Scott's Song by Song #97: IT -- The Stranger Inside the Self (2026 Re-recording)
Welcome to issue #97 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong).
IT (pronounced “it” not “I.T.”) are a band with a much longer history than I realized, going back more than 30 years, which is an important fact when it comes to the album I am about to review. I have always made it clear since I started this journey as a reviewer and content maker a few years ago that I make no claims of being an expert! As much as I might know about prog rock, I learn things that I didn’t know on a regular basis. I had been vaguely aware of IT for a few years, and have the 2017 release “We’re All in This Together” in my streaming library and have enjoyed the songs that I have heard from it. So when Béla Alabástrom requested that I review this album, I accepted without fully understanding the band’s long history.
The story began back in 1994 when Nick Jackson (who seems to split time between the UK and Canada), a guitarist/vocalist/composer, then only 20 years old, recorded the original version of the album I am about to review, “The Stranger Inside the Self”, as a true solo artist, doing everything himself with the exception of the following:
With:
- Desmond Lambert / keyboards
- Chris Stopa / backing vocals
- Jane Jelinek / backing vocals
At the time he only released it on self-made cassettes. Over time he released four more albums, including 1995’s “Two Worlds” (under similar circumstances to the first one, as I understand it, “Over and Out” in 2002 (the first widely available IT album), 2009’s “Departure”, and the aforementioned “We’re All in This Together” in 2017. Over the years the project evolved into a full band with the lineup in 2017 being:
- Nick Jackson / lead vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, keyboards, synth, samples, percussion, co-producer & mixing
- Andy Rowberry / guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, co-producer
- Ryan McCaffrey / sax (1,6), piano (3,7,8), organ (5,6,10), Fender Rhodes (7)
- James Hawkins / bass, bass synth (2)
- Will Chism / drums
As IT’s fanbase grew over the years, Nick began getting requests for the long out-of-print “The Stranger Inside the Self”, which he initially begrudgingly provided to fans who requested one. However, as those requests became too much to manage, he thought he’s remaster and re-release the album for its 30th anniversary. As he began to attempt to do that, he ran into so many issues making it a reality, that he finally decided to re-record the album properly. The result is the album I am reviewing today. Since I have never heard the original version of the album, I will review it on its own merits. [Disclosure: the original version is included with the materials I have received, but due to time restraints, I am only able to review the new version at this time.]
As mentioned, the album was provided by Béla Alabástrom who is promoting the release for the band. As always, however, I call it like I hear it and receive no additional compensation. As per my usual method, this is a cold listen.
Let’s get to the music now, shall we?
Track 1 - The Stranger Inside the Self (5:15)
It begins with a low pitch drone on the synth and eventually higher sounds and even cricket chirps add in. A gradual crescendo is happening until around the one-minute point, when the “band” accents the downbeats, then harmonized guitars begin, leading us to the first verse. This is an ominous beginning, but gradually we settle into a steady, mid-tempo groove. I like the call and response style of the chorus with harmonized backing vocals alternate with his solo voice. This is a terrific opener that sets the stage!
Track 2 - I Won’t Pray on Sundays (5:06)
The soundscape on this reminds me of “Division Bell” era Pink Floyd. I love Nick’s expressive vocals. This one is also at a mid tempo, but with a completely different feel to the first track. There is a melodic synth feature, followed by a wonderful guitar solo. The choruses are rich and full. Another wonderful song.
Track 3 - More (Sanitary Insanity) (4:34)
After a brief synth intro, this one comes in rockin’! A heavy riff accompanies the distorted vocals of the verse. Then the chorus is more lush and sustained, with beautiful harmonies. Nick’s guitar solos are geared to the song; an admirable trait, considering that he has, according to the information I have received, recreated the parts faithfully to the original (with one exception, noted in a later track), meaning that the 20-year-old version of himself didn’t overplay either. At just before the 3-minute mark, the tempo doubles! Then we are rockin’ even harder! The vocals that enter are exquisitely done, sounding like an ominous choir from another dimension! By a little after 4-minutes in, the drums are playing double-bass kicks, taking us to the close of the song with great ferocity! Nicely done!
Track 4 - Waiting for the World (3:53)
A pulsing synth comes in with spoken voice sound effects. This one also rocks hard, but with a bit of an 80’s new-wave feel to it. Somehow it feels like a bit of an amalgamation of Big Country, Men Without Hats, and Pink Floyd; not sure why, but that’s just what it gives me. I do hear female voices in the backing vocals. I love the half-time feel of the bridge, and the spoken vocals return behind the melodic guitar solo. Excellent track.
Track 5 - Until the Children Come Home (4:23)
It begins with guitars accented by the rhythm section and a fat organ. As it leads into the chorus, the beat kicks in steadily. I keep coming back to PF, but it does have those kinds of vibes, especially “The Division Bell” with the female harmonies. Of course, this was conceived originally around the time that album came out, so the influence is understandable. Another awesome track.
Track 6 - Something to Say (4:36)
A reverse strummed acoustic guitar chord leads in a guitar melody, backed with synth and bass. The verse begins, then the beat kicks in at around 50 seconds. The soundscape on the chorus is very full and warm. I love the way this album sounds. The instrumentation and vocals are nicely arranged. Wonderful Song!
Track 7 - Do You Remember? (5:15)
This is the one song that Nick says has changed from its original version, as that version was called “The Last of November”. This fades in with clean guitars and synths, then an alarm clock rings; more shades of PF from “Time”, but only one bell instead of an entire clock shop worth of them. The backing vocals foreshadow the lyrics when they sing “can you hear the sound?” before Nick does. This is another mid-tempo song. I like the change in tonality as we enter the chorus; verses in minor, chorus in major. I like the piano melodies on this one. A melodic guitar solo accompanies the harmonies as the song fades out. Good track!
Track 8 - To Have and to Hold (4:53)
This one fades in with church bells ringing before giving way to clean guitar arpeggios over a synth bed. The vocals soon join in along with some subtle bass notes. At 1:10 the beat kicks in, moderately slow and steady. At around 1:40 some power chords take us to the chorus. Then there is a quiet section with spoken words talking about “you begin to read the words of internal life …something down deep in you instinctively, intuitively...yes, yes…I wish that were true, or could it be true…is it possible”. Then there is a melodic guitar part with glorious backing vocals. The power chords lead into another chorus. The drums drop out on the next verse before returning for the chorus. Cool tune.
Track 9 - When We All Fall Down (4:30)
This one is at a slower tempo, with clean guitar chords leading the vocals in. One of the female singers has a line or two solo. The tempo picks up as the rhythm section comes in following the first verse. The chorus sounds like a gospel choir: “When we all…fall down…we fall together”, complete with organ and hand claps. Following that, there is a super-cool clavinet (or something similar) part; very funky for a moment. The lush soundscape returns for the next verse, sung in harmony. The gospel choir chorus returns, next, repeating numerous times with ad-libbed variations. I really enjoyed that!
Track 10 - Round and Round (6:48)
The closing track is the longest, but not quite closing epic length. An ominous drone slides up to pitch with vocoder effected vocals joining. At 50 seconds the beat kicks in with a slightly reggae feel. One of the ladies takes the lead vocal first, before Nick takes over. The bass tone on this one is fat and meaty! The chorus is very full sounding. Another verse follows, then a guitar feature. The synths are almost mellotron-like, but don’t actually sound like mellotrons. Nick and his duet partner (sorry, I don’t have her name), trade vocals. The song winds its way to the final fade-out, repeating the title. Nice track!
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
The most impressive thing about this album is that it was conceived by a then 20-year-old young man, barely out of his teens! The songs are deep and well arranged. (Admittedly, I need to compare it to the original version for context.) That said, there isn’t a lot of variety as far as tempos and meter signatures, etc. I did rather enjoy it, don’t get me wrong! I can see the potential in it that Nick and his eventual bandmates surely developed as they evolved and matured. It is also my understanding that an IT show is a multi-media experience, and I am sure these songs would be quite a spectacle with that dimension added to it. The playing is well executed and the vocals are quite good! I am giving this a 4.5 out of 5 stars or 90%. I need to investigate their later albums more to see how it evolved from here. But if this was where it started, I can only imagine how much better it has gotten over the years. Highly recommended listening!
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LINKS FOR LISTENING/BUYING:
Video for “I Won’t Pray on Sunday”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpZ6h8DgmFY&list=RDkpZ6h8DgmFY&start_radio=1
Video for “Something to Say”
Bandcamp Link:
https://itofficial.bandcamp.com/album/the-stranger-inside-the-self
IT Store:
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