1970 UK Regal Zonophone ORIG - #3 LP The IDLE RACE "TIME IS" UNDERGROUND ROCK A+
$
333
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- ORIGINAL 1970 MOST SCARCE LP
- FIRST PRESS REGAL ZONOPHONE ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..
- ~ THE IDLE RACE ~
- TIME IS
- ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..
- "made In England" - REGAL ZONOPHONE - RZ-1017
The Idle Race wasn’t the same band after the departure of Jeff Lynne to THE MOVE, but in the case of their final album "Time Is" on the UK REGAL ZONOPHONE label wasn't a bad thing at all.
Original member, David Pritchard had always been the underrated George Harrison of the band, usually contributing two songs per LP. Although he was out-shined as a songwriter by Jeff Lynne, clearly the ambitious and prolific one, Pritchard’s voice has a pleasant quality to it, not too dissimilar from The Moody Blues’ Justin Hayward. Here, he rises to the occasion, becoming a front-man. His songs are generally excellent- full of emotion and melancholy, and with a shade of the band’s former British whimsy. This time, however, it manifests with more of an ethereal underground rock English vibe, immediate apparent.
In addition to original members Greg Masters on bass and Roger Spenser on drums, the band recruited two newcomers to fill Jeff Lynne’s void: Mike Hopkins on guitar, and vocalist Dave Walker (later of Savoy Brown, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, etc.). His deep, bluesy tone gels with the band perfectly, taking them in a distinct new direction. Although he is British like the others, he injects an American style into the recording. As a result, the group successfully bridges the gap between the pastoral English rock elements of their former selves, Jethro Tull with shades of blues, rural, progressive and hard rock, TIME IS album delivers rich palette of British styles and moods.
The songs take on an introspective tone. This helps distinguish the "Time Is" Idle Race from Jeff Lynne’s IDLE RACE, which relied more on surreal imagery, psychedelic/freakbeat production techniques, and distinctly British sunshine pop hooks.
This version of the group is darker, with more personal songs and an overall earthier sound- certainly not as commercially focused as before.
The album feels pretty remarkable on the first several listens, even when compared to "The Birthday Party" and second "Idle Race" LPs, which were so eccentric, catchy, and bizarre that they made absolutely sure you'd remember them. But in this case, the strength becomes obvious,even better with subsequent listens.
While no song instantly grabs the listener, the entire album is solid from start to finish. The best songs, incidentally, occur in a row, right in the middle of the album. "By the Sun", with its brooding , hypnotic lead vocal by Walker, and barren desert-like soundscapes, is the clear highlight. "Alcatraz", is a fun, grinding riff-rocker, with wonderfully imaginative lyrics. "And the Rain" is a bittersweet ballad with an infectious harmony. The rest is at least "good", or better. It's an album that does more with less, and its gentle textural qualities went probably "under the radar" to most listeners at the time.
Though the first two Idle Race records didn’t sell well, this one must have gone completely unnoticed, remaining exceedingly scarce. Indeed, the brand recognition of the Idle Race name would have gone with Jeff Lynne, as far as the group's (certainly modest) fan-base at the time were concerned. "Time Is" was taken out of print quickly after being released on England's EMI’s Regal Zonophone label.
This version of the group were actually at the “right time, right place” cliché and certainly applies, since they absorbed so many of the sounds that made the late ‘60s and early ‘70s a special time in popular music. They didn’t innovate, but they blended existing genres with remarkable subtlety, and wrote some fine songs along the way. They had a lot of chemistry, and it’s a shame they didn’t get a chance to develop further. After this, the Idle Race dissolved, and Dave Pritchard seemingly dropped off the radar
Greg Masters
bass, vocals, electric cello
Roger Spencer
drums, percussion, vocals, songwriter
Mike Hopkins
lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Dave Pritchard
vocals, flute, rhythm guitar, songwriter
Dave Walker
vocals, harmonica, piano, songwriter
The Idle Race
produced their album
CONDITION:
- The cover: rated: M- very fragile grainy/textured cover remains collection worthy, 55 years past, wasn't around long after being British released...here's a GREAT first pressing with old-60s styled "flap-back' seams...This is the rarest IDLE RACE LP by far, being extremely difficult to find. There are no delete marks, no split seams, clean and has no writing too ...
- The vinyl: Rated: near M- very clean, representing nice audio production and both UK Regal Zonophone labels are clean without any issues at all
A cool addition to anyone's music library!
SEE: SELLERS OTHER ITEMS
(((similar grooves for "head" people...)))
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