If Not for You [Import]

Olivia Newton-John | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 30, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Import [Generic]
• ASIN: B000007UBC
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #485,412 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Me and Bobby McGee

2. If

3. Banks of the Ohio

4. In a Station

5. Love Song

6. Help Me Make It Through the Night

7. If Not for You

8. Where Are You Going To My Love

9. Lullaby

10. If You Could Read My Mind

11. If I Gotta Leave

12. No Regrets

Editorial Reviews

1993 reissue on Festival of the beloved pop vocalist's debutalbum, first released for the label in 1971. A collection of12 cover tunes, it contains her very first hit, Olivia's top30 rendition of Bob Dylan's 'If Not For You', plus herremake of the traditional 'Banks Of The Ohio'.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FOLK FAVORITES & MORE, July 23, 2003

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: If Not for You (Audio CD)

The lilting beauty If Not For You with its shimmering chiming guitars was one of the most memorable hits of 1971, a really intelligent interpretation that is about as far away from Dylan's original as you can get. The other hit from later that same year, Banks Of The Ohio, a tale of passion and murder, is a more straightforward folk rendition. Then there's the classic songs that almost every artist from this era seemed to cover: Kristofferson's Me And Bobby McGee and Help Me Make It Through The Night, plus the Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind. Olivia handles these covers very well, not straying too far from the original arrangements whilst still infusing them with enough of her own style. She also does a passable version of If, one of Bread's 1971 hits. This album displays a refreshing variety of styles and shows the emerging talent that would grow into a legend over the following 20 years. She's no Judy Collins, but this collection has aged gracefully and remains a pleasurable listening experience.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High quality debut set Olivia on her way, April 13, 2003

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: If Not for You (Audio CD)

Olivia began her career as a folk-pop singer, as this album demonstrates. There are a couple of Kris Kristofferson standards - Me and Bobby McGee and Help me make it through the night - but artists in several genres of music recorded these songs.

This album yielded two major UK hits - If not for you (a Bob Dylan song) and Banks of the Ohio (a traditional folk song). To this day, these are among the best hits she ever had. The rest of this album contains other great covers, including If (Bread), If you could read my mind (Gordon Lightfoot) and No regrets (a song that eventually became a UK top ten hit for the Walker brothers).

All the tracks here can also be found on the British compilation, 48 original tracks, but this CD has been re-mastered, so you may want this for the improved sound quality.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh And Crisp!, August 6, 2002

By 

Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: If Not for You (Audio CD)

This was Olivia Newton-John's first album, released by Festival Records in Australia (the same label that carried the early Bee Gees). It includes her international hit, "If Not For You" and is made up of cover songs, most notably, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Kris Kristofferson and Gordon Lightfoot.

It is a sparse production, leaving most of the work to competant, if unremarkable studio musicians. However, it is a fresh voice, still untarnished and unbroken. Olivia's vocals here are wonderful and it's easy to see how this debut propelled her so easily into international mainstream pop music.