Thro' My Eyes: Vertigo Years 1970-1974

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: 1971s If You Saw Thro My Eyes, 1972s Tigers Will Survive, and 1974s 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 If You Saw Thro My Eyes, 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, Matthews voice is in excellent vulnerable form, and the interplay between guitarists is dazzling. The set list joined forthcoming material from Tigers Will Survive and a reading of Thompsons "Genesis Hall." Tigers Will Survive opens disc two. Six fine Matthews tunes include the title cut and "Midnight on the Water." They appear, alongside covers of Richard Farinas "Unamerican Activity Dream," and an a cappella read of the Crystals classic "Da Doo Ron Ron." Its rounded out by two radio sessions from 1971: in April with Roberts, Thompson, and a rhythm section, and in May in trio with the guitarists. Eight of its cuts are by Matthews alongside an excellent reading of Bob Dylans "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry." Journeys from Gospel Oak inhabits an ethereal space, existing somewhere between CSNY and Gram Parsons. It includes two originals and excellent covers of songs by Merle Haggard, Mickey Newbury, Tim Hardin, Gene Clark, and others. Its buoyed by studio outtakes, a cover of Jimmy Webbs "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 If You Saw Thro My Eyes cut in 2003 at a Netherlands cafe. 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. Thro My Eyes: The Vertigo Years 1970-1974 arrives less than two months after the fantastic studio set How Much Is Enough, an album Matthews 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 Matthews six-decade career. ~ Thom Jurek