There is every likelihood that Lancashire-based artist Ian M. Bailey has gone under your musical radar. That was the case with us at Lonesome Highway until we received a review copy of Bailey’s 2021 album SONGS TO DREAM ALONG TO. Aptly titled, that melodic and hook-filled album was a fusion of classic 60s Brit-pop and the sunny West Coast output of that era. That record represented a meeting of minds between Bailey and co-writer Daniel Wylie of Cosmic Rough Riders fame and one that continued on subsequent recordings. Hot on the heels of that record, YOU PAINT THE PICTURES (2022) and WE LIVE IN STRANGE TIMES (2023) followed a similar musical template and, like their predecessor, were recorded in Bailey’s home studio, Small Space Studio, with lead vocals and harmonies, and all instrumentation, except strings, credited to him. If you’re a fan of the instantly catchy tunes of The Beatles, The Byrds, Gene Clark or The Jayhawks, we highly recommend that you check out Bailey’s back catalogue, available on the Kook Kat Music Label. We zoomed into Bailey’s home studio recently to get the background into his passion for songwriting and recording classic and timeless-sounding songs.
Where did your love of ‘60s and ‘70s music originate from?
My dad was an avid record collector; he collected 33s, 45s, and 78s and tapes and kept them all in a walnut cabinet that he made when he was in school, which I have now inherited. It’s got 45s by Chuck Berry, Del Shannon, Elton John, The Hollies, Shirley Bassey, The Who, Buddy Holly, Stones, Don Maclean, Raymond Froggat Bread, The Eagles, and many more are all in there. We often spend an evening playing the singles, covering the whole living room floor with records. I can always remember from an early age coming home from school and music being on in the house, The Moody Blues, Little Richard, Simon and Garfunkel. My mum and dad had this Binatone radio that they kept in their bedroom, and every Wednesday night, I used to take the radio into my room with a Beano annual and a torch and listen to Radio Luxemburg on medium wave under the covers. They used to play a Beatles hour and a 60s hour. The song America by Simon and Garfunkel really had a big influence on me as a kid. I just soaked all this music up as a youngster.
When did Ian Bailey, the ‘fan’, progress to being a musician?
One of my cousins had a guitar when I was about seven, and I used to try and have a go, but I was fourteen when I got an acoustic guitar for Christmas, which I still have. I eventually learnt an A chord, held the chord down and took the guitar downstairs to show everyone, eventually learning to play Amazing Grace; the first song I could play straight through. I began playing in bands when I was fifteen. We were heavily into The Jam, The Kinks, The Small Faces and The Who, and we played their stuff and some originals. I bought a Rickenbacker 12 string from Hobbs Music in Lancaster when I was eighteen, which I paid back at £10 a week and then I got into The Beatles, The Byrds and the West Coast sound through wanting to hear the different bands using Rickenbackers as part of their sound.
How would you best describe your music?
Melodic, soulful, passionate… I love well written and arranged songs. I'm influenced by lots of the classic bands and songwriters but I do find it's difficult to pigeonhole my own music. I have a lot of influences mostly drawn from the '60s and '70s. I often read a music review describing the music and think, 'Oh, is that it?' If the song moves me and can move the listener then I feel I’ve done the job.
Before your three solo albums in 2020, you released The Lost Doves album SET YOUR SIGHTS TOWARDS THE SUN, a collaboration with Charlotte Newman. Was that a one-off?
That was all just before the lockdown, and we just finished it before all the restrictions. We spoke about doing a few shows as a duo, but we both had other things going on musically, so we'll see what happens in the future; at some point, we might put something together.
Your three solo albums, SONGS TO DREAM ALONG TO (2021), YOU PAINT THE PICTURES (2022) and WE LIVE IN STRANGE TIMES (2023), found you working with Daniel Wylie of Cosmic Rough Riders fame. How did that connection come about?
We had been Facebook pals for a while. I love his music and we kept in touch. During the first lockdown, I shared a few tracks with Daniel that I’d recently recorded and he asked if I fancied doing some co-writing, which I thought would be great. He sent four song ideas over to me which would become the EP SHOTS OF SUN. We really enjoyed working together on those four tracks so much we agreed it would be great to record an album and here we are still going strong with album four in the pipeline. Working with Daniel is inspirational, his melodies are magnificent. We work completely as a 50/50 team.
Three solo albums in three years is quite a prolific output, given that you play most, if not all, of the instruments alongside lead and backing vocals.
I do all the recording and instrumentation myself along with help from my good friend Alan Gregson who may add orchestration and strings and other extras like slide guitar, dobro as well as the mastering. Alan’s West Orange studio is based in France and he’s worked with Cornershop, Badly Drawn Boy, Angie Palmer. He has two Gold Discs, one being for a UK number one single - Brimful of Asha for Cornershop. He’s also arranged music for some of the UK's top orchestras and produced music for film, radio and TV.
The three albums share a common theme, but I got a flavour of The Beatles’ REVOLVER in WE LIVE IN STRANGE TIMES.
Funnily enough I did mention to Daniel that there was a little REVOLVER vibe going on when we were working on that album, but not intentionally; that just happened. You don't intend to go out and make the songs sound like a particular band or album, but I suppose having all those musical inspirations that I’ve grown up with, it’s bound to come through in the music.
How do you market your music, given that you are self-managed?
Most of what I do is self-contained and self-managed. The three albums are released by American label, Kool Kat Music. I do the usual stuff to self-promote via reviews, social media Facebook and Twitter/X. I was looking at some streaming stats last night, and The Last Chime, the first track on WE LIVE IN STRANGE TIMES, had something like three and a half thousand streams in seven days all from Finland. Music is full of surprises.
You seem in your element recording at your studio Small Space Studio, given that you record all the instrumentation and vocals there. Live performances do not appear to be a priority for you.
I used to play in bands when I was younger, but my 'happy place' is recording and putting the music and albums together. The room is actually very small hence it’s title and I swear a lot there (laughs). I use basic gear; there are no computers; it's all done organically. The songs can be stripped back and played acoustically, but playing live with a band isn't something I had intended to do in the near future, but you never know. I don't play many solo gigs, though I have a handful of solo shows coming up, it's all about finding the time. I tend to be here in the studio recording, that's my passion and what drives me.
The artwork on all the albums is particularly striking. Who can take credit for that?
The artwork is done by good friend, John Washington. He does collages, abstracts, photography, and all sorts of things. I asked him to do the cover for the first album, which he did, and we've kept a similar theme on the last two album covers. There is something strikingly original about his artwork. He has done work for New Order and Paul Weller's drummer; Steve Pilgrim and his work is admired worldwide.
Many artists don’t enjoy the acclaim that their output warrants due to a lack of exposure. Does that concern you?
I often see a reaction in some reviews of 'why do more people not know about this guy.' I guess I'm just happy doing what I do, creating and recording, If the songs come across to somebody and they communicate in a way to them, then that's a good job done. That's success for me.
Interview by Declan Culliton