Matthews Southern Comfort - Darcy Farrow (1970)

[@tomatempo]

Thanks Andy for the memories… Aside from that, let me tell you that Magician resists time

[@wendycarey8959]

Have loved this band since the early 70's, especially Matthews' voice - have never seen any vid of them before. This is a gem and I'm so grateful to the poster.

[@garyschickler3973]

I saw him live last fall!

[@robertc5387]

This was the first version of this song I ever heard way back in the early 70s , and it’s still my favorite. Everything this band did was great, as was Matthew’s solo work. Gordon Huntley was my all time favorite pedal steel player, and was pretty much single-handedly responsible for opening me up to the sounds of country music. (Ironic, considering he was a Brit and I’m American.) I miss the days when bands like this would just play their music without jumping around like a bunch of lunatics. Matthew’s Southern Comfort has always been my definition of the perfect laid back band. Something that today’s manic audiences probably couldn’t handle - glad I’m from a different era.

[@briancarter7489]

Very well said

[@DMateo2524]

Iain Matthew's uniqe and beautiful voice👍💛

[@ponchoman49]

So beautiful! Takes you to a better time era.

[@ashini9511]

Yes, for sure

[@rooferkim]

Amen!

[@hawkmoon03111951]

Brings back memories of early 1970 and seeing them at a club in Belsize Park. His voice is so haunting.

[@schmozzer]

+hawkmoon03111951 I saw them around that time at the Boat Club in Nottingham. Hard to believe we saw Rory Gallagher/Taste and Captain Beefheart at the same venue.

[@georgethakur]

Hawkmoon, what happened to your channel? I absolutely loved your High Germany video.

[@tamirmoav3774]

such a soothing voice and music.

[@michaelfranklin4276]

Best version IMHO of this song ever. Such poetic language matched with some of the best heartfelt singing and pedal steel ever to come out of the isles. Thank you WWCT FM 106 for playing this, wherever you may be now.

[@jayborn2610]

I was raised on a family ranch where this song refers. The Walker River ran right past our house. Carson Valley is still a beautiful, mountain, sagebrush, Pinion Pine wonder...

[@juneconyard4328]

loved this band for years - beautiful lyrics and music x

[@burningrabbitacres8330]

Richard Thompson and 'Beeswax' landed me here. Thank you dear boy...

[@DefJ1m]

Utterly, utterly exquisite - been a huge fan of this since Second Spring was first released but this is the first time I've seen a vid. This version blows away Denver, Ian & Sylvia and anybody else I would imagine (though I will search out that JDG cover). Most importantly it totally blows me away. Steve Gillette, take a bow. Thank you so so much for the posting.

[@juneconyard4328]

Just loved this band in the 80's - still do xx

[@vrooomie1]

Here I am, a John Denver fan for over 50 years, and I never saw this one! Well done!

[@olafbigandglad]

It's anIan Tyson song, so what John Denver has to do with it I don't know.

[@stephengriffin9992]

Great song and thanks for posting. They kept going for a little while after Matthews left and had a great tune as ‘Southern Comfort’ called I Sure Like Your Smile. Seek it out.

[@jhutch888]

Fantastic voice

[@pennyelder5287]

I agree with Jim down there in the comments. This song is sung so exquisitely. It shows the beauty of Iain Matthews' voice. I could listen to him all day. I just love the sound of his voice. I also love the sound of the Matthews Southern Comfort band as well.

[@brianvincent7556]

Morning Penny. Checking him out as you suggested. Never heard of this one before but I enjoyed it very much. What a voice! Enjoy your day.

[@pennyelder5287]

@@brianvincent7556 You must be in the UK or somewhere thereabouts. I am in California, USA. Yes, this song really shows what a beautiful voice he has. And I can hear his British accent the most in this song. Iain (as he now spells it) lived in the USA for a number of years. I even named my third son, Matthew Ian, after him, because when I heard his music for the first time when I was younger, I fell in love with his voice and his name. So I told my best friend that someday I am going to name my son (if I have one) Ian Matthew. So we did! We switched the two names around as my husband liked it better that way. I wanted it to be Ian Matthew. But it all worked out. Matthew looks more like a Matthew than an Ian. Have a blessed day my friend. :)

[@flitcham50]

Bought Second Spring in my first week at college and played it to death. Still have it! Whatever your recollections of this period Andy - and would love to hear some of them - thousands would have given their eye teeth to have been in your place. Great music!

[@cadin2020]

Loved his music years before I even knew who was singing it~~~ one of the inspiration dream bands at the top.....

[@TheScunneredMan]

They were very good band. I have 2 of their albums. Plus some tracks as MP3s. This is one of my favourites.

[@majornichols]

Can't stop listening to this..what a voice and song. Gordon Huntely was a great player too. The incomparabale Jimmie Dale Gilmore has covered this song on disc but I can't find a rendition on KZbin.

[@thejoeshow66]

Great voice...Never heard of these guys. Awesome at 1:48 or so when he makes the face after stumbling over the lyric and timing. No judgment! I've done it many times!

[@suehamlin51]

that cracked me up too. "oh well"

[@Eleventhearlofmars]

Joe Hutchinson Woodstock was Matthew southern comforts most well known tune, they did a killer version of Joni Mitchell’s song.

[@gunwinqvist]

Love this song. 🎶

[@steveturner1624]

They were recorded for Disco2 - a follow on from Colour Me Pop. I directed all the programmes but unfortunately don't have any of the recordings. Thanks to all those who've posted recordings. It brings back many happy memories.

[@Eleventhearlofmars]

Steve Turner this looks very much like the old grey whistle test show that was around in the 70s-80s

[@thewordofgord]

The great Ian, and what a sweet lovely band.

[@mymusic316]

Different but beautiful...you have an awesome voice!

[@earlyrisersteph]

On a Darcy Farrow mission today. This is Sweet!

[@makeupboss3568]

I’ve heard a lot of people do this , this is quite unique. His arrangement is really cool . I’ve never heard of Iain Matthews , but he’s good. His voice is nice .

[@robertc5387]

You’ve discovered a gem. He’s got a lot of great solo recordings you can check out, but you should also check out his early recordings with this band - Matthew’s Southern Comfort. The song in this video is from one of those albums titled “Second Spring”. Also, the album “Later That Same Year” has some great material, including a version of Woodstock which got a lot of airplay back in the early 70s. If you like his voice here, you’ll like his other work as well.

[@kevinkenny6975]

He started with fairport convention

[@hobb29]

Andy, the bass player on here, taught me how to play guitar at school, I’m still no good at it mind you!!

[@birdodonnell92]

Legendary and very actual. He is the best

[@davemackie3215]

From one of the best albums ever recorded

[@1lozenger]

The pedal steel player was the late Gordon Huntley

[@arcadianCA]

And the bass player was Andy Leigh.

[@jamiewesson898]

and the singer is the man a lot of people thought wrote woodstock

[@malekmo64]

Also played on The Pretty Things album Freeway Madness.

[@robertc5387]

Also played pedal steel on Elton John’s “Tumbleweed Connection” as I recall.

[@cagrant4472]

Oh I love this! I've heard of this song but never actually heard the song itself until now,and the voice is perfect for it.

[@frankhowarth-hynes4674]

Brilliant. Woodstock and the 60s

[@TBguitar]

Great rendition!!!

[@PauliTiheäsalo]

That we needs year 2024❤

[@lujanbarragan824]

Muy buena voz hermosa canción.

[@SillyMoustache]

It was this version that I heard first (Yes Steve Gillette and tom Campbell - 1964). I saw MSC at the London Palladium with James Taylor in - I think - 1970. Iain looks a tad medicated but performs beautifully - underplay guitar solos on an old Eko Ranger ! - who'd a thought it?

[@АлександрСафронов-л6т]

Фантастический вокал!!

[@mimoa21]

John Denver brought me here. Great composition. BTW singer looks like young Matt Tucker from heavymetal Bullet for my valentine.

[@vlmagee]

A very nice version of this song, but it isn't an "Ian and Sylvia song", although they were the first to record it. Nor is it a "John Denver song", as is often thought; he recorded it 3 times, and performed it so often live that it is usually identified with him. Darcy Farrow is in fact a "Steve Gillette & Tom Campbell song", and you really need to hear Steve perform it too. You can find it here on You Tube, as well as two videos in which Steve teaches how he plays it.

[@keithchiv6166]

good that you were part of disco 2 and colour me pop,not the most imagitative titles i think,but i watched the,m avidly ,and always remember caravan doing 'green bottles for marjory'.

[@lujanbarragan7678]

❤idolos!!!!

[@chipthequinn]

It's not by Ian and Sylvia (swell folks); it's by Steve Gilette.

[@UweRayer]

Like it. Its great.

[@shawnalee9775]

He Most certainly does not look stoned out of his mind!!The whites of his eyes are clear as day!!Stop! don't judge people, He sounds amazing for the Era he's in, No Hate!!Love Only..Your niebor, pray for people, don't judge them.its not kool.

[@charlieleonardo]

Yes indeed! That;s what Jesus says!

[@lsdmadman]

some people wd criticize a live birth if they showed one on here...

[@Eleventhearlofmars]

jesusisnotallright s you appear to be a moron

[@marghianliviovargiu6619]

Sweet song, sweeter than sugar candies, than honey, and sweeter than the sweetest things. Marghian

[@Bananadiva1]

Hey Andy, cheers for these brilliant uploads. What show where they recorded for? Have you seen the Top Of The Pops clip of you guys performing I Sure Like Your Smile here on KZbin? It's great. Just bought a copy of Magician too. It's a fantastic album.

[@drstevie]

Superb.

[@quasidiem99]

Would be interesting to know what would've happened if he'd have stayed with Fairport Convention. I enjoy his voice in this...definitely a more mature sound than with Fairport

[@robertc5387]

I’m so grateful that he didn’t stay with Fairport Convention. He created something much more unique than he probably would have done in the confines of their music. That’s not to say that I don’t like Fairport - in fact I’ve been a fan for many years. But the country influence that he brought to MSC wouldn’t have seen the light of day in Fairport.

[@RobertLaberge]

Don't miss Ian & Sylvia's bare bones version.

[@Oh_I_Will]

Iain

[@robertc5387]

I really like their version as well. This is one of those great songs that’s been covered by multiple artists and usually sounds good regardless of who does it. (I say usually because I find Nanci Griffith’s a capella version absolutely nauseating.) Ian and Sylvia were a class act with a lot of great music.

[@connorbliss8669]

Anyone know the date or source?

[@alexabravanel9572]

Steve Gillette song....

[@williamhuff5641]

And Steve does the best version of his song, too. Do like this one though.

[@dennisschell5543]

Ian & Sylvia song...duh.

[@paullandry5594]

Mark Griffiths (in red top) later became Shadows bassist.

[@indiarav]

is good thanks

[@KelticCowboys2009]

who is the pedal steel guitar player?

[@peterholsapple1320]

Gordon Huntley, who also played on "Country Comforts" by Elton John.

[@docwill184]

Griffiths has a bit of J. Garcia going on...

[@rebuttalc2075]

Darcys poison tacos 63rd and sacramento

[@maxwellfan55]

Clueless cameraman zooms on the pedal steel during a guitar break. How many times have we seen that? Obviously no rehearsals done before the recording!

[@gamers7800]

I thinks it’s called blocking, the BBC could act like real cunts toward certain artists.

[@wileyam1]

Glad someone else noticed this. Drives me crazy. Also, check out Tony Rice’s slower version on KZbin.

[@robertc5387]

@@wileyam1 Great version, too.

[@namcat53]

WHY do they do that??? It's on purpose for some weird reason. It's not the camera operators fault; it's the engineer twiddling switches and telling people what to do. He can see everyone playing, so he knew the guitar was taking a solo then, yet...ARRrgh! He did it again! It's the same guy every time.

[@pisoipisoi7584]

romania..,

[@HiggaionSelah_EWFMG]

maybe good for the era ; but performance seemed kind of dispassionate ¡!😎

[@robertc5387]

That’s just the way Iain Matthews is - extremely laid back. It’s easy to mistake it for lack of passion, but his style of music doesn’t call for a Mick Jagger type of delivery (thank God!).

[@namcat53]

No smoke or lasers either...hmm..

[@user-tb2jy9lu3d]

He looks stoned out of his mind...

[@davidchamberlain5425]

Pardon??are you stoned?