If LP 1970 UK jazz rock 1st album Australian original pink Island rare

	A$		30
	$		20

If LP 1970 UK jazz rock 1st album Australian original pink Island rare

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Original Australian pressing on Island

If was a progressive rock band formed in Britain in 1969. Referred to by Billboard as "unquestionably the best of the so-called jazz-rock bands", in the period spanning 1970-75, they produced eight studio-recorded albums and did some 17 tours of Europe, the US and Canada.

They toured extensively in Europe and the United States during the early 1970s, with two U.S. tours during their first year, performing at most of the major venues and festivals of the day including Newport, Reading, Fillmore East (November 10, 1970, sharing the billing with Black Sabbath and Small Faces) and Fillmore West, Whisky A Go-Go, and The Marquee.

They also shared billings with, amongst others, Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Leon Russell as well as many of the classic rock bands of the day, such as Traffic, Yes, Grand Funk Railroad, Ten Years After, Kiss, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

If thus became one of the most highly acclaimed groups of the Seventies to never quite make the big time, despite good record sales and full venues. The band was managed and its albums produced by Lew Futterman, who had previously produced US jazz/soul stars Brother Jack McDuff and J.J. Jackson, among others. Signed on by Chris Blackwell, an enthusiastic early fan, to Island Records in the UK and to Capitol Records in the US, their debut album, If (1970), entered the charts in both the States (Billboard) and the UK, as well as winning a design award for its cover. It was followed that same year by If 2, also released on Island and Capitol.

The albums If 3 (1971), If 4 and Waterfall (1972) were accompanied by heavy touring schedules in the States and Europe, especially in Britain and Germany, where the band appeared on TV (BBC’s Top of the Pops/Old Grey Whistle Test in the UK and one of their tracks was used as a signature tune for the news in Germany, as well as performing live (September 1971) on Bremen TV's Beat-Club, sharing the billing with Canned Heat and Deep Purple, among other acts).

Finally, following such intensive recording and touring schedules, in the summer of 1972, the band had to come off the road in the middle of a US tour when Dick Morrissey was admitted to hospital for major surgery. As a result of the break-up, the band members went off to work on other projects.

Consisting of essentially two clearly defined line-ups, as well as an intermediate, transitional one, the original band had a heavier leaning towards jazz, and was formed by Dick Morrissey, on tenor sax and flute, and Terry Smith on guitars, both Melody Maker award-winning British jazz musicians who had played together in US soul singer J.J. Jackson’s band with Dave Quincy on alto and tenor saxes, together with Spike Wells on drums, Lionel Grigson on keyboards and Daryl Runswick on bass, although these last three musicians did not record with the band, with Wells going off to join Tubby Hayes.

The definitive seven-piece line-up for the first incarnation of the band, with a more jazz-rock-oriented style, and which appears on the first four studio albums, as well as a live recording, was J. W. Hodkinson on lead vocals, John Mealing on keyboards, Jim Richardson on electric bass, Dennis Eliott on drums, with Dave Quincy on alto and tenor saxes, Terry Smith on guitars, and Dick Morrissey on tenor and soprano saxes and flute.

    Dennis Elliott – drums

    J.W. Hodkinson – vocals, percussion

    John Mealing – organ, electric piano, backing vocals

    Dick Morrissey – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute

    Dave Quincy – tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, flute

    Jim Richardson – bass

    Terry Smith – guitar

A1         I'm Reaching Out On All Sides            5:14

A2         What Did I Say About The Box, Jack?             8:20

A3         What Can A Friend Say?          6:28

B1         Woman, Can You See (What This Big Thing Is All About)?              4:01

B2         Raise The Level Of Your Conscious Mind     3:11

B3         Dockland          5:21

B4         The Promised Land   4:31

CONDITION:

SLEEVE: VG++ to EX—  some ring marking, laminated both sides

RECORD: EX++  spindle trails on both labels, name on s.1

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