FAMILY
''MUSIC IN A DOLL'S HOUSE (BONUS TRACKS)''
1968
2012
43:41
1/The Chase
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:14
2/Mellowing Grey
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:48
3/Never Like This
Dave Mason/2:17
4/Me My Friend
Roger Chapman / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:01
5/Variation on a Theme of Hey Mr. Policeman
Roger Chapman / Rick Grech / John "Charlie" Whitney/0:23
6/Winter
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:25
7/Old Songs for New Songs
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/4:17
8/Variation on a Theme of the Breeze
Roger Chapman / Rick Grech / John "Charlie" Whitney/0:40
9/Hey Mr. Policeman
Roger Chapman / Rick Grech / John "Charlie" Whitney/3:13
10/See Through Windows
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/3:43
11/Variation on a Theme of Me My Friend
Roger Chapman / Rick Grech / John "Charlie" Whitney/0:22
12/Peace of Mind
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:21
13/Voyage
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/3:35
14/The Breeze
Roger Chapman / Family / John Whitney/2:50
15/3 X Time
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/3:48
16/Scene Through The Eye Of A Lens/2:47
17/Gypsy Woman/3:23
Roger Chapman/Harmonica, Sax (Tenor), Vocals
Rick Grech/Cello, Guitar (Bass), Violin, Vocals
Tubby Hayes/Horn
Jim King/Harmonica, Keyboards, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Vocals
Dave Mason/Keyboards, Producer
Rob Townsend/Drums, Percussion
John "Charlie" Whitney/Guitar, Guitar (Steel), Keyboards
REVIEW
by Lindsay Planer
The non-LP single "Scene Through the Eye of a Lens" b/w "Gypsy Woman" not withstanding, Music in a Doll's House (1968) is the debut full-length release from the earliest incarnation of Family, featuring Roger Chapman (harmonica/tenor sax/vocals), Rick Grech (violin/ cello/bass guitar/vocals), Rob Townsend (percussion/drums), John "Charlie" Whitney (guitar/pedal steel guitar/keyboards), and Jim King (harmonica/keyboards/soprano sax/tenor sax/vocals). Their highly original sound has often been compared to Traffic, which may be in part due to the production skills of Jimmy Miller and Dave Mason, the latter also contributing the organic and rootsy rocker "Never Like This." Additionally, neither band was overtly psychedelic or progressive, contrasting them from the other burgeoning combos such as Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, and Caravan. Family's deceptively involved arrangements are coupled with an equally unique blend of Chapman's commanding vocals driving through the jazz and folk-rooted tunes. "The Chase" is a spirited opener that immediately establishes their unmistakable vibe, which is furthered on the sides "Old Songs for New Songs" and the aggressive rocker "Peace of Mind." The antithesis can be heard on the rural-flavored "Mellowing Grey" and "Winter," or perhaps the almost blatantly trippy "See Through Windows." In 1996, See for Miles issued Music in a Doll's House along with Family Entertainment (1969) on a double-disc anthology, including the previously mentioned pre-LP 7" "Scene Through the Eye of a Lens" b/w "Gypsy Woman," both of which have been released on compact disc for the first time here. The package additionally boasts a 40-page booklet and hardback CD jacket, while the audio has been digitally remastered utilizing Super Bit Mapping.
BIOGRAPHY
by John Dougan
A blues-based band with art rock inclinations, Family were one of the more interesting groups of hippie-era Britain. Fronted by the deft and frequently excellent guitar playing of John "Charlie" Whitney and the raspy, whiskey-and-cigarette voice of Roger Chapman, Family were much loved in England and Europe but barely achieved cult status in America. While bands like Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, and the Keith Emerson-led Nice (and later Emerson, Lake & Palmer) sold lots of records, Family, who frequently toured with these bands, were left in the shadows, an odd band loved by a small but rabid group of fans.
Although the band's first official release was Music in a Doll's House in 1968, the roots of the band went back as far as the early '60s, when Whitney started a rhythm & blues/soul band called the Farinas while at college. In 1966, Whitney met Roger Chapman, a prematurely balding singer who had a voice so powerful that, to quote Robert Christgau, "It could kill small game at a hundred yards," and the two began a creative partnership that would last through two bands and into the early '80s. With Whitney and Chapman leading the way, Family became whole with the addition of bassist Ric Grech, saxophonist Jim King, and drummer Rob Townsend. Within a year they were hyped as the next big thing, and under that pressure and intense British pop press scrutiny delivered their debut record in 1968, Music in a Doll's House. Doll's House is pop music redolent of the Zeitgeist: Chapman's voice is rooted in the blues and R&B, but the record is loaded with strings, Mellotrons, acoustic guitars, and horns -- essentially all the trappings of post-psychedelia and early art rock. Almost completely ignored in the States, Doll's House was a hit in Britain and Family began a string of "less art rock/more hard rock" albums that ended, as did the band, with the release of It's Only a Movie in 1973.
After Family's demise, Whitney and Chapman formed the blues-rock Streetwalkers; other Family members (of which there were quite a few in the band's tempestuous eight years) such as John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia) and Jim Cregan (Rod Stewart) went off to find fame and fortune elsewhere. Trivia buffs note: it was Ric Grech who was the first to leave Family in 1969 to become the least well-known member of supergroup Blind Faith. Sadly, that proved to be Grech's biggest mistake, as Blind Faith imploded in a year, and Grech (whose last notable band membership was in Traffic), long plagued by drinking problems, died of liver failure in 1990. Charlie Whitney went on to play in an extremely low-key country/blues/bluegrass band called Los Rackateeros, and Roger Chapman moved to Germany, where his solo career flourished. A fine, occasionally great band, Family deserved more recognition (at least in America) than they received -- something that a thoughtfully compiled career-spanning CD retrospective might rectify.
''MUSIC IN A DOLL'S HOUSE (BONUS TRACKS)''
1968
2012
43:41
1/The Chase
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:14
2/Mellowing Grey
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:48
3/Never Like This
Dave Mason/2:17
4/Me My Friend
Roger Chapman / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:01
5/Variation on a Theme of Hey Mr. Policeman
Roger Chapman / Rick Grech / John "Charlie" Whitney/0:23
6/Winter
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:25
7/Old Songs for New Songs
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/4:17
8/Variation on a Theme of the Breeze
Roger Chapman / Rick Grech / John "Charlie" Whitney/0:40
9/Hey Mr. Policeman
Roger Chapman / Rick Grech / John "Charlie" Whitney/3:13
10/See Through Windows
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/3:43
11/Variation on a Theme of Me My Friend
Roger Chapman / Rick Grech / John "Charlie" Whitney/0:22
12/Peace of Mind
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/2:21
13/Voyage
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/3:35
14/The Breeze
Roger Chapman / Family / John Whitney/2:50
15/3 X Time
Roger Chapman / Family / John "Charlie" Whitney/3:48
16/Scene Through The Eye Of A Lens/2:47
17/Gypsy Woman/3:23
Roger Chapman/Harmonica, Sax (Tenor), Vocals
Rick Grech/Cello, Guitar (Bass), Violin, Vocals
Tubby Hayes/Horn
Jim King/Harmonica, Keyboards, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Vocals
Dave Mason/Keyboards, Producer
Rob Townsend/Drums, Percussion
John "Charlie" Whitney/Guitar, Guitar (Steel), Keyboards
REVIEW
by Lindsay Planer
The non-LP single "Scene Through the Eye of a Lens" b/w "Gypsy Woman" not withstanding, Music in a Doll's House (1968) is the debut full-length release from the earliest incarnation of Family, featuring Roger Chapman (harmonica/tenor sax/vocals), Rick Grech (violin/ cello/bass guitar/vocals), Rob Townsend (percussion/drums), John "Charlie" Whitney (guitar/pedal steel guitar/keyboards), and Jim King (harmonica/keyboards/soprano sax/tenor sax/vocals). Their highly original sound has often been compared to Traffic, which may be in part due to the production skills of Jimmy Miller and Dave Mason, the latter also contributing the organic and rootsy rocker "Never Like This." Additionally, neither band was overtly psychedelic or progressive, contrasting them from the other burgeoning combos such as Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, and Caravan. Family's deceptively involved arrangements are coupled with an equally unique blend of Chapman's commanding vocals driving through the jazz and folk-rooted tunes. "The Chase" is a spirited opener that immediately establishes their unmistakable vibe, which is furthered on the sides "Old Songs for New Songs" and the aggressive rocker "Peace of Mind." The antithesis can be heard on the rural-flavored "Mellowing Grey" and "Winter," or perhaps the almost blatantly trippy "See Through Windows." In 1996, See for Miles issued Music in a Doll's House along with Family Entertainment (1969) on a double-disc anthology, including the previously mentioned pre-LP 7" "Scene Through the Eye of a Lens" b/w "Gypsy Woman," both of which have been released on compact disc for the first time here. The package additionally boasts a 40-page booklet and hardback CD jacket, while the audio has been digitally remastered utilizing Super Bit Mapping.
BIOGRAPHY
by John Dougan
A blues-based band with art rock inclinations, Family were one of the more interesting groups of hippie-era Britain. Fronted by the deft and frequently excellent guitar playing of John "Charlie" Whitney and the raspy, whiskey-and-cigarette voice of Roger Chapman, Family were much loved in England and Europe but barely achieved cult status in America. While bands like Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, and the Keith Emerson-led Nice (and later Emerson, Lake & Palmer) sold lots of records, Family, who frequently toured with these bands, were left in the shadows, an odd band loved by a small but rabid group of fans.
Although the band's first official release was Music in a Doll's House in 1968, the roots of the band went back as far as the early '60s, when Whitney started a rhythm & blues/soul band called the Farinas while at college. In 1966, Whitney met Roger Chapman, a prematurely balding singer who had a voice so powerful that, to quote Robert Christgau, "It could kill small game at a hundred yards," and the two began a creative partnership that would last through two bands and into the early '80s. With Whitney and Chapman leading the way, Family became whole with the addition of bassist Ric Grech, saxophonist Jim King, and drummer Rob Townsend. Within a year they were hyped as the next big thing, and under that pressure and intense British pop press scrutiny delivered their debut record in 1968, Music in a Doll's House. Doll's House is pop music redolent of the Zeitgeist: Chapman's voice is rooted in the blues and R&B, but the record is loaded with strings, Mellotrons, acoustic guitars, and horns -- essentially all the trappings of post-psychedelia and early art rock. Almost completely ignored in the States, Doll's House was a hit in Britain and Family began a string of "less art rock/more hard rock" albums that ended, as did the band, with the release of It's Only a Movie in 1973.
After Family's demise, Whitney and Chapman formed the blues-rock Streetwalkers; other Family members (of which there were quite a few in the band's tempestuous eight years) such as John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia) and Jim Cregan (Rod Stewart) went off to find fame and fortune elsewhere. Trivia buffs note: it was Ric Grech who was the first to leave Family in 1969 to become the least well-known member of supergroup Blind Faith. Sadly, that proved to be Grech's biggest mistake, as Blind Faith imploded in a year, and Grech (whose last notable band membership was in Traffic), long plagued by drinking problems, died of liver failure in 1990. Charlie Whitney went on to play in an extremely low-key country/blues/bluegrass band called Los Rackateeros, and Roger Chapman moved to Germany, where his solo career flourished. A fine, occasionally great band, Family deserved more recognition (at least in America) than they received -- something that a thoughtfully compiled career-spanning CD retrospective might rectify.
