The South African Rock Encyclopedia > Rock Legends > 1980s > John Ireland > Discography > John Ireland
Tracks
- I Like…
- I Still Hear You Breathe
- Oh Prisoner
- Champs Elysees
- Arpeggio For Synthesizer
- Movie Theme (Diana)
- Kiss My Eyes
- Ladies For The Eighties
- Whirly Birdies In The Third World
- Diana’s Theme
All songs written, composed, arranged and produced by John Ireland
Engineered by Richard Mitchell
Musicians
- John Ireland: All voices and instruments
Release information
LP: 1982, Transistor Records, CBK(L) 7006
Cassette: 1982, Transistor Records, L4 CBK(N) 7006
Comments
Even though this is his third album, it is titled simply as “John Ireland”. It is sometimes referred to as “The Seashell Album” due to the cover art.
Brian Currin
The LP version of “I Like…” was edited from 4:22 to 3:10 for the single release which peaked at #2 on the Springbok Radio charts in August 1982. The song was also extended to 5:27 and that version can be found on The Best Of SA Pop Volume 3.
Brian Currin
“I Like…” single edit
“I Like…” extended version
“I Like… (Barron Remix)” (2020)
I am the biggest John Ireland fan. I was introduced to his music when I was very young. It was a simpler time and the only music I had access to was cassette tapes left behind by my older brothers who left home for National Service.
The album that I had was the one featuring “I like…” – with the seashell on the cover. I sat at night in my dad’s car listening to his great voice and incredible synth sounds. I took the tape with me to police college in 1991 where it got lost.
When Compact Discs came out, I expected the album to be released, but it never was. I even tried to phone record companies to find out why. At that time, I knew very little about the man whose music meant so much to me.
With the internet I learnt more about Dr John Griffith who performed as the artist John Ireland, but I could never determine why his music was never released on CD (“I like” and “Living Inside my Head” did appear on compilations). He seems to be very disconnected from his musical past. The master recordings of his music must be somewhere and it hurts me that it may be lost forever. At least I own the vinyl and some would argue that it should be enough.
In a way John Ireland is my Sugarman.
A fan on AVForums, 10 June 2020
Press
Reviews
Opening with his hit single “I Like…” John Ireland’s 1982 album is jam packed with piano/synthesizer ballads. While some of the synth sounds are a bit dated, this does not detract from the album which features some lush orchestral sounds. Two tracks (‘Movie Theme (Diana)’ and ‘Diana’s theme’) are possibly directed at Princess Diana as the album was released the year after her marriage to Prince Charles. These songs now seem quite ironic in light of her death, especially where John sings about girls wanting to be her. The album does well to hold it’s own and not become a hit single surrounded by 9 b-sides as a lot of 80’s albums tended to do.
John Samson, May 2000
1001 South African Songs You Must Hear Before You Go Deaf
John Ireland – I Like…
By John Samson, 4 December 2015
Go on, admit it, you did titter like a naughty schoolboy/girl when you first heard this song. I mean “I like hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo with you”, That was soooo naughty! Especially in those verkrampte days in 1980’s South Africa. And then there were all those 9½ Weeks outside the fridge scene images “Cold ice cream taken with a sticky spoon/Apple slice, ooh custard and banana”. What a turn on.
Looking back from an age where everything is sex-saturated, these are pretty mild images and the song seems almost old fashioned in its approach. Despite this ‘aging’ of the content of the song, it is still a powerful piece of music. Extremely sensuous and sexy as Ireland’s voice slithers around naked on the satin sheets of a lush orchestral sound. It slowly builds to an orgasmic crescendo before fading slowly into post coital bliss. One almost feels one needs a cigarette for when you have finished listening to this (but smoking is bad for you now). While one may no longer feel the need to be immature about the content of the song, it has stood the test of time and was not a wam-bam-thank-you-mam encounter.
The song got to number 7 on the Capital 604 charts, number 5 on the 702 charts, 4 on Radio 5 and made number 2 on Springbok Radio which was quite a feat given the SABC’s penchant for banning anything remotely naughty. Listen to the song again and get drawn into its majestic-ness and downright sexiness, then hit the ‘I Like’ button. Oh, and don’t forget to remember its name in the morning.
John Ireland – I Still Hear You Breathe
By John Samson, 10 February 2017
This song was definitely a single released by John Ireland. I remember because, as an awkward teenager I bought a copy of it for a girl I was mad about and she happened to mention that she liked it. Well, if my experience is anything to go by, I wouldn’t recommend you run out an buy this (if you can find it) as an attempt to get a date as the girl in question moved to the States a little while later. I still blame John Ireland for this.
However, as a much more mature person, I can now listen to the song and appreciate, despite lines like ‘you’ve been gone for almost 3 years’ (more like 30+ in my case) and ‘remember running through the park, remember holding hands in the dark’ (nope, never happened), that this was a good solid unrequited love song. It has a melodic piano line which overlays some rather dramatic strings and builds to a solid crescendo. The song got stuck in the shadow of Ireland’s massive hit ‘I Like…’ as it was the second single off the eponymous album that featured the latter hit. It did get a little bit of airplay (how else could the girl of my dreams back then have heard it?) but didn’t make any inroads into any of the local charts.
So, Jenny if you’re out there, you may remember that boy who used to give you strange gifts like obscure 7” singles. He was head over heels in love with you, but too shy to say so. This was ‘our song’ although you probably never knew it.
P.S. in case you’re worried, I am happily married now, but as they say, you never forget your first love.
