Album Notes

IAIN McLENNAN-BIO
Iain began his tertiary education at N.I.D.A. Fully aware of the honor of gaining a place, Iain gave his full attention. Well, perhaps not quite his full attention. By the end of the first year he was working as a professional musician in the highly respected 'SUN'. (Renee Geyer)
Music was meant to be; from then on Iain worked with many very successful Australian bands. His talents as a drummer and composer were recognized and prized.
HISTORY
Iain Mclennan...early 1971 whilst at school recorded ....
MACH 11 (EMI)
a selection of original songs shared with a school friend.
Mclennan/Oinkmuse*
N.I.D.A (Australian Drama School)
'SUN'...Reney Geyer had left to be replaced by Starlie Ford.
'Richard Clapton Band. Touring nationally promoting 'Girls on the Avenue'.
'ARIEL'...toured and released three singles to finish on the 'Jamaican Farewell'. A final performance at the 'Dallas Brooks Hall'
'MONDO ROCK'
One of the most powerful and exiting lineups to this day-Wilson out front /Vocals/Harmonica. This band ripped the house down. Recording four singles and the album 'Primal Park'
'Tell Me' one of Iain's songs, created some interest as he contributed several songs to 'Mondo Rock'
Time off
Mclennan was an independent session musician by now. "Well, I have never been "anyones" drummer...!
'THE BUSHWACKERS'- Australian bush band.
SESSION WORK
'GLEN SHORROCK' of 'The Little River Band'
'MIKE RUDD'....Spectrum/Indelible Murtcepts/Ariel..
'VANDA & YOUNG-Two of the best writers world wide (in my opinion) of course history reminds us of "The Easybeats"

'Cheeta/Stevie Wright/Vanda & Young/Flash & The Pan/John Paul Young.
'TED MULRY'...A Collection of love songs
'THE SPORTS'...Touring including 'Sporting True Colours' A joint tour with 'SPLIT ENZ'
'RUSSELL MORRIS'...touring performing new material, some of which were writen by 'Morris/Mclennan'
'FILM' Composed and performed the sound track for 'GRETEL' a film by 'Gillian Armstrong'...*Mclennan/Oinkmuse*1971
'MAUVE'
Solo album. Wrote & produced to release;single' SARAH' which received much attention throughout Australia. Picked up by major radio including the top FM station in Sydney (A major break for an Independent release)..
2001/2003...Writing/Recording new material...Formed 'Through The Roof' gigging around Melbourne city & country venues.
Mclennan has written-recorded-performed-mixed and produced his new album:
'FAITH'

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October 2004. "Oinkmuse" recording studio, at near completion after almost a year in construction. This last month or so, I have concentrated on the finer details such as wood paneling and roof touch ups. Now it's back to the music!!!
8/11/2004
More work on "Oinkmuse" Studio...Great to be find that CD's have arrived at CD Baby from down here in Aus...Reviews to be posted soon.....MORE REVIEWS


IAIN McLENNAN'S LATEST ALBUM "FAITH" Review :-Been a while since his last highly acclaimed Mauve album in 1991, but Iain McLennan the well traveled singer, songwriter, guitarist, drummer who has performed with Ariel, Richard Clapton Band, Sports, Mondo Rock, Russell Morris Band has lost none of his skill for crafting heartfelt and thought provoking songs. From the hauntingly real Faith with it's atmospheric flugel horn courtesy of Nigel Harris and honest lyrics as with If You Walk Away, you really feel the experience and emotion in the lyrics. Love Can Set Us Free is an optimistic reggae vibe. Tumbling Down is characteristic Iain and One Step Closer includes fellow ex Mondo rock & Ariel keyboard man Tony Slavich. You can tell that lyrics come from real life experience where the words are not wasted or contrived. This is honest stuff and hopefully Iain will get it out and about live soon. In the meantime check out Faith.  Available through www.cdbaby.com/cd/iain
29.11.04
MORE REVIEWS & INFO on the way CD Baby have a large backlog to get through. So please be patient. Airplay is picking up down under and reviews are strong.


Review of Iain McLennan's Faith Album
Recorded at Oinkmuse Studios Mosman 2003

Faith displays an unpretentious, but insightful production that is rarely heard these days. The album is open and honest with strong songs and heart felt vocals telling stories about real-life experiences. Not only are the melodies and vocals a feature but the grooves sit well, particularly in the sense of the whole album balance.

Iain sings about grief, and he sings about love and loneliness and the other stuff you've heard a thousand times, but somehow while he's doing the singing, you're feeling every bit of it. The songs, well, they're some of the most beautifully haunting melodies you'll ever want to hear. The lyrics are emotional ... Iain digs deep and holds nothing back.

Being involved in assisting Iain with some of the studio set-up, guitars and mixing was a fabulous experience. Some times we would just be sitting around chatting and listening when spontaneous moments would happen. On one occasion I remember we set up a guitar and ad-libbed over the chorus of 'If You Walk Away' ... a couple of takes later that was it. Not a planned session or anything, just a creative moment.

An amazing aspect of Iain's album is that he built his studio "Oinkmuse" as he wrote and recorded the album. Although I helped with technical matters like Pro Tools operation and mic preamps he essentially handled the whole thing, including building the drum enclosure and recording/playing the live drums without an engineer ... that big beat, awesome. And you can actually hear the high hats, which really is a dying art form these days.

This project epitomises album production on a low budget. Iain used a small Pro Tools (LE) recorder, mid-range microphones and basic pre amps in a home environment, but the end result sounds fabulous.

Get a copy to hear for yourself!

It proves with good songs and experience you can compete against the major budget releases. In fact I challenge any producer, under a blind test, to guess how and where this album was recorded.

Wayne Gardner/Producer/Owner GTA Studio Australia.

Regarding "OINKMUSE" the studio sounds great and I am well into new album. For those of you who have visited this site, thank you and don,t forget if you would like any more info I am only an email away. Photos, all sorts of stuff. As soon as I am able my website will be up and linked directly to CD BABY.

More News..It looks like Radio Poland have picked up the CD.... more news on it's way. Australian airplay is starting to move as well, so overall I cannot complain. Cheers to all.......Iain

11.12.04
For all who have checked in I wish you a safe and happy Xmas.
I feel a sense of change is upon us all at present. I started to feel this strongly around 8 months ago. I was wary. Now I realise the change is positive as a time for completing unfinished challenges or works. To move on to the new.

In saying this I am reflecting the changes in my own life. A strong ending to a tricky year. Cheers to all Iain

09.03.05
"Faith" is gathering pace and moving in and around Europe. Also moving up the Australian East coast. June sees me in Paris for a week. Then it's Italy, Greece and finally THE BIG APPLE. If you see me, say hello, especially if your local. Tell me what's happening and what's not. I have never been to New York. This will be amazing! Yep, I'm excited. So grab me and tell me all about it. Cheers Iain