Iain Matthews Appreciation Thread--solo, album by album + track by track (pg. 18)*

more tomorrow...I leave you with .....the thought police.

 

I know..I'm back. Just had to share the wonderful sessions...

Bits And Pieces from "Like A Radio"...

 

track 2 ) Like A Radio
(Clive Gregson-Iain Matthews)

A wonderful jazzy track...I really love this whole album!
Great backing jazz musicians! Iain just gets better & better.

 

track 3) The Age Of Isolation

Pretty timeless and rather foretelling...who'd a thought it in 2017?
Pretty amazing live rendering.

 

the Album track...stunning jazzy blues.

track 3) The Age Of Isolation
Iain Matthews / Eric de Vries

 

track 4) Bits & Pieces (Iain Matthews)

An absolutely wonderful track---absolutely love this studio sessions vid.

 

track 5) Darcy Farrow

I like this version even better than the one he recorded decades ago.
Can't find a play from the LP, but here is a stunning, heartfelt live version.
Though I love it,
the original that Iain did 40 years ago was a bit too bluegrass upbeat for the subject for me.

 

track 6) Crystals and Glass

God, I love love love this! Great session video too.

 

track 6) Been Down So Long

Absolutely fantastic song...love it love it.
Lyrics, tune, musicianship...all so damn great.

 

And this wonderful live version from Iain...
Iain Matthews at Classic Album Thursdays, Tap & Barrel, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England (2016?).


Been Down So Long.

 

Just gotta share this too...I love this one so much..so wonderful to see and hear Iain live...
God Looked Down

Such a fine picker too.

 

track 7) Jive Pajamas

A real fave...love this one. Jazz and jive!
Another that gives me a feelin' of some old great Hoagy Carmichael.
Love it!

 

track 8) Phoenix Rising
Bart-Jan Baartmans / Iain Matthews

A nice change of pace...
Such great lyrics. Dual vocal work...

 

track 10) To Love
(sorry about getting the track numbers off back at track 10)

Wonderful song....love the beat , love the lyrics.
Quite a fantastic reimagining of the original country rock version form 4 decades earlier.

This one rocks with a great beat and funky jazzy vibe. I like this one just a bit better!

Great wah wah guitar break too...love these guys in the band!

 

track 11) Right As Rain

Iain has really matured to a point where I don't hear a weak track ever....and has don so now for at least two decades!
Love this soulful track.

 

track 12) Chasing Rainbows

Great great closer...love this so much. A minor key stunner.
Pure Iain. Lyrics and tune and beat.

 

track 13) Something I the Way She Moves (bonus track)

They do this one so well, with this reimagining of the old cover Iain did so many years ago.

 

track 14) A Heartless Night

Another fantastic cover of himself.

These are such great bonus tracks...they all really do well here, as if they are a part of
the album...so many bonus tracks that are added later are soooo skip worthy.

These are not!

 

track 15) Your Cake And Eat It

Sorry if I am getting redundant...but wow...another great cover of himself!

 

Enjoy Like A Radio, once more!

 

Does anyone know what became of Carl Barnwell?

 

As usual, the one album of Iain's I played on (HiFi aside) gets short shrift ...

 

2020....The New Mine

Thank you, Iain!!

 

1 EthiopiaWritten-By – Joni Mitchell 5:53
2 The Hands Of TimeVocals – Elly KellnerWritten-By – Iain Matthews 5:16
3 Feed ItWritten-By – Iain Matthews 5:36
4 Patty's PoetryWritten-By – B.J. Baartmans* 3:59
5 Working In The New MineWritten-By – Ed Snodderly 4:48
6 Starvation BoxWritten-By – Iain Matthews 4:25
7 C'mon AmigoWritten-By – Eric Devries, Iain Matthews 4:53
8 The HoleMusic By – Bart de WinWords By – Iain Matthews 4:17
9 A Secret Is GoneMusic By – B.J. Baartmans*Words By – Iain Matthews 4:55
10 The Sacrificial CowMusic By – B.J. Baartmans*Words By – Iain Matthews 3:34
11 InbetweenWritten-By – Eric Devries, Iain Matthews 3:40
12 In My Next LifeMusic By – B.J. Baartmans*Words By – Iain Matthews 3:25
Companies, etc.

• Recorded At – Studio Wild Verband, Boxmeer
• Mixed At – Studio Wild Verband, Boxmeer
• Mastered At – Studio Wild Verband, Boxmeer

Credits

• Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Eric Devries
• Drums – Sjoerd van Bommel
• Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Bass, Vocals, Resonator Guitar – BJ Baartmans
• Piano, Accordion, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Vocals – Bart de Win
• Producer – B.J. Baartmans*, Iain Matthews
• Recorded By, Mixed By, Mastered By – B.J. Baartmans*
• Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Iain Matthews

Notes
Recorded, mixed and mastered by B.J. Baartmans @ Studio Wild Verband, Boxmeer, Netherlands. August 19th-September 30th, 2019. Produced by B. J. Baartmans and Iain Matthews for Perfect Pitch Productions.

 

Matthews Southern Comfort – The New Mine: Album Review
BY JOHN BARLASS ON 27TH FEBRUARY 2020 •

Iain Matthews is probably the finest British exponent of the ‘Americana’ musical genre; read our thoughts on Matthews Southern Comfort’s forthcoming album.

Released: 27th March 2020

Label: MIG Music

Format: CD / Digital

Iain Matthews is probably the finest British exponent of the ‘Americana’ musical genre. Ever since his departure from Fairport Convention in 1969, it is an avenue that he has explored to great effect if, perhaps, only sporadically achieving the success and recognition that his talent and perseverance so richly deserves. Of course, from the early 1970s until the dawn of the current millennium, Iain was based in the US, where he was able to hone his songwriting and interpretational skills, catching the attention of such influential figures as Michael Nesmith and The Eagles.

Those readers familiar with the name Matthews Southern Comfort will no doubt recall that the band’s most high-profile moment occurred when they occupied the Number One position in the UK singles chart for a period of 3 weeks in October 1970 with their version of Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock. Although fairly typical of the band’s country-flavoured, pedal-steel driven melodic rock music, Woodstock was by no means the only outstanding example of the band’s repertoire and they were responsible for two excellent albums, Second Spring and Later That Same Year, both released in 1970, and both well worth a listen (neither have aged a day!)

Iain left Matthews Southern Comfort in 1971 and the name of the band lay dormant until it was revived in 2010 when Iain, backed by a group of top-notch Dutch musicians (he relocated from the US to The Netherlands in 2000) released the Kind Of New album under the old name. The New Mine is the fourth Matthews Southern Comfort album since the name was revived and Iain has enlisted the services of Bart Jan Baartmans (acoustic, electric and resonator guitars, mandolin, sitar, bass, and banjo), Bart de Win (acoustic and electric pianos, accordion, and backing vocals) and Eric De Vries (acoustic guitar and vocals) to deliver an album which expertly and entertainingly travels the path from British Folk-Rock to full-blown Americana.

The choice of musicians and instruments is inspired. The band gel perfectly together, both in the construction and delivery of the songs and in the compositional collaborations that dominate the album. Compositional credits cover several combinations of the band’s personnel, with Iain Matthews linking with each in turn to produce some excellent songs. Notable amongst these collaborations are C’mon Amigo, a song by Iain and Eric which contains some marvellous vocal harmonies and would be worthy of inclusion on any Eagles album; The Hole is a Matthews/de Win effort that makes scary references to the destruction of the ozone layer and its growing consequences for the planet and In My Next Life, composed by Bart Jan Baartmans and Iain, offers shrewd philosophical tips to anyone fortunate enough to relive their life applying the experiences that they have gathered.

The album opens with a version of the Joni Mitchell song, Ethiopia (from her 1985 Dog Eat Dog album). This is, perhaps, appropriate, given the long association in the minds of many people between Joni and Matthews Southern Comfort. The version on this album is sublime with sprinklings of piano and some tasteful guitar work which both set the tone for the musical treats to come. Sadly, the subject matter of the song – the plight of the people in the African deserts and the indifference of the West, remains as current as it was when the song was written, which provides all the justification necessary for reviving the song.

Of Iain’s solo compositions, my highlight is Starvation Box; a story of an itinerant musician which builds excitingly and which contains some wonderful slide guitar work.

Some may question the relevance of crediting this, albeit tremendous, album to Matthews Southern Comfort; after all, the only constant thread between the outfit that operated in the early 1970s and the band on The New Mine is Iain Matthews. I would, however, strongly challenge this view. The personnel may be different but the sound and intent of the band pick up precisely where the original band left off, even to the extent that Gordon Huntley’s missing pedal steel licks that were so much a feature of the 1970 incarnation are precisely replicated by Bart Jan Baartman’s guitar. Happily, Iain’s melodic voice is not only as good as ever, it is enhanced by the vocal support of Bart de Win and Eric De Vries. The New Mine is very definitely a Matthews Southern Comfort masterpiece.