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Thread: Album Club, May 2018: Family - 'Music in a Doll's House'

  1. #1
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: Land of the Lilac Curtains, UK

    Posts: 286
    I'm Curator.

    Default Album Club, May 2018: Family - 'Music in a Doll's House'

    The Album Choice for May comes courtesy of Barry with Family’s ‘Music in a Doll’s House’.

    As always please listen to the album in its entirety before you comment and/or vote.



    Family – ‘Music in a Dolls’s House’



    In retrospect ‘Progressive Pop (or Rock)’ gets a fair amount of ‘flack’ as being self-indulgent, ego-driven and maybe ‘bombastic’. These criticisms could certainly apply to some of the emergent groups of the late ‘60s, but not to all; and the album I have chosen is an example of the new genre, which displayed imaginative original thinking as well as good musicianship.

    Formed in Leicester in the mid ‘60s, Family were an English group comprising Roger Chapman on vocals, harmonica and tenor sax; John Whitney on guitars; Jim King on tenor and soprano saxophone, harmonica and vocals; Rick Grech on bass guitar, violin and vocals, with Bob Townsend on drums and percussion.

    Although not a ‘rock opera’ in any sense, I feel this debut album needs to listened to as a whole; and because of that I’m reluctant to pick out any individual track(s) as my favourite(s).

    Maybe not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’, but I hope you enjoy it and perhaps it will encourage you to listen to some of their successive output.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_in_a_Doll%27s_House


  2. #2
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

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    I'm Grant.

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    remember getting it in the day.. my mates brother had it and it introduced me to the gravel of mr chapman... maybe one of the best albums of the year.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  3. #3
    Join Date: Apr 2011

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    I'm Mike.

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    Wonderful, brilliant album

    10/10 from me
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    Mike

  4. #4
    Join Date: Feb 2017

    Location: Surrey, UK

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    I'm Mark.

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    Quote Originally Posted by struth View Post
    remember getting it in the day.. my mates brother had it and it introduced me to the gravel of mr chapman... maybe one of the best albums of the year.
    I always thought Chappo sounded like a goat with a thistle up its ......oh, never mind

  5. #5
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,852
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Len Co View Post
    I always thought Chappo sounded like a goat with a thistle up its ......oh, never mind
    Wouldn't really argue with that. In fact his 'singing' degraded into little more than screeching as time went on. Interestingly, IMO his voice improved on the 'Streetwalkers' albums, post Family.

    Even so, I think the first four of Family's albums are excellent.
    Barry

  6. #6
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

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    I'm Grant.

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    Yup his voice went bad in his solo career.

    Anyway. Me and my friend and old songs new songs are stand outs. One of reprises first rock albums and did well in charts
    9/10
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  7. #7
    Join Date: Nov 2013

    Location: Powys

    Posts: 1,199
    I'm David.

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    My favourite Family album 9/10

  8. #8
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    also caused the white album to be thus named "The Beatles" as it was to be named similarly to this
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  9. #9
    Join Date: Oct 2015

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    Posts: 1,629
    I'm Ian.

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    I've had a couple of listens to this album now and it's really grown on me. I've got a copy on it's way to me now. 9/10
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  10. #10
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    Wouldn't really argue with that. In fact his 'singing' degraded into little more than screeching as time went on. Interestingly, IMO his voice improved on the 'Streetwalkers' albums, post Family.

    Even so, I think the first four of Family's albums are excellent.
    I have a few Streetwalkers albums, but never warmed to his rather odd vocal style. I might have music in a dolls house, will need to go look.
    Regards Neil

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