After leaving Fairport Convention rather prematurely in 1969, singer songwriter Iain Matthews embarked on what was to be an epic musical journey. His first solo album ‘Matthews’ Southern Comfort’, released that same year, saw him venturing further away from folk and further into the realms of country rock and Americana, and two further albums released under the Matthews’ Southern Comfort band name cemented a warm, rootsy sound, eventually netting Matthews a UK #1 hit with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Woodstock’, presented in the mould of the Crosby, Stills & Nash version. For the more casual observer, that will be the recording for which Iain is best known.
This was only the beginnings of a career that would spawn some superb work, however, and he would go deeper into country and Americana with the short-lived Plainsong project (whose ‘In Search of Amelia Earhart’ formed the backbone of a 6CD Plainsong box set in 2022) and on a trio of solo albums recorded for the Vertigo label between 1971-74.
As its title suggests, its those albums which act as the base for ‘Thro’ My Eyes: The Vertigo Years 1970-1974’. Another lavish set from Cherry Red, this anthology brings together five discs of material and including a wealth of unreleased tracks. For those who’ve owned the albums ‘If You Saw Thro’ My Eyes’ (1971), ‘Tigers Will Survive’ (1972) and ‘Journeys From Gospel Oak’ (1974) on any of their previously issued formats, or in any configuration, there’s still plenty of new stuff here to entice the keen Matthews fan.
Most notably, a live set from The Bitter End, recorded after the release of ‘…Eyes’ in 1971 on a promotional trip to the US, is released here for the first time. Joining Iain on the recording is future Plainsong bandmate Andy Roberts and the legendary Richard Thompson, forming an acoustic trio that’s hard to beat. Considering its age and archive status, the sound quality of the show is absolutely brilliant – near pristine, in fact – allowing the listener to really hear the harmonies shared throughout, and marvel at the separation between the guitars. Throughout smooth renditions of ‘Never Ending’, ‘Hope You Know’ and ‘Please Be My Friend’, Iain’s voice is fragile but perfect, whilst some of Thompson’s slightly busier guitar work cuts through with the expected confidence. On the latter, it’s great to hear a gentle steel guitar coming through on occasion, tapping into the more country influenced sounds of Matthews’ Southern Comfort and Iain’s soon to be recorded work with Plainsong. A few of the harmonies show a little distortion on this track, giving away the recording’s no frills approach, but that doesn’t spoil an otherwise historically important and brilliant show.
Fairport’s ‘Genesis Hall’ pushes Thompson’s guitar work further into the spotlight, but Matthews remains vocally on point, even though the average listener will forever associate the song with an especially strong Sandy Denny performance, and Matthews gets an even bigger chance to shine on the popular ‘Woodstock’ which, here, takes a rather downbeat approach. This, of course, allows the guitars a little room to stretch out over a summery melody, and the vocals shared between Matthews and Roberts take a similarly cool and lax approach which suits the slow rhythm. It might not be a career defining take of the legendary tune, but in terms of live performance, everyone sounds great.
During the second half of the show, more brand new material is given an outing, and sharp takes of the still unreleased ‘Right Through My Eyes’ and ‘Close The Door Lightly’ serve up near perfect folk sounds for the small crowd lucky enough to be present. Both tracks would become highlights of Iain’s ‘Tigers Will Survive’ LP the following year, but it’s a genuine pleasure to hear a stripped down and intimate performance of the latter here. ‘Reno Nevada’ offers something a little more upbeat and it’s interesting to hear the acoustic strings buzzing under busy fingers throughout. There are no weak links to be found during this ten song show, but if anything else seems striking when hearing it over half a century on, it’s how little of the ‘If You Saw Thro’ My Eyes’ material is played, especially given that Iain was supposed to be promoting the album at the time.
Also making their debut in this box set are a selection of live recordings credited ‘The Vertigo Years: Live 1971-2022’ (filling the whole of the fifth disc). As suggested by their given title, this is a round-up of recordings associated with the three Vertigo albums, drawn from different sources. Although in some ways, the hotch-potch nature in which these performances are shared could feel like box set filler, for the die-hard fan, most of the recordings will be a welcome addition. For any newer ears listening for the first time, or for those still feeling their way around Iain’s vast catalogue, the fact that the later recordings are taken from acoustic based shows will at least offer a consistent sound.
Among the highlights of this disc spotlighting different eras of Iain’s live work, the version of ‘Never Ending’ from 2003 featuring voice, piano and a long spoken intro, is absolutely amazing. His vocal has the same clarity as some forty years previously, and the lightly approached piano – courtesy of Egbert Derix – gives the melody an extra feeling of fragility. From the same show, ‘You Couldn’t Lose’ shows off a slightly broader sound via Iain’s acoustic guitar, making the track sound more like something from his ‘Woodshedding’ LP from 2000, whilst a performance of ‘Thro’ My Eyes’ with Jim Fogerty (drawn from a Bethlehem, PA show in 2016) captures Iain’s slightly older vocals against a fine sounding acoustic guitar and dobro combo. In terms of experiencing a stripped down, rootsy sound, this is so pure that actually listening to it almost hurts. Hearing about thirteen people applauding as Iain throws out a very gentle thank you as the tune pulls to a close makes you realise how special it must have been to be there in person.
A selection of tracks recorded with Andy Roberts in Paris during the 1971 tour are rougher around the edges, but of great historical value. It’s great to hear these friends hammering through ‘Desert Inn’ with gusto, and the second ever live performance of ‘Hope You Know’ being presented with the maturity of a tune that sounds as if it’s been a part of the live set forever. Iain can also be found discussing his departure from Fairport in a surprisingly light hearted way during an introduction for a spirited ‘Close The Door Lightly’ and ‘Please Be My Friend’ rounds everything out with a faithful take on the Matthews’ Southern Comfort tune which would soon be re-worked for the ‘Tigers Will Survive’ LP.
A disc of live recordings subtitled ‘Thro’ My Eyes…Live’ offers a little more of a coherent experience as it recreates the studio album via live recordings from 2003. The audio quality on these tracks is pristine; unlike a lot of the other live materials here, they also allow an opportunity to hear Matthews with full band in tow. The country groove of ‘Desert Inn’ throws a bigger focus on a great bassline and country-picked electric guitar, but never at the expense of Iain’s lead vocal, which has a great, natural quality. The latin infused ‘Morgan The Pirate’ becomes even more of a showcase for the band with some great piano work flowing in and out of the main vocal, and a superb drum shuffle accentuates the melody’s easy coolness. The slightly more aggressive live sound makes it even more obvious there’s a root melody here that’s never more than a moment away from slipping into ‘All Along The Watchtower’, but in some ways, that makes it even better.
The more acoustic based ‘You Still Don’t Know’ creates a gig highlight with perfectly picked lines bristling against a louder sounding second guitar and a very 80s keyboard sound adding a moody backdrop behind a great vocal, and the title cut shares a perfect blend of acoustic guitar and voice. If you’re a fan, you’ll have live recordings of this number elsewhere, but in terms of capturing pure emotion, Iain has rarely sounded better than he does here. Even one of the original album’s “lesser” tracks, ‘It Came Without Warning’, showcases a tight country rock/folk rock band at work, and the rolling parts on the latter part of this performance sound especially cool.
This reconstruction of ‘…Thro’ My Eyes’ is so faithful that the middle even re-presents the instrumentals ‘Hinge I’ and ‘Hinge II’ for completeness, but things aren’t reproduced so rigidly that Iain doesn’t make time for some friendly banter and a few stories that put the great songs in context. Overall, this is a superb listen. Originally issued as a bonus disc with the German compilation ‘Iain Matthews: Collected’ and reissued as a Japanese only CD, its UK debut as part of this box is long overdue, but it’s certainly a more than welcome inclusion here.
Elsewhere, you’ll find eight selections from Iain’s ‘Notebook Series’ which share yet more live recordings centring around the early 70s tracks. Another recording of ‘Thro’ My Eyes’ (an unreleased take from 1993) is a particular standout, since like the later 2003 recording, the vocals are fantastic, whilst ‘Midnight On The Water’, ‘Tribute To Hank Williams’ and ‘Knowing The Game’ (a trio of tracks taken from the ‘Live Alone’ CD) give a great indication of Matthews as a solo live performer during the early 90s, at a time when acoustic music became in vogue once more thanks to MTV Unplugged.
No expansive box set would be complete without a few archive radio sessions, and there are two included here, featuring Iain and friends at undisclosed locations in April and May 1971. Four of the five April ’71 session tracks were previously released on the ‘Orphans & Outcasts’ box set (Cherry Red Records, 2019), but their inclusion here is both important and very welcome. Kicking off with a rousing version of Dylan’s ‘It Takes A Lot To Laugh…’, the April session starts in fine style, showing Iain and Richard Thompson in a more aggressive form, dropping blues rock guitar lines over a rolling piano groove, before the rootsy balladry of ‘Not Much At All’ returns to more familiar territory. Iain’s comfort zone brings more superb harmonies on a country inflected number where a bright piano underscores the prominent vocal beautifully. ‘Hearts’, a then brand new track from ‘If You Saw Thro’ My Eyes’, sounds as if it’s taken from a slightly wobblier source. The guitar work is prominent, yet brittle sounding, and until you’re ears have adjusted, Matthews sounds as if he’s singing from half a mile away. Nevertheless, there are some solid harmonies to be found here, and the acoustic solo that creeps in at the eleventh hour really captures Iain’s natural feel for a country rock sound, looking forward in some ways to both Plainsong and his own ‘Valley Hi’ LP from 1973. A cover of John D. Wyker’s ‘Baby Ruth’ hits a great country rock groove, with a warmer bass sound and a jubilant hook sounding more urgent than a lot of the Iain Matthews material from a ’71 vintage, and the unreleased ‘Home’ rounds out everything with a perfect acoustic workout that sounds like a natural companion to the bulk of the ‘…Eyes’ LP.
The second session from May ’71 is largely unreleased. Any thoughts you may have regarding its previous AWOL status due to it being drawn from a poor quality source can be discarded, as this is fine for a partial bootleg recording. It would be fair to say that there’s far rougher material included in the Plainsong box from ’22. The master tape of the previously released ‘There’s A Woody Guthrie Song’ leads the charge, all acoustic strums and huge harmonies, playing in a way that acts as a precursor for Plainsong, and a fine take of ‘Never Said’ sounds barely any different from its studio counterpart. For the fan, it’ll be the three unreleased bootleg tracks that are the big draw, of course, and although these sound incredibly brittle, its more than clear what’s being played, with ‘Thro’ My Eyes’ and ‘Desert Inn’ sounding almost like unearthed demos for the album, and a preview of ‘Close The Door Lightly’ showcasing a fine guitar tone throughout, despite the less than perfect audio source.
In addition to all of that great live stuff, there are the original albums, all of which hold up very strongly. ‘Thro’ My Eyes’ is absolutely essential, since it provides the transition between Iain’s work with the country rock band Southern Comfort into more of a folk sphere, and the album’s lush production sound really brings a heart to his songs. There’s variety within the material, too, since ‘Morgan The Pirate’ presents rather busy folk rock, the ‘Hinge’ instrumentals add a baroque element that was fashionable during the era, ‘Southern Wind’ shares a more grandiose take on a country rock sound, and the gorgeous title cut shows Iain’s vulnerable side as folk balladeer.
Although ‘Tigers Will Survive’ and ‘Journeys From Gospel Oak’ don’t match ‘…Eyes’ for all round consistency, both are home to some fantastic tracks. There’s ‘Franklin Avenue’, a superb folk rocker that finds Iain exploring a sound not a million miles away from The Byrds circa ‘Byrdmaniax’, a smoother version of ‘Hope You Know’ that augments the folk core with a semi-jazzy sax, a full return to folk roots on ‘The Only Dancer’ with a huge accordion providing the heart of the melody whilst the band weave a country melody, and the haunting ‘Morning Song’ where Iain’s strong blend of country and folk creates a mournful melody that, despite never rising beyond a quiet drone, compliments his voice brilliantly.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll find ‘House Un-American Blues Activity Dream’, a protest song that takes a rocky stance allowing a dancing bassline to have as much time in the spotlight as the vocal, and the excellent ‘Sing Me Back Home’ a country number that presents folky harmonies in such a way, you could almost imagine Sandy Denny taking the reins. You’d think, with so many good songs at his disposal already, covering ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’ would be a frivolous, near pointless exercise, but by stripping it down to the vocal melody – reproduced with a choir of voices, bringing out the very best in some strong backing – and leaving the rhythm to a few handclaps, it becomes a great folk-pop workout where Iain’s lead really gets to shine. It’s a great example of how the artist has a great knack for making great songs his own. Venture through his slightly later albums, and you’ll find fantastic versions of Tom Waits, Jackson Browne and Terry Reid songs, an unexpected cover of Marc Jordan’s ‘Survival’, a definitive take on Duncan Browne’s ‘Wild Places’, and even tracks from writers as diverse as Jona Lewie and Terence Boylan, each delivered with aplomb.
There’s a wealth of superb material in this collection. The only down side with this set is that it misses out the rather excellent ‘Valley Hi’ album from 1973. Its omission here is due to it actually being recorded for Jac Holzman’s Elektra label, which leads to some chronological wobbliness. It’s a minor point, of course, but newer listeners who find themselves enjoying ‘The Vertigo Years’ would really benefit from seeking out that record and Iain’s other Elektra recording, 1974’s ‘Some Days You Eat The Bear…’ for further audio exploration.
In terms of box sets, the Cherry Red release ‘I Can’t Fade Away: The Rockburgh Years 1978-1984’ – a six disc tome bringing together four of the finest Iain Matthews albums and a truckload of unreleased materials – is hard to beat. With ‘The Vertigo Years’, the label manage to curate something almost as grand, once again, showing more love for Iain’s catalogue than many have in the past. Between three enjoyable albums, two unmissable live sets and a collection of never less than interesting bonus cuts, this is a set that fans can treasure, and the merely curious can use as a springboard towards more fantastic listening. A highly recommended purchase.
Buy the box set here.
October 2024