"If You Saw Thro' My Eyes/Tigers Will Survive + Bonus Track" by IAN MATTHEWS – May 1971 UK Debut Solo Album, March 1972 UK Second Solo Album both on Vertigo Plus a May 1973 UK Stand-Alone 45-Single A-side with a B-side from his 1972 Second Album – featuring Richard Thompson of Fairport Convention on Guitars, Sandy Denny, Andy Roberts, Tim Renwick, Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway of Fotheringay, Keith Tippett (Keyboards), Del Newman (String Arrangements) with Backing Vocalists Doris Troy, Liza Strike and Nanette Workman (July 2024 UK Beat Goes On Compilation – 2LPs Plus One Bonus Track Onto 1CD – Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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RATINGS:

*** Music

***** Presentation

***** Audio

"…No Kind Of Rest…"

Ex-Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort – Ian Matthews was a five-album veteran by the time he signed to Vertigo Records in 1971 to start his voluminous solo career that continues to this day and on into a new tour for 2025. 

Here in the 53-year-and-counting future of July 2024 - England's Beat Goes On Records turn their classy reissue eyes onto his first two platters and typically they have done a stellar job even if the material tappers off a lot on LP number two which consists mostly of cover versions that feel incongruous and out-of-place. 

But both albums were beautifully produced and with new BGO remasters and tasty presentation – fans are getting the full whack. To the Eyes of the Tigers…

UK released Friday, 5 July 2024 - "If You Saw Thro' My Eyes/Tigers Will Survive + Bonus Track" by IAN MATTHEWS on Beat Goes On BGOCD1526 (Barcode 5017261215260) is a Compilation featuring his May 1971 Solo Debut, Feb 1972 Second Studio LP (both on Vertigo Records) Plus One Bonus Track – A Stand Along Single Side from 1973 with a 1972 2nd Album B-side (on Philips Records) - Remastered onto 1CD that plays out as follows (80:43 minutes):

1. Desert Inn [Side 1]
2. Hearts
3. Never Ending
4. Reno Nevada
5. Little Known
6. Hinge (Part 1)
7. Hinge (Part 2) [Side 2]
8. Southern Wind
9. It Came Without Warning
10. You Couldn't Lose
11. Morgan The Pirate
12. Thro' My Eyes
Tracks 1 to 12 are his debut solo album (after two with Fairport Convention and three with Matthews Southern Comfort) "If You Saw Thro' My Eyes" – released May 1971 in the UK on Vertigo 6360 034 and Vertigo VEL-1002. Produced by IAN MATTHEWS – Guest Musicians included Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Andy Roberts, Tim Renwick, Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway of Fotheringay, Keith Tippett (Keyboards), Del Newman (String Arrangements) with Backing Vocalists Doris Troy, Liza Strike and Nanette Workman. All songs Ian Matthews originals except "Little Known" and "Morgan The Pirate" by Richard Farina and "It Came Without Warning" written by Allan Jake Jacobs and Jerry Burnham of Jake And The Family Jewels – first issued on the self-titled debut LP in 1970 on Polydor 24-4029; Jerry Burnham was also in The Fifth Avenue Band on Reprise Records (1970) and The Quinaimes Band on Elektra Records (1971)

13. Never Again [Side 1]
14. Close The Door Lightly When You Go
15. Unamerican Activity Dream
16. Morning Show
17. The Only Dancer
18. Tigers Will Survive [Side 2]
19. Midnight On The Water
20. Right Before My Eyes
21. Da Doo Ron Ron
22. Hope You Know
23. Please Be My Friend
Tracks 13 to 23 are his second studio album "Tigers Will Survive" – released March 1972 in the UK on Vertigo 6360 056 and Vertigo VEL-1010.
Note: although the US LP sported the same gatefold artwork as the UK issue, the sides were reversed. To sequence the US-LP use the following tracks:
Side 1: Tracks 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23
Side 2: Tracks 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17

BONUS TRACK:
24. Devil In Disguise (a Flying Burrito Brothers cover version, see 45s below)

This 2024 CD compilation will allow fans to sequence his first four UK 45-singles:
"Hearts" b/w "Little Known", April 1971 UK Debut 45 on Vertigo 6059 041
Both tracks from the debut album "If You Saw Thro' My Eyes" (Tracks 2 and 5)

"Reno Nevada" b/w "Desert Inn", September 1971 UK 2nd 45 on Vertigo 6059 048
Both tracks from the debut album "If You Saw Thro' My Eyes" (Tracks 4 and 1)

"Da Doo Ron Ron" b/w "Never Again", February 1972, UK 3rd 45 on Philips 6006 197. Both tracks from his second studio album "Tigers Will Survive" (Tracks 21 and 13) 

"Devil In Disguise" b/w "Thro' My Eyes", May 1973, UK 4th 45 on Vertigo 6059 081. A-side was a stand-alone British release (track 24) with the B-side "Thro' My Eyes" being a song from his debut album "If You Saw Thro' My Eyes" (Track 12)

The card slipcase (wraparound) gives these BGO reissues a classy look and feel and the 16-page booklet reproduces both the gatefold sleeves and their artwork throughout its pages - JOHN O'REGAN doing his usual stellar job of setting the background in the liner-notes - then continuing into the now (he touches on relationships with musicians like Andy Roberts in the 70s (Plainsong) - on to his Iain change of name). But the real fireworks comes in the crystal clear Audio courtesy of another ANDREW THOMPSON Remaster to savour. Even when I feel there is a certain samy dullness to his songs - the Audio here is a huge draw. To the tunes...

Arguably the prettiest songs on the debut are those involving his fellow muckers in Fairport Convention – Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny and members of the one-album Folk-Rock supergroup Fotheringay. Richard picks beautiful Acoustic Guitar on the plucked-string ballad "You Couldn't Lose" but that is soundly trampled by the genuine beauty of the album's final cut "Thro' My Eyes". It has  Matthews and Sandy Denny duetting on Vocals with Tim Renwick of Quiver on echoed-background Electric Guitar while Sandy tinkers on the piano. Even it only lasts 2:34 minutes – it ends his debut on a beautiful plaintive high. You can't help thinking that Vertigo missed a trick in not issuing it as duet 45-single instead of condemning it to the B-side of a forgotten stand-alone song in May 1973 ("Devil In Disguise", the compilations Bonus Track). 

The debut's "Reno Nevada" and "Morgan The Pirate" are both cover versions of Richard Farina songs while "It Came Without Warning" is an Allan Jacobs and Jeremiah Burnham song they did for Jake And The Family Jewels in 1970. The LP was well-produced and you can 'so' hear that in the transfers of "Hinge", "Never Ending" and the plucky opener "Desert Inn" - Matthews establishing that soft Folk-Rock sound he gets - Plainsong meets Fotheringay - a gorgeous combo of sounds and styles in my book. 

I recall hearing the second album probably a year after it had released back in 1973 and thinking the covers-overload didn't work. Eric Anderson gets done on "Close The Door Lightly When You Go" - another Richard Farina entry comes in the shape of "Unamerican Activity Dream" - Peter Carr has his "The Only Dancer" given a Folky going over while easily the bizarrest and most out of place song is an Acapella cover of Spector's "Da Doo Ron Ron" which Vertigo clearly thought might catch the Rock 'n' Roll Revival marketplace but it didn't. I liked "Midnight On The Water" and the title track "Tigers Will Survive" but I can so understand why these Vertigo Spiral label albums don't go for the big bucks others do. 

Everything about this reissue is classy – two rare albums on Vertigo (Spiral) from 1971 and 1972 plus a Stand-Alone 45 from 1973 (none other than a Flying Burrito Brothers cover backing by a gem) – and all of it sounding truly fantastic and accompanied by quality packaging. But the listen feels laboured at times and ever so slightly uninspired. There are reasons why Ian Matthews albums go for such little dosh on one of the most desirable of British labels more than five decades later – they were good without ever really rising above that – nice but without exciting you (like say a John Martyn album on Island Records would). 

But for those who love the guy and his plaintive Americana Folk-Rock sound, this is a non-brainer purchase and highly recommended...