A huge amount of work from Ian Matthews – his three Vertigo albums, plus almost double that amount in rare live and bonus tracks! First up is the initial If You Saw Thro My Eyes – a great set! Ian Matthews got his start in Fairport Convention, but a record like this makes it clear that Matthews always needed to be a mainman of his own – as the record's got this focus, fullness, and lyrical quality that's only further by Ian's surprisingly strong role as a producer! There are a few older echoes here and there, but the whole thing is stepping up to a new generation of singer/
songwriter material – personal, but confident – acoustically inflected, but never folksy at all – and filled with the sorts of songs that make it clear that you're in a new generation of self-expression! Titles include "Desert Inn", "Hearts", "Never Ending", "Reno Nevada", "Hinge (parts 1 & 2)", "Southern Wind", "Morgan The Pirate", and "If You Saw Thro' My Eyes". Tigers Will Survive is a stunner from Ian Matthews – a record that draws on his folk rock roots, but recasts things beautifully with all the hipness you might expect from the Vertigo label at the time – as Matthews mixes his own tunes with a few well-chosen numbers by others, all delivered with fresh arrangements and a really great shifting lineup of instrumentation! There's acoustic guitar at the core, but the record mixes in moody bits of piano, additional guitar, and even some nice alto work from the great Ray Warleigh – shifting tones and colors to really illuminate tunes that sparkle with that fantastically distinct vocal style that makes Ian so great. Titles include "Right Before My Eyes", "Hope You Know", "Please Be My Friend", "Unamerican Activity Dream", "Morning Song", "Tigers Will Survive", and "Close The Door Lightly When You Go". Journey From Gospel Oak is a really beautiful album from Iain Matthews – a set that was recorded as his third album for the Vertigo label, who then passed on this gem for some unknown reason! Matthews is in warmly confident country rock territory here – working with nicely understated production that makes his vocals come through wonderfully, and with a sense of tunecraft and presentation that's maybe a bit in the territory of Gene Clark at the same time! The set actually includes a version of a tune by Clark, plus others by Tim Hardin,
Mickey Newbury, and Merle Haggard, as well as a few of Matthews' own – a set list that includes "Knowing The Game", "Tribute To Hank Williams", "Mobile Blue", "Bride 1945", "Franklin Avenue", "Met Her On A Plane", "Things You Gave Me", and "Polly". The set features lots of bonus tracks too – some alternates and demos – plus 10 tracks from radio sessions in 1971, 10 more from a show at the Bitter End, 3 acoustic tracks in Paris, a 12 track reading of If You Saw Thro recorded live, 8 tracks from the Notebook Series, and 19 more live tracks of Vertigo material.