Iain Matthews

"Camouflage: The Notebook Series No.4" 1971-1995

Session with:
Andy Roberts
Richard Thompson
Bradley Kopp
Deni Bonet
Jim Fogarty
Lindsay Gilmour
Richard Sleigh
Andy Roberts (Plainsong)
Mark Griffiths (Plainsong)
Julian Dawson (Plainsong)
etc...


01. There's a Woody Guthrie song
---live radio London 1971 with Andy Roberts and Richard Thompson
02. Keep on sailing
---Quasimodo Berlin Germany 9-11-90 with Andy Roberts
03. For the lonely hunter
---Spiral Hall Tokyo Japan 6-1-91 with Bradley Kopp
04. And me
---Mountain Stage Radio Charleston W.Va. 6-12-91 with Deni Bonet
05. True location of the heart
---Town Crier Pawling N.Y. 6-12-92 with Jim Fogarty
06. Compass and chart
07. Even the guiding light
08. The rat and the snake (Mark Germino)
---Brosella Festival Brussels Belgium 7-11-92 with Andy Roberts
09. Evening sun
---Gene Shay Radio Show Philidelphia Pa. 8-30-92 with Jim Fogarty, Lindsay Gilmour, Richard Sleigh
10. House un-American activities blues dream (Richard Farina)
11. Next time around
12. Back of the bus
---Mayrhofen Austria 8-26-93 Plainsong: Andy Roberts, Mark Griffiths, Julian Dawson, IM
13. A lamb in armour
14. Rains of '62
15. Reno Nevada (Richard Farina)
---Karlsruhe Germany 1-25-95 with Bradley Kopp


"God Looked Down" 1996

In the wake of his 1988 comeback -- an entire record dedicated to the work of Jules Shear -- Iain Matthews seemed to gain confidence and momentum as a writer, beginning with 1990's Pure and Crooked. Of the three albums that followed, two of them, including God Looked Down, are made up solely of his own material (although the basic melody of "So Many Eyes" was taken from the traditional "Nottamun Town," from his Fairport Convention days). And while Matthews' work has always been quite personal and individualistic even when covering other people's tunes, there's something about God Looked Down that hits a little closer to the bone. One of the album's best tracks, "Power of Blue," is maybe his most intimate and telling song since "If You Saw Thro' My Eyes," while elsewhere there are touches of hope, fear, wonder, and inadequacy -- both personal and societal. Musically, Matthews and longtime producer Mark Hallman create a more rock-based folk sound than his previous couple of outings, cloaking his acoustic-based tunes in bass, drums, and dark shades of organ and electric guitar. There also seems to be a freedom gained over the years from the fact that Matthews accepts and appreciates his "borderline career," settling nicely into his cult status, and the record benefits from this. God Looked Down may lack the consistency of his best records, but it still delivers some successful, introspective folk-rock. ~ Brett Hartenbach, All Music Guide