Album: Journey Into The Morn
Band History
February '95 - June '95 / 'Journey into the Morn' Recorded
Recording of 'Journey Into The Morn' at Neil Costello's Soundfield studio in the heart of the lovely Derbyshire countryside.
The studio, set up in a 200 year old barn (formerly a craft centre), proves to be a superb working environment with its beautiful setting looking out onto fields filled with sheep and new born lambs.
March - At the completion of the band's original 3 album contract with Word, a joint deal is signed with Alliance (in the UK) and Forefront (in the USA).
The deal is a vast improvement on the previous one with Word and leaves the band the option to pursue other licensing deals to get the next three albums out to a wider audience.
The band 65dba (now 'dba') work on a white label 'ambient dance' album, which includes their remix of the track 'Beyond These Shores'. Jo also guests on another track on the album.
HMV take on several hundred copies of the first 2 albums and have a dedicated 'Iona' section in some stores (in the 'folk' section).
Recording of 'Journey Into The Morn' at Neil Costello's Soundfield studio in the heart of the lovely Derbyshire countryside.The studio, set up in a 200 year old barn (formerly a craft centre), proves to be a superb working environment with its beautiful setting looking out onto fields filled with sheep and new born lambs.
March - At the completion of the band's original 3 album contract with Word, a joint deal is signed with Alliance (in the UK) and Forefront (in the USA).
The deal is a vast improvement on the previous one with Word and leaves the band the option to pursue other licensing deals to get the next three albums out to a wider audience.
The band 65dba (now 'dba') work on a white label 'ambient dance' album, which includes their remix of the track 'Beyond These Shores'. Jo also guests on another track on the album.
HMV take on several hundred copies of the first 2 albums and have a dedicated 'Iona' section in some stores (in the 'folk' section).
May '95 / Maire Brennan Recording Sessions
'Morn' album sessions in Dublin with Maire Brennan
(singer/Celtic Harpist with Clannad).
'Morn' album sessions in Dublin with Maire Brennan(singer/Celtic Harpist with Clannad).
August '95 / 'Journey into the Morn' Mixed
UK gigs, including Greenbelt Festival mainstage - headlining in front of 12,000 people. The band are delighted that Calum Malcolm is free to mix 'Journey Into The Morn' along with Dave Bainbridge. Calum has worked with Maire Brennan, Blue Nile, Capercaille and Runrig amongst others.
UK gigs, including Greenbelt Festival mainstage - headlining in front of 12,000 people. The band are delighted that Calum Malcolm is free to mix 'Journey Into The Morn' along with Dave Bainbridge. Calum has worked with Maire Brennan, Blue Nile, Capercaille and Runrig amongst others.
October '95 / 'Journey into the Morn' Released
'Journey Into The Morn' is released (timed to coincide with the start of a lengthy UK tour which continues on through November). The new album is available in HMV and Virgin stores during the tour. The band are very pleased with the way the album sounds - at just over 78 minutes long it is the longest IONA album yet - more or less equivalent to a double album in old vinyl terms! It also includes, in Encircling, the longest IONA piece recorded to date (at over 12 minutes). Tim Harries (Basses) is unable to do some dates on the tour due to prior commitments with his other band Steeleye Span, but is replaced on these by Phil Barker. Phil first stood in for Tim at the Borderline gig in London in August. Not all goes smoothly on the tour. The Bristol concert is cancelled due to fire damage at the venue 2 weeks before the band is due to play there and the concerts in Leeds, Lancaster and Whitehaven are postponed until early in 1996 due to Joanne contracting laryngitis and losing her voice. Supporting on the whole tour (except at Keele when Eden Burning played) were an excellent duo from Manchester, Annie and Graham (who performed under the name Aon), and whose gently evocative songs set just the right tone for the evenings.
A series of three TV programmes ('ABC of the Celtic Saints') are broadcast by Tyne Tees TV on the lives of Aidan, Bede and Cuthbert. The programmes also deal with the contemporary relevance of Celtic Christianity. Some of Iona's music is used as background music for the series. The band perform 'Irish Day' live on the ITV TV programme 'This Sunday'.
'Journey Into The Morn' is released (timed to coincide with the start of a lengthy UK tour which continues on through November). The new album is available in HMV and Virgin stores during the tour. The band are very pleased with the way the album sounds - at just over 78 minutes long it is the longest IONA album yet - more or less equivalent to a double album in old vinyl terms! It also includes, in Encircling, the longest IONA piece recorded to date (at over 12 minutes). Tim Harries (Basses) is unable to do some dates on the tour due to prior commitments with his other band Steeleye Span, but is replaced on these by Phil Barker. Phil first stood in for Tim at the Borderline gig in London in August. Not all goes smoothly on the tour. The Bristol concert is cancelled due to fire damage at the venue 2 weeks before the band is due to play there and the concerts in Leeds, Lancaster and Whitehaven are postponed until early in 1996 due to Joanne contracting laryngitis and losing her voice. Supporting on the whole tour (except at Keele when Eden Burning played) were an excellent duo from Manchester, Annie and Graham (who performed under the name Aon), and whose gently evocative songs set just the right tone for the evenings.A series of three TV programmes ('ABC of the Celtic Saints') are broadcast by Tyne Tees TV on the lives of Aidan, Bede and Cuthbert. The programmes also deal with the contemporary relevance of Celtic Christianity. Some of Iona's music is used as background music for the series. The band perform 'Irish Day' live on the ITV TV programme 'This Sunday'.
April '96 / 'Journey into the Morn' Released in Canada
EMI release 'Journey Into The Morn' in Canada.
EMI release 'Journey Into The Morn' in Canada.
June '96 / 'Journey into the Morn' Released in Japan
'Journey Into The Morn' is released in Japan by Pony Canyon.
'Journey Into The Morn' is released in Japan by Pony Canyon.
September '96 - October '96 / 'Journey into the Morn' Tops 50K
Alliance inform us that 'Journey' has sold over 49,000 copies. That takes the total sold (including copies through 3Cord) to approx 52,000 up to September. German tour. Good attendances (including 900 in Bonn - 800 in Braunschweig). Very well received by the press - except for one reviewer who described us as sounding like 'Pink Floyd played on a Bontempi organ'!! We were a bit suspicious when he referred in his review to a song we hadn't even played on the whole tour!
Stand in bass player Tony Stipetic does a great job despite playing 5 gigs with a broken finger - which occurred playing football! Play in front of 7,000 at the Alliance Festival at the Nynex Arena in Manchester. We are pleased at the response of the 'younger than our usual' audience and that the day (which was a huge step of faith to put on) was a success for Alliance.
Alliance inform us that 'Journey' has sold over 49,000 copies. That takes the total sold (including copies through 3Cord) to approx 52,000 up to September. German tour. Good attendances (including 900 in Bonn - 800 in Braunschweig). Very well received by the press - except for one reviewer who described us as sounding like 'Pink Floyd played on a Bontempi organ'!! We were a bit suspicious when he referred in his review to a song we hadn't even played on the whole tour!Stand in bass player Tony Stipetic does a great job despite playing 5 gigs with a broken finger - which occurred playing football! Play in front of 7,000 at the Alliance Festival at the Nynex Arena in Manchester. We are pleased at the response of the 'younger than our usual' audience and that the day (which was a huge step of faith to put on) was a success for Alliance.
November '96 / 'Journey into the Morn' No. 21
'Journey' enters number 21 in Germany's National World Music charts.
'Journey' enters number 21 in Germany's National World Music charts.
January '98 / 'Journey into the Morn' Top 50
'Q' Magazine vote 'Journey Into The Morn' as one of their top 50 albums for 1996 and one of their top 5 folk albums. 'Heaven's Bright Sun' album mixed at the singer Fish's Millennium Studio near Edinburgh. UK tour starts in London.
'Q' Magazine vote 'Journey Into The Morn' as one of their top 50 albums for 1996 and one of their top 5 folk albums. 'Heaven's Bright Sun' album mixed at the singer Fish's Millennium Studio near Edinburgh. UK tour starts in London.
August '98 / 'Lindisfarne' makes BBC
Headline at Greenbelt Festival in front of 12,000 people. Appear at the Bardentreffen Folk Festival in Nurnberg, Germany, which is held in the moat of the town's castle! The band's performance of the song 'Lindisfarne', recorded live on the island of Lindisfarne in July 1995, is shown on 'Summerscapes' (BBC1).
Headline at Greenbelt Festival in front of 12,000 people. Appear at the Bardentreffen Folk Festival in Nurnberg, Germany, which is held in the moat of the town's castle! The band's performance of the song 'Lindisfarne', recorded live on the island of Lindisfarne in July 1995, is shown on 'Summerscapes' (BBC1).
