Iain Matthews


Iain Matthews is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was an original member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention from 1967 to 1969 before leaving to form his own band, Matthews Southern Comfort, which had a UK number one in 1970 with their cover of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock". In 1979, his recording of Terence Boylan's "Shake It" reached No. 13 on the US charts.
Born in Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, Matthews was known in the 1960s as Ian MacDonald. He changed his name to Ian Matthews in 1968 to avoid confusion with Ian McDonald of King Crimson. In 1989 he changed the spelling of his first name to Iain, and has been known as Iain Matthews ever since.
Influenced by both rock and roll and folk music, Matthews has performed solo and as a member of various bands. He was a member of Fairport Convention during the band's early period when they were heavily influenced by American folk rock and sang on their first three albums before leaving in 1969. He initially embarked upon a solo career before forming the bands Matthews Southern Comfort and Plainsong. Later in his career he was also a member of the bands Hi-Fi, No Grey Faith, and More Than a Song. In the 2000s he twice revived Plainsong and Matthews Southern Comfort and continues to tour regularly with the current version of MSC. A new MSC album, The New Mine, was released in March 2020, and a vinyl-only album Fake Tan, recorded with Norwegian band the Salmon Smokers, was released in September 2020.
In a career spanning over fifty years, Matthews has featured on over 100 albums. In 2018 he published an autobiography co-written with author and broadcaster Ian Clayton, Thro' My Eyes: A Memoir, about his life in the music industry.
WWW iainmatthews.nl

Origins

Matthews' family moved to Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, when he was twelve years old. After leaving school at sixteen he worked as an apprentice signwriter for a local painting and decorating firm. During the British pop music explosion of the mid-1960s he sang with local bands in Scunthorpe. He moved to London in the spring of 1965 and took a job in a Carnaby Street shoe shop, Ravel. In 1966 he formed a trio, The Pyramid, a short-lived English surf music band, with Al Jackson and Steve Hiett. Hiett later became a world-renowned fashion photographer. The Pyramid released one single, "Summer of Last Year", in January 1967 on Deram Records. A remaining song, "Me About You," surfaced on Matthews' Orphans & Outcasts Volume 3 compilation album in 1999.

Fairport Convention

In the winter of 1967 Matthews was recruited by Ashley Hutchings as a vocalist for Fairport Convention, where he sang with Judy Dyble on their self-titled first album Fairport Convention and with Sandy Denny on What We Did On Our Holidays. During the recording of Unhalfbricking in 1969, as Fairport increasingly drew their material from a traditional British folk repertoire, Matthews was not invited to a recording session. After a discussion with producer Joe Boyd and Hutchings, he left the band and departed on a musical direction of his own.

Matthews Southern Comfort

In 1969 Matthews recorded his debut solo album, Matthews' Southern Comfort, which was rooted in American country music and rockabilly. He made the album with ex-Fairport colleagues Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol and Ashley Hutchings, plus guitarist Mark Griffiths, drummers Ray Duffy and Gerry Conway, pedal steel guitarist Gordon Huntley, and keyboardists Dolly Collins and Roger Coulam. This was his first significant experience recording as a songwriter. The band also performed Neil Young and Ian and Sylvia covers. He formed a working band, Matthews Southern Comfort, and released two more albums, Second Spring and Later That Same Year.
The band went through several line-ups and toured extensively for the next two years. They had one commercial success with Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock", which was a number one hit in the UK Singles Chart in October 1970. It received heavy airplay in Canada, reaching No. 5, as well as peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard singles charts in the United States in 1971. Matthews left Southern Comfort and the band released three albums of their own on Harvest Records.

Plainsong

In 1971 Matthews recorded two solo albums,, on Vertigo Records. Under the sponsorship of former Yardbird Paul Samwell-Smith, and in the company of like-minded British semi-folkies, he formed the band Plainsong with Andy Roberts, previously of The Liverpool Scene. The band's line-up consisted of Matthews, Roberts, guitarist Dave Richards and American bassist Bob Ronga.
In 1972 Plainsong released In Search of Amelia Earhart. The album included a cover of David McEnery's "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight", plus a song by Matthews, "True Story of Amelia Earhart's Last Flight". The song is based on research that suggested Amelia Earhart may have been spying on Japanese bases in the Pacific islands. It also included "Even the Guiding Light", an answer to Thompson's "Meet on the Ledge".

Moving around

After Plainsong collapsed as a result of a bandmate's alcoholism, and with his musical career now based in Los Angeles, Matthews released several more albums with ad hoc bands: Valley Hi, produced by Michael Nesmith ; Journeys from Gospel Oak and Some Days You Eat The Bear ; Go For Broke and Hit and Run. None of these met with commercial success. Valley Hi featured a cover of the Steve Young song "Seven Bridges Road", arranged by Matthews and Nesmith with multitracked harmony, all parts of which were sung by Matthews. This version became famous after being covered live by the Eagles in 1980 and released on Eagles Live. His albums were not successful, and Matthews moved from Elektra Records to Columbia Records and from Columbia to the small Rockburgh label, where he scored a hit single in 1978 with a cover of Terence Boylan's "Shake It" which reached No. 13 on the US charts and No. 6 in Canada.
He had a moderately successful follow-up with Robert Palmer's "Give Me an Inch". The North American rights for his album Stealin' Home and its follow-up Siamese Friends were held by the small Canadian label Mushroom, and when label owner Shelly Siegel died in 1979 Matthews' association with the label ended. His song "Shake It" is heard at the beginning of the 1980 movie Little Darlings and in the game The Warriors from Rockstar Games.
Matthews' official website states that at this point he "had been struggling for nearly 15 years" and was still living hand to mouth, with nothing to show for his efforts "but a string of out-of-print albums and the loyalty of those musicians and fans who shared his vision." He moved from Los Angeles to Seattle, where he teamed up with David Surkamp, formerly of the St. Louis band Pavlov's Dog, to form the power pop band Hi-Fi. This band's repertoire included Matthews originals, Neil Young's "Mr. Soul" and Prince's "When You Were Mine". Matthews worked in an A&R capacity at Island Records and then Windham Hill Records.

Later career

From 1977 Fairport Convention held an annual reunion festival at Cropredy in Oxfordshire and in the mid-1980s there was interest in reviving the band and recording new material. Matthews was invited to perform as a part of the band at the 1986 Cropredy Festival and this led to an album, Walking a Changing Line on Windham Hill Records, a tribute to Jules Shear of Jules and the Polar Bears. Matthews moved to Austin, Texas, and recorded several albums for a series of German independent labels. He appeared with Andy Roberts at the 1992 Cambridge Folk Festival, which inspired the first of what became several versions of Plainsong.
In 2000 Matthews moved to Amsterdam, where he became involved in independent music projects and collaborations, including the Sandy Denny tribute band No Grey Faith and another revival of Plainsong. Matthews moved to Horst in the Netherlands and in 2008 produced Joy Mining with the Dutch jazz ensemble Searing Quartet. In September 2010 he released the first Matthews Southern Comfort album in 40 years and returned to a major record label.
Since 2003 Matthews has worked with Dutch pianist and composer Egbert Derix. They met when Matthews, a jazz fan, came to a concert of Derix's Searing Quartet in Cambrinus. Matthews invited Derix to join the 2003 tour of his 1970 album If You Saw Thro' My Eyes and they played a series of concerts with Eric Coenen, Arthur Lijten and Ad Vanderveen. After the tour Matthews and Derix started writing together, resulting in the 2008 album Joy Mining. Matthews and Derix started their own label, MatriX. In 2012, the Iain Matthews/Egbert Derix album In the Now was released by Verve Records. Joy Mining and In the Now had separate releases in the United Kingdom and United States.
In December 2011, Matthews performed as Matthews Southern Comfort with his Dutch band at the 2nd Great British Folk Festival at Butlins Skegness and performed a set of old and new songs. In January 2014 he toured as part of the Gene Clark No Other band, performing Gene Clark's album No Other with singers including Robin Pecknold of the Fleet Foxes
In January–February 2015, Matthews and Derix toured in California to promote the US releases of their albums. Dutch filmmakers Peter Jong and Olivier Hamaker made a documentary about the making of In the Now. Matthews can also be heard on Egbert Derix' solo album Paintings in Minor Lila, on which the music of British progressive rock band Marillion is featured. The album had contributions by Matthews, Marillion singers Fish and Steve Hogarth, and Supertramp saxophonist John Helliwell. Matthews was guest vocalist in 2011 on the Helliwell/Derix Quintet tour in The Netherlands. Matthews and Derix co-wrote eight songs for Matthews's solo album The Art of Obscurity.

Thro' My Eyes: A Memoir

In 2018 Matthews released an autobiography, Thro’ My Eyes: A Memoir. The book was co-written with Featherstone-based author and broadcaster, Ian Clayton. Clayton was contacted in 2010 by Matthews who had read his book Bringing It all Back Home, described by Record Collector magazine as "one of the best books about popular music ever written". It was several years before the project came to fruition as a co-written book.
Thro’ My Eyes: A Memoir was published by Pontefract-based Route Publishing in August 2018 in two editions, Standard and Deluxe. The Deluxe edition included an exclusive 2-CD compilation of 23 songs from Matthews’ career. The book describes Matthews’ life and musical career, from his beginnings in Barton-upon-Humber and Scunthorpe; moving to London in the 1960s and joining Fairport Convention; forming Matthews Southern Comfort in 1970 and having a #1 hit with their version of Joni Mitchell’s "Woodstock"; forming Plainsong with Andy Roberts in 1972; spending years in America as a solo artist; and returning to Europe in 2000 to continue making albums and touring.
Matthews also described watching and playing football as a boy in Scunthorpe, a failed trial as a potential professional footballer with Bradford Park Avenue, and his life-long love of Manchester United. A live concert recording of Plainsong in Paris in 2007 revealed him telling the audience that the words of his song "Busby's Babes", from the 1990 album Pure And Crooked, were displayed in the Manchester United Museum.
Matthews and Clayton promoted the book in 2019 with a concert tour of 11 venues in England and Scotland, entitled "Words And Music". in which Matthews and Clayton talked about episodes from the book and Matthews performed live. He was joined on stage on one night at The Greys in Brighton by former Plainsong bandmate Andy Roberts. A paperback version of the book, with new artwork and an updated discography, was published by Route in March 2021.

Videography

Ian Matthews

London Revisited VHS Tape Castle Hendring Live In London DVD Magada International I Can't Fade Away DVD Cherry Red Films

Iain Matthews

Compass & Chart Volume 1 VHS Tape Perfect Pitch Zumbach's Coat CD + DVD Blue Rose/Perfect Pitch Osolomeo DVD + CD Inbetweens Records Contact CD + DVD Blue Rose Live at Rockpalast – Hamburg 1983 DVD + 2CD MIG

Matthews Southern Comfort

Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort: Maidstone 1970 DVD Voiceprint

More Than a Song

Witness DVD Inbetweens Records

Ad Vanderveen and Friends

Late Bloomer Adventures DVD Sonic Rendezvous

Hi-Fi

Complete Works CD + DVD Blue Rose The Complete Collection CD + DVD Rockville Records

With Egbert Derix

Afterwords CD + DVD MatriX That Is to Say DVD MatriX The Making of 'In the Now' DVD Omnivore

With [Nanci Griffith]

Other Voices, Too VHS Tape Elektra

Discography

The Pyramid

  • "The Summer of Last Year" / "Summer Evening" UK Deram

Solo albums

Matthews' Southern Comfort UK Uni/US DeccaIf You Saw Thro' My Eyes UK and US VertigoTigers Will Survive UK and US VertigoValley Hi UK and US ElektraJourneys from Gospel Oak UK MooncrestSome Days You Eat the Bear...Some Days the Bear Eats You UK and US ElektraGo for Broke UK CBS/US ColumbiaHit and Run UK CBS/US ColumbiaStealin' Home UK Rockburgh/US MushroomSiamese Friends UK Rockburgh/US MushroomDiscreet Repeat RockburghSpot of Interference UK Rockburgh/US RSOShook Line Records/Polydor Walking a Changing Line Windham HillNights in Manhattan Taxim Records Pure and Crooked Gold CastleLive Alone: Notebook Series No. 2 Perfect Pitch Orphans & Outcasts Volume I 1969-1979 Dirty Linen Skeleton Keys Europe Line Records/US Mesa Bluemoon Recordings Intimate Wash: Notebook Series No. 3 Perfect Pitch Orphans & Outcasts Volume II 1981-1989 Dirty Linen The Soul of Many Places Elektra The Dark Ride WatermelonPure and Crooked Watermelon Camouflage: Notebook Series No. 4 Perfect Pitch God Looked Down WatermelonThe Seattle Years 1978–1984 Varèse Sarabande Nights in Manhattan DCC Excerpts from Swine Lake Blue Rose/US Tangible Orphans & Outcasts Volume 3 Perfect PitchA Tiniest Wham/A Live Wham 2CD Blue Rose /Perfect Pitch ; Last Call ; CD2 Iain Matthews & the Swinelakers live in Nürnburg, Germany, September 1998If You Saw Thro' My Eyes MK2 RecordsZumbach's Coat MK2 Records/Perfect Pitch Zumbach's Coat CD + DVD Blue Rose/Perfect Pitch Sparkler 2CD Blue Rose If You Saw Thro' My Eyes Live Vinyl Japan/ItsAboutMusicOsolomeo DVD + CD Inbetweens Records Journeys from Gospel Oak Castle Music Go for Broke Vinyl Japan Hit and Run Vinyl Japan Stealin' Home Vinyl Japan Contact Blue Rose, CD + DVD Rhino Hi-Five: Ian Matthews Rhino/Elektra/Apple Music Collected Universal If You Saw Thro' My Eyes Esoteric/Cherry RedTigers Will Survive Esoteric/Cherry Red The Art of Obscurity MK2 Records/Omnivore Music/Fledg'lingStealin' Home Omnivore Live at Rockpalast – Hamburg 1983 MIG Walking a Changing Line 2CD MIG A Baker's Dozen MK2 RecordsThro' My Eyes Route

Box sets

The Original Notebook Series Coast To Coast Orphans And Outcasts Cherry Red Records

Slimline series

Amen Perfect Pitch Woodshedding Perfect Pitch

2-in-1 reissues / remasters

If You Saw Thro’ My Eyes / Tigers Will Survive VertigoStealin’ Home / Siamese Friends Line Records Valley Hi / Some Days You Eat The Bear Water RecordsStealin’ Home / Siamese Friends BGO RecordsSpot Of Interference / Shook BGO RecordsGo For Broke / Hit And Run BGO RecordsThe Dark Ride / God Looked Down BGO Records Pure And Crooked / Skeleton Keys BGO RecordsValley Hi / Some Days You Eat The Bear BGO RecordsIf You Saw Thro’ My Eyes / Tigers Will Survive BGO Records

Groups

Fairport ConventionFairport Convention UK Polydor/US CotillionWhat We Did On Our Holidays UK Island/US A&M Unhalfbricking UK Island/US A&MThe History Of Fairport Convention Island Fairport Chronicles A&M Heyday: The BBC Sessions 1968-69 UK Island/US HannibalThe Other Boot Dirty Linen Meet On The Ledge The Classic Years UK Island/US A&MWhat We Did On Our Holidays - An Introduction To Fairport Convention Island MastersThe Other Boot/The Third Leg Woodworm Heyday: The BBC Sessions 1968-1969 Extended Island Remasters Cropredy 2002. Another Gig; Another Palindrome WoodwormFairport Convention Island Remasters What We Did On Our Holidays Island Remasters Across The Decades Snapper The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood 2CD ShakedownCropredy Capers Free Reed Live At The BBC Island Remasters More Things We Did On Our Holidays 2CD Secret Come All Ye: The First Ten Years UMC What We Did On Our Saturday 2CD Matty Grooves
Matthews Southern ComfortSecond Spring UK Uni/US Decca Later That Same Year UK Uni/US Decca/ US Reissue PickwickOne, Two, Three... Too Good! Teldec/MCA The Best Of Matthews Southern Comfort Victor Co. of Japan/MCABest Of Matthews Southern Comfort MCA RecordsIan Matthews’ Best In Early 70s Victor Musical Industries/MCA Matthews Southern Comfort Meet Southern Comfort See for MilesScion UK Band Of Joy/US Dutch East India Trading The Essential Collection Half Moon Matthews’ Southern Comfort/Second Spring BGO RecordsLater That Same Year BGO Records Fairport Convention & Matthews Southern Comfort - Live In Maidstone 1970 Voiceprint Kind Of New Brilliant/Genepool Kind Of Live Perfect PitchKind Of New/Kind of Live 2CD Esoteric / Cherry RedMatthews Southern Comfort: A Simple History Vol.1 MK2 Records Like A Radio MIGBits And Pieces MIG The New Mine MIG
PlainsongIn Search Of Amelia Earhart UK and US ElektraIn Search Of Amelia Earhart Japan Elektra/Warner-Pioneer CorporationAnd That’s That - The Demos Taxim RecordsOn Air - Original BBC Recordings Band of Joy Dark Side of the Room Line RecordsVoices Electric Line RecordsSister Flute Line RecordsOn Air Strange Fruit New Place Now Blue Rose /Spin Along /Tangible Live In Austria Plainsong A To B Spin Along In Search Of Amelia Earhart Perfect PitchPangolins Blue Rose RecordsPlainsong 2CD Water Records Fat Lady Singing Blue Rose RecordsReinventing Richard: The Songs of Richard Fariña Fledg'lingIn Search Of Amelia Earhart Man In The Moon
Hamilton PoolReturn To Zero Watermelon
Hi-FiDemonstration Record SP&S Records / Butt Records Moods for Mallards First American Records / Shanghai Records Complete Works CD + DVD Blue Rose The Complete Collection CD + DVD Rockville Records
No Grey FaithSecrets All Told – The Songs Of Sandy Denny Perfect Pitch/Unique Gravity
More Than A SongMore Than A Song Perfect Pitch/Coast To CoastWitness Turtle Records More Than A Song Under The Radar.
Iain Matthews & The Salmon SmokersWoodstock b/w Keep On Sailing New Noise Fake Tan New Noise Fake Tan Talking Elephant
The Matthews Baartmans ConspiracyDistant Chatter Talking Elephant

Collaborations with other artists

With Julian DawsonSongs From The Red Couch Iglhauser Flood Damage Key-Wi
With Ad VanderveenThe Iain Ad Venture Blue RoseRide The Times Turtle RecordsGreetings From Grolloo RADZ Records
With Elliott Murphy' Blue Rose/Perfect Pitch/Eminent
With Elliott Murphy and Olivier DurandOfficial Blue Rose Bootleg Series 2CD Blue Rose CD Ticket Blue Rose
With Searing QuartetJoy Mining Perfect Pitch
With Egbert DerixAfterwords CD + DVD MatriX In The Now Verve/Fledg'ling, Omnivore That Is To Say DVD MatriX The Making Of 'In The Now' DVD Omnivore
With Andy RobertsLive At The Bonington Theatre, Nottingham 1991 Angel Air
With Jim Fogarty'The Heart Of Saturday Night'' Limited edition live album recorded in Voorhees, NJ in 2011 and sold exclusively to fans on tour or by direct mail order

As a featured artist

With Nanci GriffithOther Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) Elektra
With Nick Vernier BandWoodstock Brinker Media download
With Nick Vernier Band and Emitt RhodesTime Will Show The Wiser Brinker Media download

As a guest artist

Matthews featured as a guest artist on the following albums, either singing lead vocals, harmony vocals or playing guitar.

Unique compilation albums

Compilations containing unique Matthews material not available elsewhere:
  • Various Artists 2 Meter Sessions, Vol.4 Radio Records: Iain Matthews "A Cross To Bear", recorded 8 September 1992, NOB radio session
  • Various Artists SXSW Live, Vol.3 SXSW: Iain Matthews "God Looked Down", recorded Austin, Texas 17/19 March 1994
  • Various Artists Broadcasts Vol.2 KGSR 2CD set: Iain Matthews "Evening Sun", recorded live for 107.1 KGSR/Radio Austin, Austin, Texas 1994
  • Various Artists Liner - New Tracks 2. Line Records promo CD: Iain Matthews & Ian Cussick "Meet On The Ledge", recorded live at the Knust Club, Hamburg
  • Various Artists Three Two One It's Alive From Studio A WCBE: Iain Matthews "Jumping Off The Roof", WCBE radio sessions 1995
  • Various Artists What's That I Hear? The Songs Of Phil Ochs Siced Bread Records: Iain Matthews "Flower Lady"
  • Various Artists Live Pa Halkaer Kro: Iain Matthews "I Drove", Danish radio recordings released 2000.
  • Various Artists 30 Jaar Hubert On The Air L1 Records 3CD set: More Than A Song "Ballad Of Gruene Hall", “Heart Of A Man” and “Bare Necessities”, 1Limburg Dutch radio session
  • Various Artists Tønder Festival 2003 Millstream Records: Plainsong "Barbed Wire Fence ”.
  • Various Artists Tønder Festival 2012 Millstream Records: Plainsong "Charlie ”
  • Various Artists Ever After: Tree Of Life Fyify! Records & Publishing : Iain Matthews "Alone Again Blues.

Line Records compilations

  • Various Artists Another Christmas Gift from Line - 1987 2CD set, Line Records promo compilation : Ian Matthews "Shorting Out".
In addition, several tracks recorded in the 1980s as Ian Matthews appear on a Line Records compilation series, Der Sampler.Der Sampler 1 : "Wild Places" Der Sampler 9 : "For The Lonely Hunter" Der Sampler 10 : "Gimme An Inch Girl" Der Sampler 11 : "Carefully Taught/Stealin’ Home" Der Sampler 13 : "Hearts On The Line"Der Sampler 15 : "Polly"Der Sampler 36 : "Wild Places"Der Sampler 39 : "See Me"Der Sampler 40 : "Carefully Taught/Stealin’ Home"

Blue Rose Records compilations

Matthews tracks appeared on various Blue Rose Records compilation albums, either as a solo artist, with Plainsong, or with Elliott Murphy.Blue Rose Collection Vol.4 : Iain Matthews "Where the Big Dogs Run"Blue Rose Collection Vol.6 : Plainsong "Following Amelia", Iain Matthews "Gimme An Inch" live in Nuremberg. Blue Rose Collection Vol.7 : Iain Matthews "The Power And The Glory", "Timing", "Mercy Street"Blue Rose Collection Vol.8 : Elliot Murphy & Iain Matthews "One Cold Street"Blue Rose Collection Vol.10 : Plainsong "Barbed Wire Fence"Blue Rose Collection Vol.11 : Iain Matthews "Power"The Blue Rose Christmas Party 2006 :Various Artists – 1995 – 2015 / 20 Years Blue Rose Records – Best of Americana Rock Music Past and Present : Iain Matthews "Funk and Fire"Various Artists – 20 Years Blue Rose Records – Best of Americana Rock Music Vol. 2 Past and Present : Plainsong "Barbed Wire Fence"

Blue Rose Nuggets series

Unique Iain Matthews tracks also appear on several Blue Rose Nuggets compilation albums:Blue Rose Nuggets 1 : Iain Matthews with Elliott Murphy and Olivier Durand "Girl with the Clouds in Her Eyes", live at Burgerhaus Heilbron-Bockingen, 27 May 2001.Blue Rose Nuggets 2 : Iain Matthews and The Swinelakers "Reno Nevada", live at Hirsch, Nurnburg, 28 September 1998.Blue Rose Nuggets 3 : Plainsong "Needle in the Hay".Blue Rose Nuggets 4 : Iain Matthews "Funk and Fire".Blue Rose Nuggets 8 : Iain Matthews "Cartwheel Avenue".Blue Rose Nuggets 11 : Plainsong "Even the Guiding Light" recorded live at the Hospitalkirche in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, 8 May 2003 Blue Rose Nuggets 14 : Iain Matthews "The Limburg Girl and the Travelling Man".Blue Rose Nuggets 23 : Iain Matthews with Mike Roelofs, Richard Kennedy, and Sean Staples "Funk and Fire", live.Blue Rose Nuggets 24 : Iain Matthews "For What It's Worth/Feelin' Alright", live.Blue Rose Nuggets 27 : Plainsong "Footsteps Fall".Blue Rose Nuggets 32 : Iain Matthews with Elliott Murphy "Close to the Bone"Blue Rose Nuggets 33 : Iain Matthews "Something Mighty"Blue Rose Nuggets 36 : Iain Matthews "Something Mighty"Blue Rose Nuggets 42 : Iain Matthews with Elliott Murphy "Big Umbrella"Blue Rose Nuggets 46 : Plainsong "Here Comes the Rain".Blue Rose Nuggets 54 : Iain Matthews "The Onliest"Blue Rose Nuggets 57 : Plainsong "Sloth".Blue Rose Nuggets 86 : Iain Matthews "Like Dominoes"Blue Rose Nuggets 92 : Iain Matthews "Touching the Fleece"Blue Rose Nuggets 95 : Plainsong "I Can't Let Go".Blue Rose Nuggets 96 : Iain Matthews "Sister"Blue Rose Nuggets 97 : Iain Matthews with Elliott Murphy "The Ballad of the Soldier's Wife"Blue Rose Nuggets 100 : Iain Matthews with Elliott Murphy "I Don't Wanna Talk About It" recorded live in Heilbronn, Germany on 27 May 2001

Other compilation albums

Iain Matthews tracks appear on some 90 compilation CDs, a listing of which can be found on the Discogs website.
The Matthews Southern Comfort 1970 #1 UK single "Woodstock" appears on over 200 compilation CDs, a listing of which can be found on the Discogs website.
Various tracks from Plainsong also appear on 17 compilation CDs, a listing of which can be found at the following link on the Discogs website.

Billboard/RPM charts

Hot 100 Singles
Easy Listening
  • "Woodstock – Matthews Southern Comfort "
  • "Shake It"
  • "Give Me an Inch"
  • "Don't Hang Up Your Dancing Shoes"