Art/into/Pop: Thanksgiving is a time for Family!!!

Well it’s Thanksgiving, and holidays are the times for the Family. I am speaking of the music, of course, and so I introduce you, my reader, to one of Swingin’ London’s forgotten about gems.

Family were an English rock band that formed in the mid-60s and played and recorded music until 1973. Their music varied quite extensively; all the following terms have been employed to characterize their sound: progressive rock, folk rock, psychedelia, jazz fusion, etc. Unlike most psyche groups, their instrumentation was not limited to guitars, keys, and drums; there were always a plethora of rotating musicians, and they made use of many unique sounds: strings, flutes, banjos, harps, vibes, etc. Unfortunately, their following never ventured far off the British isle; one of their American tours, for instance, was a complete

disaster. They were banned from Fillmore East after lead singer, Roger Chapman, allegedly tossed a mic stand at Bill Graham’s head during a chaotic concert performance. They were definitely well-known for their crazy concert antics, and some bands or artists were reportedly uneasy about sharing the bill with them. The band’s energy was not limited to the live arena; in their short career that did not even span a decade, they recorded 7 studio albums, almost all on the label Reprise. There were several live and best of compilations as well, making their discography pretty vast. I have not heard the entirety of their releases; some of their albums are pretty hard to find. (In fact, if anyone has their last release, It’s Only a Movie, released 1973 on United Artists, let me know...) A good place to start, however, is the beginning with their debut album, Music in a Doll’s House (1968 Reprise Records). Here’s a couple tracks from the earlier release (the 1st is called “Winter” and the latter “Peace of Mind”):

It’s good folky psychedelia; I love it, but one can sense that the band had yet to carve out clearly their distinct, stylistic mark in the world of popular 60s psychedelia. In fact, that doesn’t seem to happen until their 3rd full length, A Song for Me (1970 Reprise), their most commercially successful effort, which was recently re-released in 2007. It is this album that really begins to showcase their multi-instrumental compositions, and their sound begins to channel a wild, progressive form of psychedelic folk rock. Here’s one of the “bonus” tracks of the re-release; the song is called “No Mules Fool”:

I feel like one could easily fool a listener into thinking they’re hearing an obscure Cat Stevens track when playing that song. At least, I thought Cat Stevens when I first heard it. Family, as stated before, varied stylistically, so it’s not all Cat Stevens-esque. One of the most talked about elements of their sound was Roger Chapman’s unique vocals; sometimes critics described it as a violent, yet soulful, vibrato sound, and some reviewers even complained that his style risked being annoying. For example, listen to the opening song of the album, “Drowned in Wine”:

His vocals seem to imitate the sounds of a saxophone; it’s not for everybody, some are definitely put off by it. Songs like this one make me think, “Oh Wow, Jethro Tull could have been a lot cooler...” In fact, Jethro Tull has cited Family as an important influence. Here’s my favorite track from the album, “Song for Sinking Lovers”:

That’s some good psychedelic folk rock. The Family weren’t always pickin’ the acoustic, however. They could rock heavy in a way that would make Page and Plant proud. Check out the title track, “A Song for Me”: