I'll fly away (Plainsong) (LP 3509)

Plainsong  In Search of Amelia Earhart (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1972) ****  

Genre: Country rock, folk rock

Places I remember: Record Fair

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Louise

Gear costume: For The Second Time 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I have mentioned this album by Plainsong in passing while writing about Ian Matthews' solo albums. In Search of Amelia Earhart was their only album, as the band split up the same year (a second Plainsong album was recorded but never released, to my knowledge).

It's not really a concept album, as most of the songs are concerned with other matters, but it does tackle a bizarre unproved theory about Amelia crash landing and being captured by Japanese troops. 

It is another great album by Ian (he writes most of the songs and, as per usual, sings like a dream). His fellow Plainsong members (including Andy Roberts from The Liverpool Scene) contribute some superior country rock. 

Where do they all belong? A weird one - but a fantastic addition to the collection.

Right before my eyes (Ian Matthews) (LP 3110 - 3112)

Matthews' Southern Comfort  Matthews' Southern Comfort (Vinyl, Decca Records, 1970) ***  

Ian Matthews  Tigers Will Survive (Vinyl, Vertigo Records, 1972) **** 

Ian Matthews  Some Days You Eat The Bear...Some Days The Bear Eats You (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1974) **** 

Genre: Country rock, folk rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Only Dancer (Tigers Will Survive)

Gear costume: Please Be My Friend (Matthews' Southern Comfort). A second version appears on Tigers Will Survive.

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I have been after a vinyl copy of the first album by Ian Matthews/ Matthews' Southern Comfort for a loooong time. It joins their second and third album in my collection. 

Both of those are four star efforts. I'm a big fan of Ian's peculiar English take on country rock.

Matthew's Southern Comfort was his first solo album and it's more folk rock than country, even though Gordon Huntley's pedal steel makes a welcome appearance on a few tracks (he and Matthews were the only carry over when Matthews' Southern Comfort became a band for the next albums). 

That's to be expected, given Ian had just left Fairport Convention. Some of his colleagues from that band appear here, namely Ashley Hutchings, Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson.

The first thing you notice with this album is the rich vocal from Ian Matthews. He has an amazing voice! Please Be My Friend, a Matthews' song, provides a clue about where he was heading next. That pedal steel sound is glorious.

Tigers Will Survive was one of two albums he recorded in 1971 (I don't have the first - If You Saw Thro' My Eyes) and before he formed Plainsong with Andy Roberts (I'll come to their album In Search of Amelia Earhart in due course). He was a busy boy! 

Tigers Will Survive is an excellent album - full of superb country rock songs played well. As is Some Days You Eat The Bear. Those warm acoustic guitars and his honeyed voice are a winning combination.

Some Days is more commercial sounding with some big names helping out - Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter and David Lindley among them. There are quite a few covers too - Tom Waits, Crazy Horse, Steely Dan. Like that first solo album it's a bit of a transition album from the country rock to a more pop/ rock approach.

Where do they all belong? Okay, I'm up to date with Ian Matthews. I've written about a couple of his other albums, Valley Hi and Stealin' Home already - I'm always keen to collect more of those earlier albums.

Keep on sailing (Ian Matthews) (LP 1082-1083)

Ian Matthews  Valley Hi (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1973) ****  

Ian Matthews  Stealin' Home (Vinyl, RTC Records, 1978) ***  

Genre: Country rock 

Places I remember: Amoeba Records (Hollywood) and Vinyl Countdown (New Plymouth)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: These Days (Valley Hi)

Gear costume: Shake It (Stealin' Home) 

Active compensatory factors: I have a thing for Matthews' Southern Comfort and I love The Monkees, so when I saw a copy of Valley Hi at Amoeba and noticed it was produced by Mike Nesmith, it was a no brainer.

It's great. Red Rhodes on steel and dobro! How could it not be great. Add in Ian's warm smooth vocals and Nez on guitar and ace production and it's a genuine gem from 1973.

Stealin' Home, featuring the near hit, Shake It, is an attempt at a more pop sound and it works well after a shakey opening track. Again Ian surrounds himself with quality musicians. This time Rick Kemp and Pete Wingfield are on board.

Where do they all belong? If I had an Americana section in my collection, I'd file this album there because Ian skirts expertly around country, folk, pop genres on these albums (especially Stealin' Home).

Tale of the trial (Matthews' Southern Comfort) (LP 912 - 913)

Matthews' Southern Comfort  Second Spring (Vinyl, Decca Records, 1970) ****  

Matthews Southern Comfort  Later That Same Year (Vinyl, MCA Records, 1970) ****  

Genre: Country rock 

Places I remember: M

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Woodstock (From Later...)

Gear costume: Even As (From Second Spring)

Active compensatory factors: This is one of those rare things - British country rock and, let me declare from the off, it's brilliant! Given it sprang from Ian Matthews' post folky days in Fairport Convention, it also has tinges of that genre along the way (Blood Red Roses is just one example).

Second Spring is really the first MSC band effort (see below) and it sounds great, as in - it could have been recorded yesterday. It's that fresh! There are so many positive moments - Ian's gorgeous vocals, the harmony work, the guitar and banjo of Carl Barnwell (who also provides a couple of songs) and the laidback vibe is beguiling. B.T.W. my pressing of this album is American and they included the band's apostrophe throughout the album.

Clearly, Ian had an ear for classic songs - James Taylor's Something In The Way She Moves (from his first album on Apple Records that I featured recently - scroll down) gets a great full band treatment. The gentleness is still there and the pedal steel by Gordon Huntley is superb.

Cover material increases on their second album of 1970. There's a Goffin/King and Neil Young song but the big one was by Joni Mitchell.

Yes,  Later That Same Year includes their great version of her song - Woodstock. That was my entry point to the band. All those years ago, I listened intently every time it came onto my radio in 1970. B.T.W. my  pressing is a New Zealand one and they dispensed with the apostrophe. Weird.

Where do they all belong? I'm still trying to track down Ian Matthews' first solo effort when he left Fairport Convention - confusingly called 'Matthews' Southern Comfort' (with apostrophe). Much more Southern Comfort (without Iain Matthews - yes he changed his first name along the way) to come in the countdown.

We are stardust (Joni Mitchell) #248

Matthews Southern Comfort 
Woodstock/ Scion (MCA, MC/S 2095, 1970)

Ah Woodstock. Long time readers will know how much I revere those three days man, threee days - we just love ya, we just love ya.

This version of Joni's song is for me the definitive version.

There are only three released versions that I know about: Joni's own version on Ladies Of The Canyon; CSN and Y's on Deja Vu; and Matthews Southern Comfort.

Why definitive?

It manages to capture the spirit of the time for me - all those dreamy hazy soundscapes with a laid back to the country vibe going on. And there are the group harmonies which are just perfect.

Went to #1 in the UK charts too.

Hidden gem: Scion is something of a rarity as it didn't appear on the MSC album of the time Later That Same Year; naturally, it has appeared as a bonus track subsequently. It's an Ian Matthews song in the same general style as the A side - loads of lovely pedal steel guitar and harmonies. A great second side!

So hard to find my way now that I'm all on my own (Van Morrison) #247

Ian Matthews  Brown Eyed Girl/ Rhythm Of The West (CBS, BA 461677, 1976)

You may know him as Iain Matthews or Ian McDonald or as part of Matthews Southern Comfort (yes without a pesky apostrophe, although his first solo album was called Matthews' Southern Comfort). 

During the mid seventies he was Ian Matthews (if you're keeping up you may want to know his real name - Iain Matthew McDonald).

Clearly he had a restless spirit, a crisis of identity AND was challenged by grammar. 

One thing IS without doubt: his version of the great Van Morrison song is awesome. The rough edges of Van's vocal are replaced by a warm tone and a smooth as molasses vocal by Ian.

It was actually Ian's version that I heard first and, shock horror... I prefer it - yes even though I love Van the man.



Hidden gem: The B side is another song off the parent album (Go For Broke) and is a nice pleasant song in his laid back country rock style.