If the United States had jazz-rock outfits such as Chicago and Blood, Sweat And Tears, then the United Kingdom had the seminal If. The members of this late '60s group were Terry Smith (guitar), John Mealing (keyboards), JW Hodkinson (vocals), Jim Richardson (bass), Dick Morrissey (flute and saxes), Dave Quincy (saxes) and Dennis Elliot (drums). They probably were the only jazz-rock group, both then and now, to feature solos by all the band members, not just by the lead instruments. But then playing jazz-rock had its own problems - they were considered too jazzy when billed with groups with a more rock orientation and too bluesy or loud when billed with more jazz-oriented bands. Thanks to golfspel who shared the lossless tracks on the internet, fans can now enjoy the tight interplay between jazz and rock, aided in no small part by Hodkinson's strong vocals, on this If show recorded for Swedish radio. John Mealing would later join The Strawbs while Dennis Elliot would be a part of the hugely-successful Foreigner. But in the late '60s and early '70s, If were definitely a jazz-rock group to be reckoned with. 01 - Child Of Storm 02 - Reaching Out On All Sides 03 - Your City Is Falling 04 - Seldom Seen Sam 05 - Fibonacci's Number 06 - Forgotten Roads LINK
