Family - Bandstand (1972)
Forty years ago this month (September 1972), the British rock band Family released their sixth album, Bandstand.
Bandstand was a straightforward rock album with some tough soul-based numbers and some intense ballads. It's more conventional that its predecessor, the superb and innovative Fearless, but the musicianship remained first-rate and enjoyable. Roger Chapman continued to make good use of his growling vibrato, while Charlie Whitney took a more pensive, nuanced approach to his guitar on lighter numbers and offered up some crunchy riffs on others. Poli Palmer's flute and vibraphone remain highlights on the record, as well as the tight rhythms of drummer Rob Townsend and bassist John Wetton.
Bandstand opened with “Burlesque,” a fun, gut-busting tune about a nightclub of that name in Chapman and Whitney's hometown of Leicester, and features some punchy tunes such as "Ready To Go," a jab at the band’s detractors with some inspired drum work from Townsend. "Broken Nose" may be one of the most terrifying songs Family committed to disc, full of sexual and class politics between a hapless working-class bloke and his rich girlfriend. The biting music is complemented by the angry voice of Roger Chapman competing with his backing vocalist, British soul singer Linda Lewis, for attention. "The day that I stopped loving you was the day you broke my nose," the lyrics go. (Chapman sings them. She broke his nose!)
Bandstand offers some nice ballads as well, with the hopeful, optimistic acoustic ballad "My Friend The Sun" that promises better , sunnier days ahead, much like the Beatles’ "Let It Be" does, while the short "Dark Eyes" is a gentle harmonic song reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash." Only "Bolero Babe" and "Top of the Hill," the closing cut, fall short of the rest of the LP by meandering a bit, but not by that much. The worst things you can say about Bandstand is that John Wetton, having been a vital presence vocally on Fearless, doesn't sing lead anywhere here, and that there's no instrumental track on the record - Bandstand is the only Family LP not to have one - to pique your interest.
The cover artwork didn't disappoint, showing the band in the studio listening to a playback in an image on an antique television screen. The outer sleeve, cut in the shape of a TV cabinet, is a gatefold that opens up to reveal the inner workings of a TV set underneath. John Kosh, who designed the innovative layered-paging cover of Fearless, also designed the Bandstand cover, with pictures of the band from photographer Peter Howe.
For more on Bandstand, go to my Family page - A Family Affair - and the fan Web site Family Bandstand.
Family in 1972 was:
Roger Chapman (vocals)
Charlie Whitney (guitar)
John Wetton (guitar, bass, vocals)
Poli Palmer (keyboards, vibraphone, flute, vocals)
Rob Townsend (drums)
Family - Bandstand (1972)
Forty years ago this month (September 1972), the British rock band Family released their sixth album, Bandstand.
Bandstand was a straightforward rock album with some tough soul-based numbers and some intense ballads. It's more conventional that its predecessor, the superb and innovative Fearless, but the musicianship remained first-rate and enjoyable. Roger Chapman continued to make good use of his growling vibrato, while Charlie Whitney took a more pensive, nuanced approach to his guitar on lighter numbers and offered up some crunchy riffs on others. Poli Palmer's flute and vibraphone remain highlights on the record, as well as the tight rhythms of drummer Rob Townsend and bassist John Wetton.
Bandstand opened with “Burlesque,” a fun, gut-busting tune about a nightclub of that name in Chapman and Whitney's hometown of Leicester, and features some punchy tunes such as "Ready To Go," a jab at the band’s detractors with some inspired drum work from Townsend. "Broken Nose" may be one of the most terrifying songs Family committed to disc, full of sexual and class politics between a hapless working-class bloke and his rich girlfriend. The biting music is complemented by the angry voice of Roger Chapman competing with his backing vocalist, British soul singer Linda Lewis, for attention. "The day that I stopped loving you was the day you broke my nose," the lyrics go. (Chapman sings them. She broke his nose!)
Bandstand offers some nice ballads as well, with the hopeful, optimistic acoustic ballad "My Friend The Sun" that promises better , sunnier days ahead, much like the Beatles’ "Let It Be" does, while the short "Dark Eyes" is a gentle harmonic song reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash." Only "Bolero Babe" and "Top of the Hill," the closing cut, fall short of the rest of the LP by meandering a bit, but not by that much. The worst things you can say about Bandstand is that John Wetton, having been a vital presence vocally on Fearless, doesn't sing lead anywhere here, and that there's no instrumental track on the record - Bandstand is the only Family LP not to have one - to pique your interest.
The cover artwork didn't disappoint, showing the band in the studio listening to a playback in an image on an antique television screen. The outer sleeve, cut in the shape of a TV cabinet, is a gatefold that opens up to reveal the inner workings of a TV set underneath. John Kosh, who designed the innovative layered-paging cover of Fearless, also designed the Bandstand cover, with pictures of the band from photographer Peter Howe.
For more on Bandstand, go to my Family page - A Family Affair - and the fan Web site Family Bandstand.
Family in 1972 was:
Roger Chapman (vocals)
Charlie Whitney (guitar)
John Wetton (guitar, bass, vocals)
Poli Palmer (keyboards, vibraphone, flute, vocals)
Rob Townsend (drums)