Family

Family - BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert‎ - 1991 - Windsong

Family were a hugely important rock group in British rock history. The band's sound has been described as progressive rock, psychedelic rock, acid rock, folk rock, jazz fusion and hard rock. Regardless of categorisations, Family had a very distinct sound, and often complex musical style. Nowadays, they are very much neglected. This is the great progressive rock band who released classic rock songs like "No Mule's Fool", "Burlesque", "Weaver's Answer", "My Friend The Sun", "In My Own Time", and many more. Family were famous for their live performances. One reviewer stated that they produced "some of the rawest, most intense performances on stage in rock history" and "that the Jimi Hendrix Experience were afraid to follow them at festivals". The lead vocalist, Roger Chapman remains one of the great icons of British rock music, and has one of the most distinctive voices in rock history, and his album, "One More Time For Peace" is worth hearing." This album, was taken from a late performance at the Paris Theatre in London in 1973 and recorded for live retransmission on BBC Radio. There's a bootleg of this concert in circulation with announcements from the late John Peel and no audience applause. It sounds like this album has applause overdubbed on it. Since this was January '73, Poli Palmer and John Wetton had already quit. The majority of the tracks comes from their "Bandstand" album plus a few tracks from "Fearless" and "Anyway". The 1991 CD includes three bonus tracks from earlier 1970/1971 BBC appearances. "BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert‎" is a good example of Family's unique concert persona, and despite the overdubbed applause, and sometimes ropey sound quality, is HR by A.O.O.F.C. The band rocks hard in their own unconventional style, and give a tremendous performance. Listen to Family's classic "Bandstand" album, and search this blog for more Family/Roger Chapman releases

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Burlesque - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
2. Sat'dy Barfly - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
3. Top Of The Hill - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
4. My Friend The Sun - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
5. Buffet tea for two - Roger Chapman
6. Children - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
7. Glove - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
8. Ready to Go - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
9. Holding The compass - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
10. Rockin'Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu - Huey "Piano" Smith; John Vincent
11. In My Own Time (BBC In concert 1970/71) - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
12. Weaver's Answer (BBC In concert 1970/71) - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman
13. Part Of The Load (BBC In concert 1970/71) - John "Charlie" Whitney; Roger Chapman

BAND

Roger "Chappo" Chapman - Vocals
John "Charlie" Whitney - Guitar
Jim Cregan - Bass
Tony Ashton - Keyboards
Rob Townsend - Drums

BIO

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. © John Dougan © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:g9fwxqy5ld0e~T1

ABOUT ROGER CHAPMAN

Roger Chapman is best known for his barbed-wire voice, used to front British '70s rock acts Family and Streetwalkers. He began a long-awaited solo career in 1978 that has led to over a dozen full-length releases. Never heard of them? It's not surprising; album-wise, he's been camped out in Germany for 20 years. His first album and tour got high praise in his British homeland, but critics cut into him soon after. When the hassle-free German market beckoned, Chapman began to focus all subsequent work there, where he has become a musical hero, the "Working Class Artist." Chapman split with his longtime writing partner, Charlie Whitney, after the breakup of Streetwalkers in 1977. He surrounded himself with ace session musicians to cut a debut solo effort, Chappo. It was an album of strong rock which catered to the singer and not the musicians. An appearance on Germany's Rockpalast TV show and the ensuing hit single, "Let's Spend the Night Together," gave Chapman the shot of success he needed, so he set up operations in Germany. Live in Hamburg was a reassuring second album, demonstrating the live energy of this experienced yet stage-crazed performer. Studio albums over the next few years blended straight power rock with funk, R&B and soul, all topped with Chapman's characteristic vocal style. In the 1981 German music awards, Chapman was voted Best Singer, and his Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun won an award. Chapman and his backing band, the Shortlist, released two alter-ego albums in the early '80s as the Riff Burglars. These releases honored roots and classic rock by artists like Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon and Leiber & Stoller. A lead vocal on Mike Oldfield's 1983 hit, "Shadow on the Wall," also added to Chapman's diverse repertoire. Chapman's mid-'80s foray into polished studio sounds did not fare well with his audience. When his extended partnership with guitarist Geoff Whitehorn ran it's course, Chapman returned to pure rock form with 1989's Walking the Cat, which featured Alvin Lee and old friend, Bob Tench. Two compilations filled a silent period in the mid '90s, but 1996's Kiss My Soul was a comeback for the guy who never went away. It even got attention and a pressing in Chapman's British homeland, where he often tours but has no domestic releases. This was followed by 1998's A Turn Unstoned? and the 2-CD Anthology; the next year saw re-releases of Chappo and Mail Order Magic. Moth to a Flame was issued in early 2001. © Patrick Little, allmusic.com