John Ireland – Press - The South African Rock Encyclopedia

Press Release

24 April 2014, courtesy of John Ireland’s Facebook Page

John Ireland is back with a new track called ‘Clap Your Hands’.

When most people hear the name ‘John Ireland’ they immediately think of the mega-hit ‘I Like…’ from the eighties. This is hardly surprising as such was the popularity of the song that it was recently voted into the ‘702 Solid Gold Top 100 Hits of All Time’.

Private and reclusive, this composer and recording artist almost never does interviews or appearances. The result is that much about him remains a mystery or unknown.

What we do know is that John Ireland is so much more than his best remembered hit, ‘I Like…’!

Background

In 1978, whilst in final year at medical school he brought out his first album called ‘Thinking Aloud’. This album featured the hit single ‘You’re Living Inside My Head’, a haunting arrangement on a ‘Greensleeves’ theme. The track reached number 8 on the official SA charts. This album brought out by Teal/RCA, was released in 18 countries worldwide. No mean feat at a time when the world was unreceptive to white South African product. In fact the record company was at pains to conceal the fact that John Ireland was South African. He did not sound ‘local’. There was no ‘quota’ at radio for local content at that time and getting airplay was more problematic for local artists compared to the present day.

Two years later John brought out a second album ‘Revelation’, which was produced by the great Julian Laxton. The single by the same name as the album did well on the charts. This album too was signed to Teal/RCA with John again recording at the Videosound recording facility in Randburg, South Africa.

Life changed for John in 1982 and 1983 when he self-financed the album simply called ‘John Ireland’. This album contained the mega-hit, ‘I Like…’, as well as the much aired ‘I Still Hear You Breathe’. The track ‘I Like…’ was different, sexy and controversial. It was banned for a few weeks on SABC stations while a board contemplated its ‘desirability’- this enhanced its appeal and led to the song topping many charts.

Free from controls and constraints by major labels, John Ireland brought out two further albums in the eighties. One called ‘She Speaks to Me’ featured a hit single by the same name. This album was recorded in Sweden at a time when John was producing a very ‘European’ sound. Finally in the eighties, a mini-album followed called ‘Just Desserts’ with the single, ‘The Apple Song’.

During the nineties and early 21st century John brought out some instrumental-only work under the name of ‘Llicky f’. This was rather different to his usual sound but allowed his synthesising and sequencing skills to be maximised. This period also saw John produce some unusual recordings some of which were showcased on an album called ‘John Ireland / Exposed’. Even John confesses that things were getting ‘pretty weird’ at this stage and the album was not released to the wider public.

The movies ‘Spud’ and the subsequent ‘Spud 2’, starring John Cleese, both featured John Ireland compositions.

During a rare interview John stated, ‘I am primarily a composer, who performs and records my own work. If the public latches on to my music, I am frankly surprised. I generally don’t buy popular music and mainly listen to classical music, which is my background’.

So where has he been you might ask? Some fans with ‘insider information’ are aware that John Ireland is a very passionate collector of antiques. At one time he even operated as an antique dealer. As an extension of his interest in antiques is a passion for art and architecture. His interest is particularly for ‘all things 18th century’ especially the Georgian Period. The last 7 years have been spent building and detailing his ‘Palladian’ style home to display the antique collection. This together with his medical practice has occupied most of his time.

Ireland’s professional recording studio has been in storage for a number of years whilst building operations have been underway. Early in 2014 John’s studio was good to go again, and ‘Clap Your Hands’ is the first release to emanate from this new facility.

‘I am not a particularly political person’ says John, ‘but the song just came to me and really mirrors what all South Africans know only too well’.

He remains reticent, aloof, unsocial and almost reclusive.

But, John Ireland is back!

‘Clap Your Hands’ is released as a free download.