead vocal duties, the other focal point in the band. On the other hand, Matthews, whose folk and country-tinged tunes set the tone for the record, is the only member to contribute original material. Included among these is the thematic "True Story of Amelia Earhart," which along with the haunting "For the Second Time," leads a pack of five Matthews compositions that range from good to excellent. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play Call the Tune Play The True Story of Amelia Earhart Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. For the Second Time 2. Yo Yo Man 3. Louise 4. Call the Tune 5. Diesel on my Tail 6. Amelia Earhart's Last Flight 7. I'll Fly Away 8. True Story of Amelia Earhart 9. Even the Guiding Light 10. Side Roads 11. Raider Purchase This CD from Iain's web site |
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Once again Iain chooses a handful of good covers, including songs by Robert Palmer, John Martyn, and Terence Boylan, to round out and complement his own material. It's a nice, pure pop treatment of Boylan's "Shake It," that gave Matthews his first Top 40 hit in over seven years (number 13), but it's a pair of pre-rock & roll numbers that are responsible for two of Stealin' Home's most inspired moments. A warm a cappela arrangement of Rogers and Hammerstein's "Carefully Taught," from the musical South Pacific, evokes both the beauty and depth of the song, while the interpolation of Richard Stekol's contemporary "Yank and Mary" with the old standard "Smile," has a sort of melancholy sweetness. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play Don't Hang Up Your Dancing Shoes Play Man in the Station Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Gimme an Inch Girl 2. Don't Hang Up Your Dancing Shoes 3. King of the Knight 4. Man in the Station 5. Let There Be Blues 6. Carefully Taught 7. Stealin' Home 8. Shake It 9. Yank & Mary / Smile 10. Slip Away 11. Sail My Soul
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | A close look at the songwriting credits will reveal the beginning of Matthews's fascination with the work of great Jules Shear. Play Heat Wave Play Crying in the Night Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. You Don't See Me 2. Survival 3. Heatwave 4. Home Somewhere 5. Crying in the Night 6. The Babe She's on the Street 7. Hearts on the Line 8. Anna 9. Lies 10. Runaway
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Here he's at his best when he's at his most personal and introspective, as on cuts such as "I Drove," "Tigers Will Survive (Part II, Darcy's Song)," the title track, and what may be the record's most intimate and powerful tale, "For Better or Worse." Written for his wife, who had been a victim of rape, "For Better or Worse" is at once painful, compassionate, and graphic, while conveying both the helplessness, confusion, and anger of the situation. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play The Breath of Life Play This is It Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. I Drove 2. Girl with the Clouds in Her Eyes 3. Ballad of Gruene Hall 4. Tigers Will Survive (part II) 5. The Breath of Life 6. Save Her Love 7. For Better or Worse 8. Davey's Stung 9. Morning Glory 10. In London 11. This Is It 12. Rooted to the Spot 13. The Dark Ride
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | On his second recording following a self-imposed, five-year hiatus, and his first featuring any original material, Iain Matthews (he changed the spelling of his first name to its original Gaelic form) returned with a songwriting vengeance, penning eight of the 11 tunes for Pure & Crooked, his 14th solo record. By no means prolific throughout most of his career - the majority of his albums contained maybe three or four originals - his output here had been prior to this, equaled only by the 1971 release If You Saw Thro' My Eyes. And while his previous recording, Walking a Changing Line showed him in fine form beneath its new age trappings, Pure & Crooked is as natural and assured as Matthews has sounded in quite awhile. Once again employing the the help of producer Mark Hallman, Matthews, with cuts such as "Like Dominoes," which opens the album, and the vitriolic "New Shirt," delivers some of the most convincing folk-rock of his career. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play Like Dominoes Play Bridge of Cherokee Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Like Dominoes 2. Mercy Street 3. A Hardly Innocent Mind 4. New Shirt 5. Bridge of Cherokee 6. Busby's Babes 7. Rains of '62 8. Say No More 9. Perfect Timing 10. Out of My Range 11. This Town's No Lady
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Released in 1993, Skeleton Keys may be what most would expect from Matthews, but it's actually more of a return to an acoustic sound that hadn't really dominated his albums since the first half of the '70s. In fact, Skeleton Keys is probably the most acoustic-oriented studio recording he's made to date, featuring acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, dobro, accordion, mandolin, and fiddle, with only subtle touches of electric guitar. As a writer, Matthews has always included at least a handful of original gems with each record, while also showing a good ear for the songs of others, but Skeleton Keys is his first comprised of all his own material. Brett Hartenbach -AllMusicGuide.com Play Back of the Bus Play Cover Girl Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Cover Girl 2. Jumping Off the Roof 3. Compass and Chart 4. God's Empty Chair 5. True Location of the Heart 6. Back of the Bus 7. A Cross to Bear 8. The Ties We Break 9. Timing 10. Get It Back 11. Every Crushing Blow 12. Living in Reverse
Purchase this CD from Iain's web site | | After five straight solo recordings with producer Mark Hallman at the helm — going back to 1988 — Iain Matthews decided to handle the production duties, along with guitarist Bradley Kopp, for 1999's Excerpts From Swine Lake. Whereas his last couple of recordings lived and died with his writing or vocals, here Matthews and Kopp inject the material with a vibrance that has been somewhat scarce in his work since 1990's Pure & Crooked. It also doesn't hurt that this is as consistent a collection of original music that he's put to record. Whether it's the songs, Kopp's influence, or Matthews himself that is the catalyst here, there's a renewed sense of purpose in his performances. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play Something Mighty Play Changes Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Something Mighty 2. Horse Left In The Rain 3. Dance Of Fate 4. Trail Of The Survivor 5. Changes 6. Cave In 7. Heroes 8. Touching The Fleece 9. Even It It Kills Me 10. Sight Unseen 11. Where The Big Dogs Run 12. Break A Window, Break A Heart
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Tigers Will Survive, Ian Matthews' second release of 1971, and fifth in less than three years, continues the Anglo-American folk-rock that he began in 1968 with Fairport Convention. Following his departure from the band in early 1969, Matthews' style quickly veered from the British traditional direction that Fairport was headed, gravitating more toward the American singer/songwriter scene that was the source for much of the group's material in their early days, keeping him closer to the mid-Atlantic mix of What We Did on Our Holidays (his last record with the band). If You Saw Thro' My Eyes, his previous album, reunited him with members of his old band, as well as others from the revolving Fairport/Fotheringay cast, but this time out, with the exception of Richard Thompson's accordion on a couple of tunes (credited as Woolfe J. Flywheel), he opts for the backing of the English rock band Quiver. And while it may lack some of the cohesive personality of its predecessor, Tigers Will Survive still shares its primarily acoustic sound, augmented by a strong rhythm section and touches of electric guitar. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play Midnight on the Water Play Please Be My Friend Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Tigers will survive 2. Midnight on the water 3. Right before my eyes 4. Da doo ron ron 5. Hope you know 6. Please be my friend 7. Never again 8. Close the door lightly when you go 9. Unamerican activity dream 10. Morning song 11. The only dancer | | A collection of antiques and curios (aka demos) and strangely enough, one of his most pleasing releases. Play Baby Ruth Play Any Day Woman Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Touch Her If You Can 2. Yankee Lady 3. Belle 4. Later On 5. I Believe in You 6. It Takes a Lot to Love It Takes a Train to Cry 7. Not Much at All 8. Baby Ruth 9. Hearts 10. Christine's Tune 11. Seeds and Stems 12. Spanish Guitar 13. Tigers Will Survive 14. Any Day Woman 15. Poor Ditching Boy (demo) 16. Even the Guiding Light (live) 17. So Sad (demo) 18. Groovin' (demo) 19. Let There Be Blues (demo) 20. New Shirt
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Play Perfect Timing Play Mercy Street Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. S.O.S. 2. Better Not Stay 3. What Do You Wish You Could Be? 4. Perfect Timing 5. Voices 6. Action 7. Change 8. Rendezvous 9. What the Wanter Wants 10. Action and Intent 11. Too Hard Too Soon 12. Steady 13. Your Heart Again 14. Still I See You 15. We Don't Talk Anymore 16. Rains of '62 17. Mercy Street 18. Perfect Timing
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | Songs on this album are: 1. Shake It 2. Stealing Home 3. Don't Hang up Your Dancing Shoes 4. Man in the Station 5. Carefully Taught 6. Gimme an Inch Girl 7. Anna 8. Survival 9. Heat Wave 10. Baby, She's on the Street 11. Runaway 12. She May Call You up Tonight 13. What Do I Do 14. No Time at All (See How They Run) 15. Wild Places 16. Shorting Out 17. Views (Dance Goes On) 18. Wish Not available for download. Purchase This CD from Iain's web site |
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and Points West Originally released in the late '80s as a mail-order-only cassette entitled Ian Matthews Live (he changed the spelling of his first name shortly thereafter), Nights in Manhattan (recorded in New York City in May of 1988) was reissued in 1997 with four added tracks that were recorded live two and a half years later in California (hence the "And Points West"). Matthews, along with Mark Hallman (acoustic guitar, vocals), Craig Negoescu (keyboards, vocals), and David Hayes (acoustic bass), though concentrating on material from Walking a Changing Line, touches on various points in his extensive career — including his days with Fairport Convention ("Meet on the Ledge"), Matthews' Southern Comfort ("Woodstock"), and Plainsong ("Even the Guiding Light"), as well as a smattering of tunes from his solo years. The performances here are engaging, and Matthews' excellent voice is strong and clear throughout, though the sporadic use of electronic keyboards and sequenced drums is, on occasion, superfluous, and dates a couple of the tracks. A few of the highlights include a stirring, a cappella version of "Woodstock," the Youngbloods' classic "Darkness, Darkness," and a beautiful reading of Jules Shear's "This Fabrication." Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play Alive Alone Play Meet on the Ledge Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. On Squirrel Hill 2. Keep on Sailing 3. Man in a Station 4. Alive Alone 5. Seven Bridges Road 6. Except for a Tear 7. Reno, Nevada 8. Woodstock 9. Shadows Break 10. Following Every Finger 11. Meet on the Ledge 12. Standing Still 13. Sights in Manhatten 14. Even the Guiding Light 15. Darkness Darkness 16. This Fabrication
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | An early "Best Of" compilation. Play Lonely Hunter Play Hearts Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Lonely Hunter 2. Knowing The Game 3. Ol 55 4. Thro My Eyes 5. Darkness Darkness 6. I Don't Wan To Talk About It 7. Da Doo Ron Ron 8. Wailing Goodbye 9. Bride 1945 10. Just One Look 11. Keep On Sailing 12. Tribute To Hank Williams 13. For The Second Time 14. Biloxi 15. Hearts 16. Carefully Taught 17. One Day Without You 18. Reno Nevada 19. Met Her On A Plane 20. Midnight On The Water 21. Seven Bridges Road |
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Play Compass and Chart Play Back of the Bus Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. There's a Woody Guthrie Song 2. Keep on Sailing 3. For the Lonely Hunter 4. And Me 5. True Location of the Heart 6. Compass and Chart 7. Even the Guiding Light 8. The Rat and the Snake 9. Evening Sun 10. House of Un-American Activities 11. Next Time Around 12. Back of the Bus 13. A Lamb in Armour 14. Rains of '62 15. Reno, Nevada
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | Beginning with a cover of Terry Reid's - "The Frame" which has long been one of my fave covers by Iain and then moving into another fave by John Marty, "One Day Without You" followed by an original, "Times" and then on to one of my most favorite tunes Iain ever wrote, "I Will Not Fade Away" with the long held notes in the chorus, this album ranks up there with his best, for sure, although critics did not review it well. That's OK though - we love what we love with or without the critics. Dean Sciarra - ItsAboutMusic.com Play The Frame Play Just One Look Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. The Frame 2. One Day Without You 3. Times 4. I Will Not fade Away 5. Tigers Will Survive 6. Just One Look 7. Help to Guide Me 8. Shuffle 9. Hit and Run |
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Over half of the compositions on this album of songs written by Jules Shear were either rare or unknown at the time — even to many Shear aficionados — including two songs from a hard-to-find Jules and the Polar Bears EP and two tracks from their then-unreleased Bad for Business album. One of the previously unheard tunes, the reflective, a cappella "On Squirrel Hill," written about the Pittsburgh suburb where Shear grew up, couldn't be more ideally suited to Matthews' expressive tenor and style, and is not only one of the best moments on the record, but also of his career. - AllMusicGuide.com Play Except for a Tear Play Lovers by Rote Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Dream Sequence 2. Standing Still 3. Except for a Tear 4. Following Every Finger 5. Alive Alone 6. Smell of Home 7. On Squirrel Hill 8. Shadows Break 9. This Fabrication 10. Lovers by Rote 11. Only a Motion 12. Why Fight? | | His airy, pure tenor, superb taste in songs from other writers, and wide-ranging knowledge of different pop styles have carried this journeyman English singer and songwriter from the folk rock of the original Fairport Convention, to his own brief chart notoriety as leader of Matthews Southern Comfort, and subsequent experiments all sharing high standards but relative obscurity. This well-chosen summation of his mid-'70s L.A. sojourn captures Matthews's folk and country-rock work of the day to satisfying effect, mingling gourmet covers (Tom Waits, Richard Thompson, Michael Nesmith, Steve Young, Paul Siebel, and Jackson Browne) with his own lissome, mournful, yet gracious originals. A neglected country-rock master, his take on Young's "Seven Bridges Road" was good enough for the Eagles to steal it virtually note for note on their first live album, and he celebrated former bandmate Thompson's brilliance more than a decade before his "discovery" by critics. --Sam Sutherland Songs on this album are: 1. Ol' 55 2. For the Second Time 3. Keep on Sailing 4. Old Man at the Mill 5. Wailing Goodbye 6. Shady Lies 7. I'll Fly Away 8. True Story of Amelia Earhart 9. Seven Bridges Road 10. Biloxi 11. Propinquity 12. Fault 13. Even the Guiding Light 14. I Don't Want to Talk About It 15. Louise 16. These Days 17. Call the Tune 18. Poor Ditching Boy 19. You Fell Through My Mind Purchase this CD from Amazon.com |
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From 1972 - billed as a contractual obligation record by the artist, Journeys From Gospel Oak is easily as good as Matthews' best work. It is most assuredly a companion piece to Plainsong's In Search of Amelia Earhart (an album loosely based on the disappearance of Amelia Earhart), this time loosely based around the night Hank Williams died. This album includes such solid tracks as Gene Clark's "Polly," "Bride 1945" by Paul Siebel, and the haunting Jimmy Webb tune, "Met Her on a Plane." A strong (but often overlooked record) and well worth the effort it takes to find a copy. - Jim Worbois Play Mobile Blue Play Met Her On a Plane Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Knowing the Game (Matthews) 2. Polly (Clark) 3. Things You Gave Me (Hardin) 4. Mobile Blue (Newbury) 5. Tribute to Hank Williams (Hardin) 6. Met Her on a Plane (Webb) 7. Bride 1945 (Siebel) 8. Franklin Avenue (Matthews) 9. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (Moman/Penn) 10. Sing Me Back Home (Haggard)
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | "This is a transitional album for Matthews. Having recently exited Fairport Convention, this record pays tribute to that period of his career in both material ("A Castle Far") and in the choice of musicians who back him (many of them from Fairport Convention). At the same time, songs like "A Commercial Proposition" indicate where Matthews is headed on 1971's Later That Same Year." Jim Worbois - AllMusicGuide.com Play The Castle Far Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this double album are: 1. Colorado Springs Eternal 2. Commercial Proposition 3. Castle Far 4. Please Be My Friend 5. What We Say 6. Dream Song 7. Fly Pigeon Fly 8. Watch 9. Sweet Bread 10. Thoughts for a Friend 11. I've Lost You 12. Once upon a Lifetime
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With this album, Matthews' Southern Comfort is a real band and, in addition to Matthews, also includes Roger Swallow (ex-Marmalade) and Marc Griffiths (ex-Spooky Tooth). Though there is really nothing that makes this a memorable record, it's still quite a nice record overall. If you already know his work on Elektra, Mooncrest, or even Later That Same Year, it would be well worth your while to search this record out. Jim Worbois - AllMusicGuide.com Play Blood Red Roses Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Ballad of Obray Ramsey 2. Moses in the Sunshine 3. Jinkson Johnson 4. Tale of the Trial 5. Blood Red Roses 6. Even As 7. D'Arcy Farrow 8. Something in the Way She Moves 9. Southern Comfort
Not available on CD | | Best known for the hit "Woodstock," this is really the album on which Matthews first finds his direction. A nice mix of covers and originals, this record has held up nicely over the years. Jim Worbois - AllMusicGuide.com Play Woodstock Play Sylvie Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Woodstock 2. To Love 3. And Me 4. Tell Me Why 5. My Lady 6. And When She Smiles 7. Mare Take Me Home 8. Sylvie 9. Brand New Tennessee Waltz 10. For Melanie 11. Road to Ronderlin |
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From 1995 Play Yankee Lady Play Belle Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Touch Her If You Can 2. Yankee Lady 3. Belle 4. Later That Same Year 5. I Believe in You 6. Sylvie 7. And When She Smiles 8. And Me 9. Old Rud 10. Jinkson Johnson 11. Something in the Way She Moves 12. Ballad of Obray Ramsey 13. Touch Her If You Can [Mix] | | Play To Love Play Tell Me Why Songs on this album are: 1. Woodstock 2. And When She Smiles (She Makes the Sun Shine) 3. Even As 4. Something in the Way She Moves 5. Blood Red Roses 6. Watch 7. Tell Me Why 8. Southern Comfort 9. Mare, Take Me Home 10. Sylvie 11. Ballad of Obray Ramsey 12. To Love 13. I've Lost You 14. Once upon a Lifetime 15. My Lady 16. Road to Ronderlin This CD is out of print and is a collector's item. |
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With his previous outing, the overly polished Siamese Friends (1979), Ian Matthews failed to capitalize on the Top 20 success of "Shake It," from his 1978 release, Stealin' Home. He quickly returned the following year with a new U.S. label, a new direction, and a new album, Spot of Interference. His third straight record produced by Sandy Roberton, Spot of Interference leaves behind the MOR feel that had dominated his last four or five years, in favor of a power pop and new wave sound that fits him curiously well. Aside from pairing once again with Roberton, he also continues his work with Siamese Friends songwriting collaborators and musicians Bob Metzger and Mark Griffiths. These teamings yield some fine moments and performances, but it's covers like the frenetic pop/rock of "I Survived the '70s" and Jules Shear's "Driftwood From Disaster" that push Matthews, as well as his ordinarily sweet tenor, to the limit. And though this may seem a bit out of character, he never comes off like a misplaced folkie. Other highlights include former bandmate Richard Thompson's social rant, "Civilisation," as well as an updated version of the Left Banke's "She May Call You Up Tonight," which sounds as fresh here as it did in 1967. His one and only release for RSO Records, Spot of Interference was Matthews' best album since Some Days You Eat the Bear and Some Days the Bear Eats You in 1974. Brett Hartenbach - AllMusicGuide.com Play I Survived the 70s Play I Can't Fade Away Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1 I Survived the '70s 2 She May Call You Up Tonight 3 I Can't Fade Away 4 The Hurt 5 Driftwood From Disaster 6 Why Am I 7 No Time at All 8 For the Lonely Hunter 9 See Me 10 Civilisation 11 What Do I Do
Not available on CD. | | Produced by Norbert Putnam and Glen Spreen recorded at Quadafonic Sound Studio, Nashville, Tenn. 1976. Play Rhythm of the West Play When the Morning Comes Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1 Darkness, Darkness 2 I'll Be Gone 3 Brown Eyed Girl 4 Rhythm of the West 5 Groovin' 6 Lonely Hunter 7 Steamboat 8 A Fool Like You 9 Just One Look 10 When the Morning Comes |
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Produced by Iain Matthews and Plainsong Plainsong is Iain Matthews, Andy Roberts, Julian Dawson, Mark Griffiths. This is the reunion album from 1992. Play Nothing's Changed Play Breaking The Bones of The World Play Samples of the entire alum songs on this album are: Nothing's changed Unusual girl Breaking the bones of the world Under the volcano Jenny Say a prayer Sweet Amelia If I needed rain Evening sun Welcome to London town The dream goes on Towie Bluebird morning Next time around Toscanini's darkhorse Breaking the bones of the world (single-version)
Not available on CD | | produced, recorded and mixed by John Wood at the Congress House Studio, Austin, TX - 1999. Play I Can't Let Go Play Follow My Tears Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are I can't let go Following Amelia Stranded Ricochet Believing in you Follow my tears Valley got a new dog What's wrong with this picture? Footsteps fall Penny Black The wrong track Another country
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Recorded 4-16 November 2002 at Shutteroaks Cottage, Somerset, England. Engineered and mixed by Andy Metcalfe produced by Andy Metcalfe and Plainsong. Play Changing of the Guard Play Barbed Wire Fence Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Milarepa's Song 2. Changing Of The Guard 3. Numbers 4. Here Comes The Rain 5. Needle In The Hay 6. Poor Moon 7. Barbed Wire Fence 8. Sloth 9. All New people 10. Like A Cat 11 .Ballad Of Frankie Frame 12. Blossom
Not available on CD | | Produced by Plainsong - recorded at Tosh Studio, Little Glenham / Soundback Studio, Ipswich / Springvale Studio, Sproughton Play Pilgrims Play Baby's Calling Me Home Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: Pilgrims Spirits I love this town People's Park Reality Can't explain Spanish Town Roll away the stone Freedom of the highway Mountshannon Baby's calling me home Falling Stars Loser's lounge
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Produced by Jim Fogerty and Walt Rich. Engineered and mixed by Walt Rich. Recorded and mixed at Rich Sound Studio, Broomall, Pa., February-June 2000. All songs by Sandy Denny - arranged by No Grey Faith. No Grey Faith is: Iain Matthews - vocals, guitar, percussion Lindsay Gilmour - vocals, pennywhistle Jim Fogarty - acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, dobro, accordion, ambient loops Walt Rich - basses(fretted and fretless) Roger Cox - drums and percussion Jack McTamney - background vocals Ted The Fiddler - violin Play Rising For The Moon Play Winter Winds Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: Who Knows Where The Time Goes. Intro Rising For The Moon One Way Donkey Ride Bushes And Briars By The Time It Gets Dark It'll Take A Long Long Time Winter Winds Who Knows Where The Time Goes. Interlude Listen, Listen Solo I'm A Dreamer Autopsy Who Knows Where The Time Goes.Reprise The Music Weaver
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | Play All the Way Play Home on the Highway Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. All the Way 2. Heart of a Man 3. Rerun Matinee 4. Home on the Highway 5. Bird of Paradise 6. Meaning to Life 7. Anchor 8. Bottom Crawl 9. Sing Sister Sing 10. Sweet Old Life 11. Witness 12. A Beautiful Lie 13. Fall into the Night 14. Lamb in Armour 15. More than a Song to Sing
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Play Shadowbox Play London Girl Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Apple Pie 2. Imperfect Angel 3. Shadowbox 4. One That Got Away 5. The Taker 6. Jewel 7. Backstreet Girl 8. Second Hand Love 9. Eye on the Road 10. On the Inside 11. London Girl 12. Evening Sun 13. Destiny Is Following You
Not available on CD | | Play Triggerman Play Changes Play Samples of the entire album Songs on theis album are: 1. The Beat I Walk 2. Triggerman 3. Just One Look 4. Rooted to the Spot 5. Cover Girl 6. Shake It 7. Changes 8. Where the Big Dogs Run 9. I Don't Wanna Talk About It 10. Get It Back 11. And It Stoned Me 12. Back of the Bus
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Play Me About You Play Except for a Tear Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Me About You 2. Woodstock 3. Hearts 4. Home 5. Never Ending 6. I'll Fly Away 7. Sing Senorita 8. On the Beach 9. This Fabrication 10. Except for a Tear 11. Next Time Around 12. God's Empty Chair 13. Jacques and Tamboo 14. Spirits 15. Sing Sister Sing
Purchase This CD from Iain's web site | | Play Wild Places Play Tomorrow Falls On Saturday Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Shorting Out 2. Views (Dance Goes On) 3. Wild Places 4. Indiscreet 5. Wish 6. Driver 7. Tomorrow Falls On Saturday 8. Fear Strikes Out 9. Over, Under, Sideways, Down 10. Room Service Not available on CD |
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| Iain Matthews' Story Matthews came of age as pop music did, making his first records in the cultural hothouse of London in the sixties. His background was working class Lincolnshire, straight out of the industrial heartland of England, where his stepfather--“a man who would put salt on his oats in the morning rather than sugar”--approximated a living by cleaning blast furnaces and applying “his weapon of choice, a thick leather belt” to his sons. As a boy, Matthews was routinely confined to his room at night to prevent fights with his two younger half-brothers. There he would read and lose himself in the fifties pop of Alma Cogan and Johnnie Ray. At fifteen he bungled a tryout for Bradford Park Avenue football club, “a team from Yorkshire, floundering near the foot of the third division north,” ending his dream of a footballing career. From then on it was music that he increasingly turned to for escape. “Iain has one of the best and most distinctive voices in popular music, and also one of the most recognisable musical styles. He has written some fabulous songs, and turned himself into a bloody good guitar player. Of all the soccer players turned musicians, he knocks spots off Julio Inglesias.” Richard Thompson Matthews had already learned to sing harmony, from the Sundays when his parents would leave the three boys in the care of the Salvation Army. Departing school, where only literature classes and football had ever held his attention, he apprenticed to a sign painter and would sing along to the radio in the shop. At the same time he began taking the train to London, going into debt to buy clothes on Carnaby Street, to buy records and see concerts by US soul singers like Otis Redding, Joe Tex, and James Brown. Back in Lincolnshire, Matthews decided to give singing a proper try. He called up the leader of a local band, the Rebels, “and just went along to a practice. I sang a couple songs with them and I was in, just like that.” Word spread about Matthews’ vocal ability and soon he was recruited by the Classics, and later the Imps, “Scunthorpe’s premier rock band.” And then in 1966 he left Lincolnshire for good, moving to London and eventually landing a job in Ravel’s shoe shop in Carnaby Street. It was there, in the absolute epicenter of the revolution that was London in the mid-sixties, that Matthews met Radio Caroline employee and future friend, John Hayes. Matthews at the time was still using his stepfather’s surname and was known as Ian MacDonald. Hayes introduced him to Steve Hiett and Al Jackson, lead singers of the California-style pop band Pyramid, and Matthews joined for two singles, “The Summer of Last Year,” a radio hit in the summer of 1967, and the unreleased “Me About You.” At this point the band’s manager dumped Pyramid in favor of Deram’s other blossoming act, Procol Harem, and Pyramid fell apart in the aftermath. Nonetheless it was Hiett who played a crucial role in the next phase of Matthews’ career. Hiett was in the Deram offices in late 1967 when bassist Ashley Hutchings phoned, looking for a male vocalist to complement lead singer Judy Dyble in a fledgling band named Fairport Convention. At the time they had a sound that BBC presenter Bob Harris remembers as “a cross between Jefferson Airplane and the Byrds.” Hiett suggested Matthews for the band and the combination clicked. “I played with Iain in Fairport Convention in the late 1960s, when he and Sandy Denny formed an incomparable and stunning vocal pairing.Since then I've only worked with him occasionally. More's the pity. But what I can say with complete confidence is that his commitment to music has always been total, his attention to detail is legendary and his standards are always of the highest calibre. And his voice, like his youthful good looks, never seems to age. Curse him!” Ashley Hutchings Matthews joined Fairport for their first Joe Boyd-produced single, “If I Had a Ribbon Bow,” and their eponymous debut album (1968), which includes the Emmit Rhodes composition, “Time Will Show the Wiser.” As well as Hutchings, Dyble, and Matthews, the band at this time also included guitarist/singer/songwriters Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson, giving it one of the deepest pools of talent in the history of pop music. That pool got still deeper when Sandy Denny replaced Dyble for the band’s second album, What We Did On Our Holidays (1969). This recording, considered by many to be their finest, includes Richard Thompson’s classic “Meet on the Ledge,” and Matthews’ “Book Song.” Fairport’s popularity was soaring, but Matthews--now using his mother’s maiden name, partly to escape associations with his stepfather and partly to distinguish himself from the Ian McDonald who played woodwinds and keyboards with King Crimson--found himself unhappy with the band’s direction. Rather than building on the formidable talents of its songwriters, Fairport was turning increasingly to the revival of traditional English folk music. Matthews contributed to only a single track, a cover of Dylan’s “Percy’s Song,” on Fairport’s third album, Unhalfbricking (1969). Then, in what would turn out to be the first of many similar decisions, Matthews turned his back on Fairport’s success and departed to record a solo album. “I have to confess, when Iain left Fairport in 1969, I had no idea what he might do with his life and his career. He seemed to me at the time like a pop singer with a good voice, who'd been drawn into a group of middle class folkies, with a completely different set of ideas to his. When he turned into a thoughtful singer/songwriter and bandleader, I was surprised. Shame on me!Iain has always made choices that challenge him and teach him new things. Now listening to his discoveries I learn things I didn't know I needed to.Hearing him this year at Cropredy brought back to me what a great group early Fairport was and what a wonderful singer he is.” Joe Boyd For his first solo project, the country-tinged Matthews’ Southern Comfort (1969), Matthews recruited Thompson, Nicol, and Hutchings from Fairport, along with drummer Gerry Conway (of Fotheringay and later incarnations of Fairport), pedal steel guitarist Gordon Huntley, and others. The hitmaking team of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, who’d crafted songs for the likes of the Honeycombs, the Herd, and Dave Dee, offered to produce and write the album, and secured Matthews a deal with MCA’s UNI label. Matthews, who’d begun to play guitar during the his days with Fairport, “but only at home and quite spastically,” wanted to contribute to the writing himself, and was concerned that Howard and Blaikley’s reputation as pop Svengalis might hurt the album’s reception. As a compromise, Howard and Blaikley used the pseudonym Steve Barlby for their songwriting as well as the co-production credit they eventually took. Matthews wrote or cowrote half the album’s material, including the rockabilly “Dream Song,” which he says is “the only track I can still bear to listen to from that album.” Matthews wasn’t ready to take the spotlight all to himself, and so turned the project into a touring group, retaining only Huntley on pedal steel from the studio sessions. The rest of the final lineup, introduced to him by fellow folkie and lifetime friend Marc Ellington, included American guitarist and songwriter Carl Barnwell and lead player Mark Griffiths, both from the progressive rock band Harsh Reality, and later on, Pyramid bassist Andy Leigh and ex-Marmalade drummer Ray Duffy. The band recorded two acclaimed albums: Second Spring (1970), which featured Ian and Sylvia’s “Southern Comfort” (the source of the band’s name), James Taylor’s “Something In The Way She Moves,”and Steve Gillette and Tom Campbell’s “Darcy Farrow”; and Later That Same Year (1970), including Matthews’ “And Me” and Neil Young’s “Tell Me Why.” As well as contributions from Carl Barnwell, both albums showcased Matthews’ ear for outside talent, as he covered songs by Jesse Winchester, Goffin and King, and others. By Later That Same Year the band was in a groove, and outtakes from those sessions turned up on the 1994 Scion compilation of rarities and BBC broadcasts, among them “Touch Her If You Can” by Rodney Dillard and Mitch Jayne. It was yet another cover song, a single of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” that not only took Matthews Southern Comfort to the heights, but proved its undoing. Matthews was as surprised as anyone when the song reached number one on the British charts and the band found themselves on BBC’s Top of the Pops. From the stage, Matthews pictured the teenage audience wondering, “Who the hell are these guys?” and the success that he had so carefully orchestrated suddenly seemed to be the last thing he wanted, the antithesis of the artistic ambitions that had driven him away from Fairport Convention. As Matthews’ confidence faded, Barnwell was more than willing to step forward, and “it all came to a head after a dreadful soundcheck at Birmingham town hall. I left the building, walked down to the station, got on a train home and locked my door for a week.” Southern Comfort, sans Matthews, went on to record three more albums, with no real success, then folded in the early 70s. “The first time I heard Iain Matthews I sensed a kindred spirit. One who seeks out the really good stuff and suffers fools as little as possible. A restless soul rarely satisfied with his work, ever tinkering with it to keep it fresh both to himself and his audience. A probing songwriter and one of the best interpreters of the songs of others. And more prolific than I suspect either of us anticipated when we first got to know each other over 30 years ago.” Michael Tearson On his own again, Matthews hooked up with Vertigo Records and former Yardbird Paul Samwell-Smith, who signed on to produce his next album and in the process introduced him to Andy Roberts, an up-and-coming London musician who’d done an art college stint in Liverpool. After a difficult start, Matthews took over the production himself and created one of the most acclaimed albums of his career in If You Could See Thro’ My Eyes (1971). Armed with original songs like “Desert Inn” and “Thro’ My Eyes” and backed by Roberts, Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Keith Tippet (King Crimson), Tim Renwick (Al Stewart, Elton John, Pink Floyd), and other legendary British performers, Matthews seemed, for a moment, to have found a comfortable balance of autonomy, support, creativity, and success. He’d also discovered Richard Farina, two of whose songs (“Morgan the Pirate” and “Reno Nevada”) appear on the album. Shortly after he finished the album, Matthews appeared on a BBC radio broadcast with a band that included Thompson and Roberts, performing Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry,” among others. Matthews recorded a highly regarded follow-up for Vertigo, Tigers Will Survive (1972), with Roberts and various studio musicians. Again, Matthews’ own compositions predominate, though excellent covers include “Close the Door Lightly When You Go” by Eric Anderson, Farina’s “House Un-American Activity Blues Dream,” and the Phil Spector/Crystals chestnut, “Da Doo Ron Ron,” which became a minor hit in the US. Midway through recording, Matthews toured America with a band made up of Roberts, Thompson (who had just left Fairport), and bassist/keyboardist Bob Ronga. Once again Matthews sensed the urge for something more permanent, and pushed to keep the group together. Thompson bowed out, but the band, now calling themselves Plainsong, switched Ronga to guitar and found a worthy replacement in Dave Richards, formerly of Everyone. Vertigo was less interested in Plainsong than in another Matthews solo record, and the result was a contractual obligation album, recorded in five days. Musical support came from Roberts and several studio players, and the songs ranged from covers such as Jimmy Webb’s “Met Her On a Plane” to Matthews originals like “Knowing the Game” to outtakes such as the Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Devil in Disguise.” Though the finished product is quite strong, Vertigo sold the masters and Journeys from Gospel Oak didn’t appear until 1974 on Mooncrest/Charisma, a label in which the album’s producer, Sandy Roberton, had an interest. Free now to start again, Matthews put his energy into Plainsong, who signed with Elektra to produce the landmark In Search of Amelia Earhart (1972). Matthews’ “True Story of Amelia Earhart’s Last Night” is one of two songs about the lost aviator on the album, that grew out of Matthews’ voracious reading, a practice that was having an increasing influence on his songwriting. Matthews was also using |