It's Immaterial

The Profile

It’s Immaterial are a British duo from Liverpool, formed by John Campbell and Jarvis Whitehead. They are best known for the 1986 UK Top 20 single “Driving Away From Home (Jim’s Tune)” and the albums Life’s Hard and Then You Die and Song. After their initial run ended in the early 1990s, they later returned with the long-gestating album House For Sale.

According to the reviews: “Driving Away From Home (Jim’s Tune)” began with sessions in Milwaukee with Jerry Harrison; the final London version involved producer Dave Bates, engineer Dave Bascombe, and featured Merran Laginestra. The harmonica by Jim Lieber shaped the single, hence the subtitle. The track reached No. 18 in the UK. Label promotion and under-pressing issues hindered momentum. The debut album mixes British understatement with varied styles (“Rope”, “The Better Idea”, “Festival Time”, “Ed’s Funky Diner”, “Space”), and the single even landed Ibiza remixes.

Two reviews revisit It’s Immaterial’s cult status: one dives into the ghostly road-song aura of “Driving Away From Home (Jim’s Tune)”, the other champions the underrated debut album. Production anecdotes (Jerry Harrison, Dave Bascombe) and label missteps surface. Overall tone: affectionate, wry, and crate-digger friendly.