LOOK OF LONDON
John Gilbert, 27 year-old producer at present working on The Adventures for Paramount, held a full-scale party at Sybilla's recently for The Family. The idea was to introduce the group to London's in-people, and DJs, producers and directors from the BBC.
Sybilla's is only designed for 140 people, hut nearly 200 turned up to see the performance of The Family. The guests overspilled on to the floor, although Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison, who came with their wives Cynthia and Patti, did have a table. Brian Jones and Leslie Caron were also there. So was Sir William Pigor-Brown and John's father, Lewis Gilbert, who directed Alfie and You Only Live Twice. There were no waiters for this special party. Instead six girls including Suzy Ornstein and Ingrid Boulting, served champagne. I asked John Gilbert how he thought The Family would do. "Everybody was very impressed",
Sounds of '68
Family...after hard work, all set to go.
They work in the studio from dawn until the new dawn. Experimenting with sounds for the sound which will shatter '68
That's why little has has yet been heard of The Family. Their first disc, "Scene Through the Eyes of a Lens", came close to the charts.
They made one brief appearance at their launching a month ago.
John Lennon, who was there, said: 'They've got a fantastic blend in sound. The best I've heard for a long time."
Now The Family-five lads from Leicester-lead singer Roger Chapman, 24; drummer Rob Townsend, 19; violinist Rick Grech, 21; saxophonist Jim King, 21; and lead guitarist John Whitney. 22 - are ready to make their mark in public.
Soon you will be able to judge for yourself. Their first long player "Family Album: Volume One" is due out on the Liberty label.
Original press release:
THE LIBERTY BELL
LIBERTY'S SECOND BRITISH PRODUCED SINGLE
'SCENE THROUGH THE EYE OF A LENS'
'Gypsy Woman'
THE FAMILY
LBF 15031
Release Date - 13th October
'SCENE THROUGH THE EYE OF A LENS' is a most original opus, which introduces five Leicester boys, known as THE FAMILY, destined, we are convinced, to make a big impact on the record scene.
This group is under the artistic direction of John Gilbert, who, together with his father, Lewis Gilbert, produced the famous 'Alfie' film. The record was produced by Jimmy Miller, creator of hits with The Traffic and Spencer Davis.
'SCENE THROUGH THE EYE OF A LENS' is a brilliantly original piece of writing by the five members of THE FAMILY. It will bring listeners to the edge of their seats with its hypnotic power and dynamic sound effects. Building gradually, it explodes dead centre like gelignite! One has the sensations of fantasy, drama and eerie fascination which one experiences when one is looking at some strange perspective thrugh a lens.
WATCH THIS ONE CAREFULLY PLEASE!
ARTS GUARDIAN
Roger Chapman with Jim King on saxophones and John Whitney on double-headed guitar
Brass Soul from the Family
BY GEOFFREY CANNON
Family is the most original and ambitious of the British bands that have not fully emerged from the club circuit. I first heard them a year ago, at the old Middle Earth club in Covent Garden (now closed down). And the experience still tugs at my mind. The club had previously been a fruit warehouse: a vast, damp, bleak basement. On this occasion the previous band had been tedious and the atmosphere was desultory and glum.
Then Family began, hard, raw, and extraordinary. Roger Chapman, the lead singer, looks as if he's just finished 10 years in a cave. Thin, unshaven and tense, he screamed out thought-dreams which gripped me through his tone of voice: a forced and violent vibrato of great power and range. He began to hypnotise himself; losing all contact with the audience, his hands flickering round his head, or clapping in a strange style, as if his story was so large and weird that he knew he'd never get it out. But he looked ready to kill himself trying.
Chapman describes Family's sound to me as "brass soul," which isn't bad. They're incomparible, anyway. Each member of the band is successfully obsessed with playing strange sounds. Jim King hunched himself up front, beside Chapman, playing soprano and tenor saxes simultaneously; and, at the back, Ric Grech played violin, and John Whitney double-headed guitar with a classical disdain reminiscent of Robby Krieger. All the players, and Rob Townsend, the drummer, heard each other with an accurate and long experience. The band has been together nearly three years now. They respect each other's vastly different musical tastes, and enjoy being together.
But that night at Covent Garden, however solidly the band played, Chapman could surmount them, playing his throat as hard as a cathedral organ with three constrating stops pressed down at once.
Can this sound be got on record? Not so far. Family has released two albums: Music In A Doll's House and Family Entertainment (Warner/Reprise RSLP 6312 and 6340). Both are available in Britain and America, and soon in Europe. Both are exciting and talented records, but, in both, Family are muted.
"Music In A Doll's House" is over-produced by Dave Mason, who sounds more interested in himself than in the band. Particularly on the first side, his lush and romantic notions, and some stupid sound effects, overlay Family's power.
John Gilbert, the manager, who also had his say in the production of the album, tells me that this side was deliberately designed to create a cool version of Family. This was wrong. The band should assert themselves more. On the second side, Chapman's voice and King's harmonica are great on "Me My Friends." On "Voyage," which sounds like thoughts had in the second before a car crash, Townsend's drumming is stunning.
"Family Entertainment" has other faults. There's too much emphasis on the lyrics, which, separated out, are variable to pretentious. And the band seems gloomily determined to show how versatile they are, as if taking an examination
It's also annoying to hear echoes of Steve Miller and the Beatles, because Family have no need to be eclectic.
However, "Hung Up Down," because it is uncluttered, because each instrument works to reinforce the line of the music: and, most of all, because Chapman uses Jagger's style of violently emphasising key words and phrases ("the grossest spew of World War Two...") so that they spring out and seize you, is only comparible with "Sympathy For The Devil." I can't praise higher than that.
I have dwelt on Family's false turnings, because they are not a beginning band. They have the potential to set 1969 alight. And so they may. They start an American tour on March 28 at Fillmore East, New York, and end it eight weeks later at Fillmore West, San Francisco. A live album will be made at the Fillmores, using eight-track equipment.
Music In A Doll's House Notes:
Back Photo published in THE GOLDEN AGE OF TOYS
Retrospectively, 1967 has been identified as THE year in which Rock & Roll finally came of age: when Pop and Rock noticeably separated; when the album market first really began to matter; when hit singles ceased to be the point of reference which reflected either an artist's ability or popularity; when live gigs moved out of the old one-nighters/cinemas circuit and into the clubs, colleges, festivals, and stadiums which are now accepted as the norm; when musical virtuosity (or at the very least, proficiency on one's chosen musical instrument - not previously thought to be important) became the accepted norm; in fact, when all the old barriers were transcended and a musical free-for-all developed - out of which all the different avenues which Rock Music would explore in the later sixties and seventies, finally evolved. The Underground/Progressive scene, one such tangent, unleashed a hitherto unthinkable collision of musical diversification: this was a period of phenomenal growth, experimentation - and also an awful lot of unmemorable and frankly aurally offensive garbage. Although it was a musical era which had started both promisingly and optimistically, it rapidly degenerated into an orgy of pretentiousness and self-indulgence - and eventually, both 'underground' and progressive' became dirty words. Nevertheless, from this cacophony of improvisation a number of notable groups and musicians eventually emerged, many of whom would make substantial contributions to Rock during the seventies - and one of the very finest groups of this genre were FAMILY - yet they have somehow remained amongst the most underrated and unfeted groups: something which hopefully this reissue will help to rectify.
Although they first started to create something of a stir in 1967 (which we'll get to in due course) Family's roots can be traced all the way back to THE FARINAS, a group formed at Leicester Art College circa 1962 by JOHN "CHARLIE" WHITNEY. Their initial lineup comprised Whitney on guitar and vocals; JIM KING (sax & vocals); TIM KIRCHIN (bass); and HARRY OVERNALL (drums). Intensive local gigging helped to build up something of a regional reputation, built upon a repertoire not entirely dissimilar to that of countless dozens of other aspirant Beat Groups of the early sixties - i.e. based heavily on the Chuck Berry/Leiber & Stoller/R&B cover versions songbook. During this first phase of the Beat Boom they began to attract attention from record companies - to which end they cut a single for Fontana in August '64. "You'd Better Stop"/"I Like It Like That" - which unfortunately sank without a trace, and led to Fontana declining to take up their option to enlist The Farinas' services for further releases.
In 1965 RIC GRECH replaced Kirchin on bass. Raised in Leicester, Grech had played violin in the City's Youth Symphony Orchestra, and added an entirely new dimension to the group's sound. The following year, vocalist ROGER CHAPMAN was added, completing a five-piece unit. Chapman, another Leicester lad, had been with a succession of small-time local groups since his mid-teens, including the Rockin' R's; the X-citers, and Danny Storm & the Strollers - and, so legend tells us, had once beaten Gerry Dorsey (later to become rather better known as Englebert Humperdinck) in a local talent competition. Before Chapman's intervention the Farinas' repertoire had mutated into a rather more bluesy, soul-oriented set - but his inclusion entirely redefined their musical direction, and they began to take in a whole host of US West Coast sounds alongside their traditional material.
Perhaps sensing the impending radical changes which were about to stand Pop/Rock music on its head, they began working more and more on original material around this time, experimenting with acoustic numbers, and also with more ambitious stuff, built around Jim King's skills on saxes and harmonica and Grech's unusual violin playing. As a result, their sound altered immeasurably - and as their abilities and confidence increased, so did their horizons: and they were soon regulars on the motorways circuit, slogging the length and breadth of the UK in the back of a dodgy old van.
By the end of 1966 they were just about ready to move up a notch - and aid turned up from an unexpected quarter. They'd adopted a new identity - THE ROARING SIXTIES - to tie in with their new sound: however, another, unrelated group apparently had prior rights to the name. Enter legendary US hitmaker/songwriter/producer/all-round weirdo KIM FOWLEY, then based in England working on a freelance basis, who'd already assisted a number of new wave UK bands (notably Soft Machine) and who was looking for fresh talent to nurture. He caught up with the lads live and was mightily impressed - particularly with Chapman's unusual vibrating voice and extraordinary fascinating melodic material which Chapman and Whitney were writing. Fowley came up with the new name for the band - they'd developed a penchant for dressing in baggy, double-breasted gangster suits. Fowley opined that they looked like the Mafia - and christened them THE FAMILY. He produced a number of demo's with them (none of which, unfortunately, ever saw the light of day) which seems to have provided an enormous amount of encouragement at a crucial point in their development, and was the catalyst which led to their appearance on the burgeoning Underground/Psychedelic scene.
They arrived in London in January '67 (initially, commuting from Leicester), immediately establishing themselves as favourites at The Roundhouse and the UFO. They had totally dropped the old R&B material by now, concentrating entirely on their own, original set, and were continuing to write new numbers prolifically - and firmly establishing what would shortly grow into a fanatical grass-roots fan following. They had, of course, jettisoned the double-breasted whistles when they'd changed musical direction - and were now kitted out in the regulation uniform of grandad-styled vests, tatty old jeans, and sneakers; in short, they looked exactly like the vast army of students and lowlifes who made up the vast proportion of their audience. Family's relationship with their followers would always remain something quite special - they appeared to be on first-name terms with the first half-dozen rows at just about any gig - almost as though they'd brought their own supporters, like an away football team.
Having established a firm foothold in London, they set about looking for a record deal - but, in the main, the UK Record Companies had not yet woken up to the musical revolution which was taking place, and were slow to sign up new groups. The indies were, in those days, fairly thin on the ground - therefore they needed an outside benefactor to finance further recordings. The final piece in the jigsaw eventually turned up in the form of entrepreneur John Gilbert, who signed the band to a production deal and immediately set about the question of securing a suitable record deal. The initial result of this liaison was to be their marvellous debut single 'SCENE THROUGH THE EYE OF A LENS"/'GYPSY WOMAN' which was leased to the Liberty Label and appeared in September 1967. Produced by Jimmy Miller, it was something of a minor masterpiece, a quiet, haunting piece which built steadily and was punctuated by several instrumental breaks contributed by 'Traffic' and some startling vocalising from Chapman, prefacing the shape of things to come. The fact that the single has never ever been reissued has lent it a now-legendary status - which it richly deserves.
At around this time they implemented the first of what would be several personnel changes - drummer Overnall being replaced by ROB TOWNSEND, yet another Leicester lad who'd previously played with numerous long-forgotten local groups, thus effectively completing the nucleus with Chapman and Whitney which would sustain Family through numerous other personnel changes during the forthcoming six or seven years.
Due to a severe lack of airplay (it was just too esoteric) the single was not the hoped-for hit nevertheless it sold well among their grass-roots followers and aroused a considerable buzz within the music industry.
They began recording tracks for their debut album, production responsibilities generally being handled by Dave Mason, with Jimmy Miller making a valuable contribution whenever his busy schedule permitted (he was concurrently working with The Stones, also at Olympic) - overseen by Gilbert. Presumably, the Dave Mason solo single "Little Women" which appeared on Island in 1968 on which he was backed by Family also emanated from these sessions. By all accounts, the album was in the can and the sleeve at artwork stage long before a record deal was actually finalised, Gilbert eventually signing the band direct to Reprise in the US on a long-term multi-album deal, in the teeth of fairly fierce competition.
The early half of '68 saw Family further establishing themselves as a major live draw - coinciding with the emergence of open-air gigs/festivals where their anarchic set guaranteed them a standing ovation - and also via a series of startlingly impressive sets on John Peel's highly influential "Top Gear" on BBC's Radio 1, where they previewed some of the material which would appear on their debut album.
They were totally unlike any other band on the circuit. Fronted by the demonic, manic Chapman a man blessed with one of the most remarkable voices in the history of Rock'n'Roll - they had just about everything going for them: for starters, they were visually arresting: just about the most exciting live band around town; and musically, they were absolutely magnificent - in a class all of their own. And what set them so far apart from (and considerably in front of) their contemporaries was their instrumentation. They had a sound which was not only unique, but readily and unmistakably identifiable; with Ric Grech doubling on bass and electric violin they possessed phenomenal range and width, and at times achieved an almost medieval sound - and they were almost certainly the very first rock band in the UK to feature the violin as a permanent and prominent feature of their live performance; the peerless Jim King on tenor, soprano, alto sax and harmonica, added a rich, luxuriant resonance to their sound - he also weighed in with some extraordinary falsetto back-up vocals; the eternally underrated Charlie Whitney on double necked guitar was at least as powerful an axeman as any of the more prominent heavy brigade (and considerably more subtle); Rob Townsend was a fluent, flexible, frantic drummer, and at home in most musical formats able to switch from the acoustic material, through the harder rock, to the looser, jazzy numbers effortlessly; AND of course, they had the ace in the pack the irrepressible Chappo - who virtually defies written appraisal. Although he had yet to perfect the totally OTT mikestand destroying/idiot dancing/mass murderer stage persona for which he later became infamous (which was, it must be stressed, entirely at odds with the real Roger Chapman), he was even in those early days, a bit special. Chapman claimed that his earliest influences had ranged from Gene Vincent, through The Coasters, to Ray Charles - yet he'd emerged with a style and sound which was entirely unique. He'd seem to go into a trance, eyes rolling, head jerking, veins standing out on his neck like he had worms crawling about under his skin; his arms making sudden, disoriented, uncoordinated movements; twitching wildly, fingers pointing randomly at imaginary, distant horizons, And his strangulated, vibrating contralto effectively became yet another musical instrument as he bleated out the lyrics, battling it out for aural prominence with the rest of the band, Those privileged to see their live performance during this period saw them at their most imaginative, innovative, and very probably at their very peak as a live band - they were the business, mate - and no mistake!
"MUSIC IN A DOLL'S HOUSE", the debut album, was eventually released in mid-July 1968, preceded a couple of weeks earlier by the single taken from it, "ME MY FRIEND"/"HEY MR POLICEMAN", They undertook a series of prestige gigs to coincide with the album, appearing at the Woburn Festival (going on immediately before Hendrix and successfully pacifying a previously impatient crowd), supporting US singer/songwriter Tim Hardin at London's Royal Albert Hall (a memorable gig, that one), and playing to 10,000 punters at Hyde Park's first major free gig, alongside Ten Years After, Fleetwood Mac, and Fairport Convention, A prestige mini-tour with old mentors Traffic was aborted due to illness of Steve Winwood - however Ten Years After and Jethro Tull proved to be more than adequate replacements and all three bands benefited from the resultant exposure,
But, back to "Doll's House", This was by any stretch of the imagination, an audaciously ambitious album - and remains among the all-time magnificent debuts, Futhermore, whilst the bulk of records which came out during this era haven't aged too gracefully, this one STILL makes you sit up and listen - try playing it to somebody who's never heard Family before: their response will be interesting,
The material is, with one exception, all self-penned, predominantly from the Whitney-Chapman team, The exception, Dave Mason's "NEVER LIKE THIS" is entirely in empathy with the rest of the material however, and apart from its sometimes overtly surreal lyrics, sounds as though it belongs to the same suite of songs - which indeed, it does, The album presents a startling assault on virtually every front: the quality of the actual material - there's literally not a Single duff track in sight, these numbers comprising the bulk of what was their live set at this stage, including the marvellous "THE CHASE" (as good an opening cut on an album as you'll hope to hear anywhere) and the powerful "PEACE OF MIND", a great live favourite and the number with which they closed their set; the way in which the tracks inter-relate and fade into one another - and the "Variations on a Theme ... " which link several of the tracks together; the superb arrangements - Mike Batt, believe it or not, got his first big break here, arranging "MELLOWING GREY" among others; the haunting violin and rich brass; Chapman's fascinating, wavering vocals - aided and abetted in places by Jim King, noticeably on "THE VOYAGE'" the softer gentle numbers such as "THE BREEZE", "MELLOWING GREY", and "SEE THROUGH WINDOWS'" and the dreadful racket with which they close the album - a ludicrous, out-of-tune, and uncredited burst of "God Save The Queen".
"Doll's House" cost a fair old budget to make back then - and had remarkably all been achieved on 4-track. The late Tubby Hayes with his brass section appeared on "Old Songs New Songs", a contribution they repeated at the Tim Hardin! Albert Hall gig, coming on stage all decked out in white tuxedos for just the one number!
Despite the obvious quality of the album, it was centuries ahead of its time - and as such, its commercial appeal was limited. Nevertheless, it was a strong and steady seller and even managed to make a dent in the national Album Charts, making No.35 on Record Retailer's Top 40, and even entering Melody Maker's Top 20.
A more than encouraging start.
Roger Dopson
(C) 1968 A Dukeslodge Enterprises Production Ltd.
Family Entertainment Notes:
Special thanks to Nicky Hopkins and friends of FAMILY.
By the Autumn of 1968, FAMILY were perched on the precipice of a significant breakthrough. Their debut album "MUSIC IN A DOLL'S HOUSE" had not only been a major critical triumph, it had also charted - and furthermore, they were now firmly established as an enormous live draw in the UK. They were keen, therefore, not only to consolidate their new status, but to build upon it. Moreover, they were churning out new material with a vengeance - and the quality of these new numbers was such that long before their fanatical fans had tired of their first album, several of the 'old' favourites had been ditched from their live set in order to accommodate them. In fact, throughout their career Family were to show scant respect for their own musical past, avoiding staleness by continually discarding older material in favour of newer numbers, always trying to progress and move forward, and maintain the phenomenally high standards they had imposed upon their live performance.
They certainly took their followers by surprise with their third single - "SECOND GENERATION WOMAN", a hard rocker written by Ric Grech, seemed something of a surprising choice as a single - yet it nearly did the trick for them. Released in November '68, it picked up substantial airplay, sold excellently, and failed to make the charts by only the narrowest of margins. It was entirely unlike anything else in their repertoire at the time, borrowing from a well-travelled Chuck Berry riff, and sounding considerably more like Ten Years After than Family - the flipside, "HOMETOWN" was the antithesis of its A-side, being a gentle, beautiful ballad, which was somehow (and rather surprisingly) omitted from their eagerly awaited second album "FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT".
Produced jointly by John Gilbert and Glyn Johns it showed a marked change of style, being noticeably less contrived and considerably more directly and easily accessible, and certainly less 'experimental' than its predecessor: a mainstream Progressive Rock album, no less. Their devotees were already familiar with much of the material here, and had been awaiting the recorded versions of Family 'anthems' such as the lengthy, sprawling "THE WEAVER'S ANSWER" (which had taken over from "Peace Of Mind" as the anchor-piece of their live set); "OBSERVATIONS FROM A HILL"; "HUNG UP DOWN"; and "HOW-HI-THE-LI" with ill-concealed patience. They weren't disappointed and, alongside these familiar numbers were several magnificent gentle, reflective new songs, such as "PROCESSIONS"; "DIM"; and "FACE IN THE CLOUD" plus, of course, their near-hit "Second Generation Woman".
The album was ecstatically reviewed and received and was an instant success, reaching No. 6 on the UK album charts. Their first album had been so good, that it had seemed hardly likely they would be able to get even close to achieving the same standards with a follow-up - yet not only had they done it, they'd actually improved on it.
However, no sooner had the album been released than disasters smote them. With the album safely entrenched in the UK Top 20 they embarked on their first US tour, supporting Ten Years After. However, the tour was doomed from the outset for starters, on the very eve of their first warm-up gig, Ric Grech announced that he would be leaving the band in order to join Blind Faith. Now, Grech's violin was such an integral feature of their sound early on (as a quick spin of either of their first two albums would verify) that his defection had seemed a major setback. Other tour hassles had included work permit and passport difficulties - and they were well wound up by the time the Big Night finally came around at the Fillmore East. The gig itself was an unmitigated disaster. The crowd were openly hostile and impatient for Alvin Lee & Co - and Chapman wasn't getting too much out of them. A spot of heckling broke out and Chappo entered upon an exchange of verbal nasties - which was abruptly terminated when he hurled his mikestand to one side in disgust at the reception they were getting. Unfortunately, promoter Bill Graham was in the flightpath of said mikestand - he assumed that the throw had been deliberate (it wasn't), Graham was furious, and pulled them off the next show. Although the misunderstanding was later rectified, and they were reinstated, the bad vibes had been set - and frankly, Family never were to do very big business in the US.
Meanwhile, regarding Grech U.S. co-manager for the tour, Peter Grant remembered that JOHN "WILLI" WEIDER was a dab hand with the old violin - and was furthermore on the loose, having left Eric Burdon's New Animals some six months earlier. He was drafted in midtour but too late for any warm ups.
Weider, a seasoned campaigner, proved to be a more than adequate replacement for Grech. He had an impressive pedigree; as a sixteen-year-old he'd joined Johnny Kidd & The Pirates (replacing the legendary Mick Green); and had also been in the Tony Meehan Combo (alongside John Paul Jones and Joe Morretti); The Moments (with Steve Marriott); Winston's Fumbs; and Eric Burdon's "New" Animals. He'd been playing in a Californian band, Stonehenge (later known as Crabby Appleton) when he'd had the SOS from Family, and he immediately established himself as an integral part of the set-up.
They played all the principal UK Rock gigs during 1969 - the experimental Pop Proms at the Albert Hall, Plumpton, the Isle Of Wight, and they were of course included on the bill at the memorable Rolling Stones Hyde Park bash in July '69. Furthermore, they still found time to tape the occasional (excellent) live set for John Peel's "Top Gear" - again, using this platform to preview new material.
Additionally, tying in with the "Family Entertainment" concept, they embarked upon an unusual, ambitious (and not wholly successful) UK tour alongside a motley collection of acrobats, clowns, jugglers, and a drag act (!) which drew a somewhat bemused response from punter and critic alike: the idea being that the first half of the show allowed each member of the band a solo spot, interspersed with the aforementioned variety performers, with the second half consisting of a straightforward, standard Family set. Hardly surprisingly, the second half was generally better-received than the first.
However, internal dissent within the ranks was starting to show and during the Autumn of '69 they implemented two significant, major changes; firstly, having decided that they wanted a less pragmatic style of management, they switched from Gilbert's Dukeslodge set up to Tony Gourvish; secondly, and rather more Visibly, they decided to dispense with the services of Jim King whose role within the band had been steadily diminishing over the past twelve months. His replacement was an interesting choice; multi-instrumentalist JOHN "POLI" PALMER who had in fact been involved on the ill-advised "Family Entertainment" tour a month or so earlier, as the special guest percussionist in drummer Rob Townsend's solo spot.
Palmer's track-record was, like Weider's, highly impressive: formerly a drummer, he was incredibly versatile, being able to handle vibes (his preferred instrument); piano; and flute with equal dexterity. His earlier gigs had included legendary Midlands group Deep Feeling (alongside Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason, and Luther Grosvenor); Blossom Toes, and the highly-rated Eclection.
They had chalked up their first hit single that Autumn, the tantalising, eclectic "NO MULES FOOL"/"GOOD FRIEND OF MINE" which peaked at No. 29 in October '69 (and were, incidentally in the can and ready for release); Palmer arrived just in time to dub sundry vibes, flute, and piano to several tracks.
"A SONG FOR ME", a self-produced effort, was released in January 1970 and was immediately a substantial hit album, going to No. 4 on the UK album charts. Again, the album featured several tracks which had long since become absorbed into their live set, including the powerful opening track "DROWNED IN WINE", "LOVE IS A SLEEPER", a bit of an oldie, "WHEELS", which dated back to Ric Grech's days, and "THE CAT AND THE RAT", a bog-standard 12-bar rocker.
The band entered its most settled - and commercially successful - phase, and in truth, it's this lineup which is probably the most fondly remembered by Family aficionados. As live performers they were virtually unfollowable. They were enormous not only in the UK, but also in Europe - notably Scandinavia and Germany. Chapman was now fully installed as one of the genuine "Wild Men" of rock, and whereas the likes of Hendrix and Townsend either smashed guitars or poked them into the amps, Chapman had perfected the noble art of tambourine trashing, and the destruction of microphone stands. By the end of a set, Chappo had danced and twitched himself close to exhaustion, and just hung there, out on his feet, surrounded with the carnage of five or six badly savaged mikestands and sundry bits and pieces of dead tambourines.
But, of course, his chief claim to immortality, was his pioneering role in the introduction and development of Idiot Dancing, a manic form of crazed twitching which affected paying punters at rock gigs - notably the open-air ones - throughout the summers of 1969 and 1970. Chapman himself played the connection down, suggesting that the genre was purely the invention of noted Melody Maker hack Chris Welch. Whatever the actuality, it was all good clean fun, and plenty of excellent PR - but I'll tell you one thing; if Family had been at Woodstock. poor old Joe Cocker wouldn't have got a look in. Chapman's mechanical scarecrow routine would have seen Joe off any day of the week!
Another single was released in April '70, "TODAY"/"SONGS FOR LOTS" which, sadly, stiffed, despite being one of their most memorable ballads; John Weider's influence in particular being noticeable on the A-side.
Nevertheless, it would only be a matter of a few more months before they scored their long sought-after Top 20 single - yet it came about in a roundabout manner. They had decided to prepare a compilation album - tentatively entitled "Old Songs, New Songs" - bringing together several tracks from their first three albums, plus sundry A and B-sides. However. the intention was to remix and overdub some of the material as they were apparently unhappy with the mixes of certain of their older releases. The record company got hold of early copies of two of the remixed tracks - 'THE WEAVER'S ANSWER" and "HUNG UP DOWN", both favourites from their live set, and released them as a maxi-single with a new studio track "STRANGE BAND" as the A-side, at the band's behest. "Weaver" picked up the airplay, and became a major hit that Summer, reaching No. 11 in the charts, and spending three months in the Top 50.
The next album proved to be an ambitious project, comprising a number of live tracks on Side One (recorded at Croydon's Fairfield Halls, and including a tremendous version of "STRANGE BAND") with new studio recordings making up Side Two. The album, titled "ANYWAY" (after a catchphrase of Chapman's) was released in November 1970, and was another major UK Top Tenner, reaching No. 7.
Originally, it had been conceived as an entirely live album, but presumably, Family must have experienced more than their fair share of difficulties with live recordings, as they never did fulfil the ambition of releasing a fully live album. Certainly they were an entirely different live band to their studio sound - their studio recordings being intrinsically crafted and carefully put together, whereas their live performance was increasingly more anarchic and a lot less structured; particularly Chapman's vocals which, live, were often virtually incomprehensible as he tortured his vocal chords trying to invent new sounds.
Their live appearances during 1970 took in all the usual open air festivals - the Isle of Wight being particularly successful, including the Rotterdam Festival, where their set was recorded and included in the movie "Stomping Ground". Additionally, they toured the US, this time with rather more success, although they were unable to break into the US album charts.
The compilation album "OLD SONGS NEW SONGS" eventually appeared in March '71 and was by way of being the bargain of the year, including 11 tracks, 40 minutes playing time, all the old favourites, and retailing at thirty bob! Astonishingly, it failed to chart, despite the inclusion of "Weaver", "Observations From A Hill", "Drowned In Wine" and a couple of the rarer tracks, "Today" and "Hometown", all freshly remixed and overdubbed.
They suffered a further potentially crippling personnel change in June '71, when Weider decided that he'd tired of playing bass, and left to join Stud. His replacement was JOHN WETTON from Mogul Thrash, a powerful vocalist who also added a second double-necked guitar to their stage lineup, thus making them one of the heaviest looking bands on the circuit. Their new recordings reflected this harder Rock edge, the first result of their liaisons being "IN MY OWN TIME"/"SEASONS" a magnificent single which gave them their first ever UK Top 10 hit (No. 4 in September '71 and in the Top Ten throughout that Summer). The single was rapidly followed by the marvellous "FEARLESS", vocally their strongest album to date, which made No. 10 in the UK in October '71 and even scored chart action in the US tour to promote it.
Family then elected to ignore the medium of singles (and indeed, any recordings) for the best part of a year, releasing the "BANDSTAND" album and the A-side taken from it "BURLESQUE"/"THE ROCKING R'S" simultaneously in September '72. Both charted - the album making No. 15 in the UK, the single peaking at a very creditable No. 13. They toured the US (supporting Elton John) to promote the album, and it just about made their charts, at No. 183. This new album found them in even more heavier Rock territory than its predecessor, and garnered them substantial critical acclaim. However, the seeds of time were running very thin indeed - and they were to be the subject of further transfer market activity, Wetton leaving to join King Crimson, literally as the album had been released, followed two months later by Poli Palmer, who left in order to form a new band with Ric Grech (which was apparently, stillborn). Their replacements were two seasoned musicians, JIM CREGAN on bass and guitar, from Stud (something of a coincidence, you'll agree) - whose previous form had included spells with Julian Covey & The Machine, and Blossom Toes, with Palmer (yet another irony); and TONY ASHTON on keyboards, a veteran of many groups, including the Remo Four and Ashton Gardner & Dyke with whom he'd enjoyed the 1971 Top 3 hit "Resurrection Shuffle".
Naturally enough the sound and style of the band mutated yet again, but this time with less commercially favourable results. Before any new recordings were released, Reprise put out "MY FRIEND THE SUN"/"GLOVE" (the A-side taken off Bandstand) as a single in January '73. It was a highly-rated track - in many ways the outstanding cut on the album. Inexplicably, it failed to chart. The 'new' band hurriedly followed this with an official release. "BOOM BANG"/"STOP THIS CAR" on the new Raft label in April '73. This, too, hit the skids. At around this time a proposed US tour fell through, and the band members thought long and hard about the long-term prospects. They had, frankly, achieved as much as they were ever likely to in Europe; the signs were that they were never likely to crack the US market. Both new members were actively involved in outside projects which severely restricted their commitment to Family. Consequently, they took the decision to quit whilst they were still well ahead of the game. They cut a farewell album "IT'S ONLY A MOVIE" and a farewell tour. The album charted (No. 30 in September '73) whilst they were mid-tour, prompting rumours that the impending split was nowt but a publicity stunt.
However, the decision had been made, and on Saturday October 13th, 1973, at the Leicester Polytechnic - scene of some of their greatest triumphs - it all came to a magnificent end. They included excerpts of material from all areas of their career - right back to "Dolls' House". It was, by all accounts, a wonderful night - Chapman even fell off the stage during "Burlesque", which sounds as good a way as any to end an era.
Few bands split at exactly the right moment - they tend to hang around an album or two too long and outstay their welcome. Family were careful never to fall into this particular trap - and therefore, all the memories which are left, are good ones. They were among the very finest British bands of their era, and they left behind a priceless legacy of recordings, two of which are "MUSIC IN A DOLL'S HOUSE" and "FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT".
It is a privilege to be associated with their reissue.
Roger Dopson
(C) 1969 A Dukeslodge Enterprises Production Ltd.
If you enjoy this recording and would like our full catalogue send a 2.00 Postal Order or overseas $4.00 cash and also enclose a large self addressed envelope to:
P.O. Box 328
Maidenhead
Berkshire
SL6 2NE
England
Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting this record prohibited.
(P) (C) 1999 See For Miles Records Ltd.
www.seeformiles.co.uk
Remastered Super 20-Bit Mapping/Recording
M.C.P.S.
Country of origin: U.K.
Made in England
Compact Disc Digital Audio
5 014661 0 9
Music In A Doll's House/Family Entertainment (1999) - 
