If Only - No Bed Of Roses (+ 5 Bonus)

Facts Digitally remastered and expanded edition including five bonus tracks. If you thought the making of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours was fraught with difficulty then spare a thought for British melodic rockers If Only. Their trials and tribulations may not have been on the same widescreen international scale as the Mac, but the amount of frustration, angst and disappointment was probably even more crushing. Here was a band with all the promise of a bright career ahead of them that was continuously derailed, mostly through no fault of their own, unable to capitalize on their rising star status. Formed in 1988 and driven by guitarist and talented songwriter Greg Hart, the band was fronted by singer Jackie Bodimead who had built up a solid reputation as a member of both Girlschool and Rock Goddess, two of the most successful and well known of the all-female British hard rock bands. Jackie's voice lent the material a world class sheen that quickly attracted industry attention, led by former Yes and then Asia keyboard player Geoff Downes who signed them to his boutique label and set about producing their debut album. However, nearing completion, Jackie decided to leave the band. Fortunately, a savior was at hand in the form of Tina Egan who stepped into Jackie's shoes, recording new vocals and giving the project fresh life. Sadly however, the musical times had changed by then, with the likes of Nirvana forging a rough and raw sound, leaving the melodic delicacies of If Only stranded and killing all hope of scoring a meaningful release. Time, however, has done nothing but enhance the band's music and here we present tracks from both vocalists, confirming that this record, with either singer, is indeed a buried treasure.