Following his departure from
Fairport Convention
in 1969, singer and songwriter
Iain Matthews
formed the folk-rock band
Matthews Southern Comfort
. They released three albums in 1970: an eponymously titled debut,
Second Spring
in June, and
Later That Same Year
in August.
Matthews
dissolved the band and signed a solo deal with
Philips
' brand-new
Vertigo
label -- he was the first artist they signed. Between 1971 and 1974, he recorded three albums for the label: 1971's
If You Saw Thro' My Eyes
, 1972's
Tigers Will Survive
, and 1974's
Journeys from Gospel Oak
. The five-disc
Thro' My Eyes: The Vertigo Years 1970-1974
, contains these records and two discs of unissued studio and live material. In addition to the music, the booklet features rare photos, track annotations, release histories, and a fine liner essay by compiler/producer
Ron Yaxley
.
Disc one includes
, and the previously unissued Live at the Bitter End in an acoustic trio with guitarists
Andy Roberts
and
Richard Thompson
during a six-night residency. The sound is outstanding,
' voice is in excellent vulnerable form, and the interplay between guitarists is dazzling. The set list joined forthcoming material from
and a reading of
Thompson
's "Genesis Hall."
opens disc two. Six fine
tunes include the title cut and "Midnight on the Water." They appear, alongside covers of
Richard Farina
's "Unamerican Activity Dream," and an a cappella read of
the Crystals
' classic "Da Doo Ron Ron." It's rounded out by two radio sessions from 1971: in April with
Roberts
,
, and a rhythm section, and in May in trio with the guitarists. Eight of its cuts are by
alongside an excellent reading of
Bob Dylan
's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry."
inhabits an ethereal space, existing somewhere between
CSNY
Gram Parsons
. It includes two originals and excellent covers of songs by
Merle Haggard
Mickey Newbury
Tim Hardin
Gene Clark
, and others. It's buoyed by studio outtakes, a cover of
Jimmy Webb
's "Met Her on a Plane," and several excellent 2006 re-recordings of album tracks. The disc is completed by three tunes from the Acoustic in Paris concerts, offering wonderful unaccompanied renditions of three songs, including "Knowing the Game." Disco four contains a live version of
cut in 2003 at a Netherlands café. The final eight cuts are from the long-out-of-print
NoteBooks Series
of tunes requested by fans in live settings. Those recordings were privately issued, sold only at concerts and online. The final disc, Vertigo Years Live 1971-2022, offers 19 concert versions and covers during that two-decade run, most in excellent quality.
arrives less than two months after the fantastic studio set
How Much Is Enough
, an album
claims may be his last.
Cherry Red
is filling out his legacy with several fine reissues and compilations. That said, this box is a treasure trove from a golden era in
' six-decade career. ~ Thom Jurek