Plainsong

Plainsong emerged in 1972 as a country-tinged British folk-rock ensemble fronted by Ian Matthews and Andy Roberts. The group earned its primary renown through the cult-favorite debut In Search of Amelia Earhart, issued that same year. Although the record drew strong critical approval, it failed to achieve commercial traction, prompting the original configuration to dissolve by December. A mid-1990s resurrection allowed the project to sustain recording and live activity across subsequent decades until a conclusive 2012 album and accompanying tour brought operations to a close. Subsequent get-togethers have been infrequent yet notable, among them the 2015 studio effort Reinventing Richard, a salute to counterculture songwriter Richard Fariña. Their 50th anniversary in 2022 prompted the expansive archival collection Following Amelia: The 1972 Recordings & More on Grapefruit Records, a six-disc set rich with previously unreleased material.

Founding members Ian Matthews, previously of Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort, and Andy Roberts, whose résumé included the Scaffold, the Liverpool Scene, and extensive solo and session work, assembled the band that year. Matthews handled the bulk of songwriting while both musicians contributed vocals and guitar; the quartet was completed by guitarist Dave Richards and bassist Bob Ronga. The 1972 release In Search of Amelia Earhart received favorable notices from the British music press yet sold poorly despite heavy road work. Creative differences between Matthews and Roberts surfaced during planning for a follow-up tentatively called Now We Are Three, and Ronga’s departure preceded the group’s dissolution before those sessions could be finished.

Owing to the established reputations of Matthews and Roberts within British folk circles, the debut gradually attained cult status. The pair’s chance encounter at a 1991 pub performance led to a new incarnation that incorporated multi-instrumentalists Mark Griffiths and Julian Dawson. This lineup delivered Dark Side of the Room in 1992, Voices Electric in 1994, and Sister Flute in 1996. Archival BBC broadcasts from the original period, along with tracks intended for the unfinished Now We Are Three project, surfaced on the retrospective And That’s That. After Julian Dawson exited to concentrate on solo pursuits, singer-songwriter Clive Gregson—formerly of Any Trouble and a frequent duet partner of Christine Collister—joined for 1999’s New Place Now. His tenure proved short-lived; 2001’s A to B appeared as a Matthews-Roberts duo project, while 2003’s Pangolins restored Dawson and Griffiths and removed Gregson.

Live appearances grew sporadic as momentum waned, culminating in the aptly named 2012 farewell release Fat Lady Singing and its supporting tour. A 2015 passion project reunited Matthews, Roberts, and Griffiths for Reinventing Richard: The Songs of Richard Fariña, timed to the 50th anniversary of the songwriter-novelist’s death. The ensemble returned to the stage at Fairport Convention’s 2017 Cropredy Festival, where Matthews additionally guested with his former band. Following a further 2022 live resurgence, the 50th-anniversary celebrations produced the lavish box set Following Amelia: The 1972 Recordings & More, which paired a remastered edition of the debut with extensive rarities, the complete unreleased third album, scarce BBC recordings, and concert documents from both the early years and the 1993 reformation.