Search - Iain Matthews :: Pure & Crooked

Why Don't You Own This?

PHILIP S WOLF | SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA. USA | 09/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of Iain ( then called Ian ) Matthews since his days as Lead Singer ( with Sandy Denny ) in Fairport Convention way back in 1968. This is his 1990 release and of all the LP's, cassettes and CD's I have by him, I have always enjoyed this one most of all.



It begins with " Like Dominoes " and it's a stunner, yeah, it's a Pop Song but it is a GREAT Pop Song. Peter Gabriel's "Mercy Street " is next and as much as I enjoy Peter's version, this one is better. "New Shirt " , " Bridge of Cherokee " and " Rains of 62 " are all fantastic tunes as well.



This version of " Pure and Crooked " is the updated Remaster from the mid-Nineties and it includes 5 Bonus Tracks: "Drive", "Voices", "I Don't Want To Talk About It ". "Wings", & " O'Connell Street Revisted ", and they add more value to this Purchase.





The Production is 5 Star, The Songs are 5 Star and Iain's vocals are 10 Star. The only thing better than listening to this CD is attending one of his Concert's... BUY IT..."

It's pure, it's poppy and well worth to listen to...

Kasper van Noppen | Amsterdam, The Netherlands | 08/25/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ia(i)n Matthews has been around for ages, but his 1992 'Pure And Crooked', now available with a macho-sleeve and extra tracks, marks the beginning of a new era for this singer/songwriter who combines taste with stamina and hard work. 'Pure And Crooked' is defintely a fine offering, easy to handle, easy to enjoy, giving space to his ever enjoyable voice and his great talent to combine his own songs with offerings by other composers, like 'Mercy Street' by Peter Gabriel."

ONE OF HIS BEST

Colin Spence | Formby, UK | 04/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"IAIN (OR IAN) MATTHEWS HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A 'COUNTRY-ROCK' OR 'FOLK-ROCK' PERFORMER; BUT I THINK MOST OF HIS SONGS DON'T REALLY 'ROCK' AT ALL. ON THIS ALBUM, MANY SONGS HAVE A MAINSTREAM 'POP' FEEL TO THEM - BUT THESE SONGS CANNOT BE COMPARED WITH THE LARGELY BLAND, OVER-HYPED CREATIONS WHICH SEEM TO BE CHURNED OUT 'AD NAUSEUM' BY TO-DAY'S COPORATE HIT FACTORY. THE SONGS CAN BE CHARACTERIZED BY CLEVER (BUT NOT PRETENTIOUS) LYRICS, STRONG MELODIES USUALLY HAVING ONE OR MORE RIFF CHANGES WHICH ARE OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY TEMPO CHANGES ALSO. AS USUAL, IAIN IS IN FINE VOCAL FORM - HIS TENOR VOICE IS ONE OF THE SMOOTHEST, AND AT TIMES MOST HAUNTING, IN CONTEMPORARY POPULAR MUSIC.



I BOUGHT 'PURE AND CROOKED' AFTER READING SOME AMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEWS (NOTABLY, THOSE BY PHILIP S WOLF) AND THEN LISTENING TO SAMPLES. I BOUGHT VIA AMAZON.CO.UK BUT COULD ONLY OBTAIN THE ORIGINAL RELEASE WHICH DOESN'T HAVE THE 5 BONUS TRACKS OF THE RE-ISSUED VERSION.



ON MOST TRACKS, THE OVERALL SOUND IS INFLUENCED BY THE TWANGY GRETSCH TENNESSEAN GUITARS (PLAYED BY MARK HALLMAN AND BRADLEY KOPP), ALTHOUGH SOME TRACKS ALSO FEATURE ACOUSTIC GUITAR. THIS SOUND IS FURTHER ENHANCED BY SLIDE GUITAR AND DOBRO ON A FEW TRACKS. BASS IS TIGHT BUT SUBDUED AND PERCUSSION IS ALSO TIGHT AND, AT TIMES, REALLY 'DRIVES ALONG'.



HERE ARE A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT INDIVIDUAL TRACKS (* DENOTES MY FAVOURITES) (Songwriters in brackets):



LIKE DOMINOES (Iain Matthews) - Up tempo, bouncy song with a short tempo change half way through.



MERCY STREET* (Peter Gabriel) - A beautiful, haunting slow to mid tempo song featuring much acoustic guitar.



A HARDLY INNOCENT MIND* (David Surkamp/Douglas Rayburn) - A rather eerie mid tempo song with driving percussion.



NEW SHIRT* (Iain Matthews) - An up tempo song, again with driving percussion. Some quite 'cool' vocal intonation. This one 'rocks'.



BRIDGE OF CHEROKEE (Iain Matthews) - A wistful mid tempo song.



BUSBY'S BABES (A CAPPELA) (Iain Matthews) - A haunting song but I found it a bit depressing.



RAINS OF '62 (Iain Matthews) - A pleasant mid tempo song.



SAY NO MORE (David Perkins) - Another pleasant mid tempo song, features acoustic guitar.



PERFECT TIMING* (Iain Matthews) - A song with frequent tempo changes. Some nice slide guitar playing (or is it dobro ? - I can't tell).



OUT OF MY RANGE* (Iain Matthews) - An up tempo, very catchy song.



THIS TOWNS NO LADY (Iain Matthews) - A live recording but, apart from the applause at the beginning and end, you wouldn't realize it because the production is so good. Features some interesting vocal intonation.



IAIN MATTHEWS RARELY MAKES A BAD ALBUM (ALTHOUGH SOME WILL BE PERCEIVED AS BEING BETTER THAN OTHERS). HOWEVER, HIS MUSIC IS NOT FOR EVERYONE - HE WILL APPEAL TO A SIGNIFICANT MINORITY ONLY. IF YOUR MUSICAL ROOTS ARE WITH THE 'WEST COAST' COUNTRY ROCK SOUND OF THE 70's OR THE BRITISH FOLK-ROCK SOUND WHICH WAS PRE-EMINENT AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME, THEN YOU MAY WELL LIKE HIS MUSIC ALSO. HIS EARLIER WORK (INCLUDING THAT WITH 'MATTHEWS SOUTHERN COMFORT' AND 'PLAINSONG') IS MORE COUNTRY AND/OR FOLK ORIENTATED THAN MORE RECENT OFFERINGS."