Customer Reviews

Bandstand

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a CLIFFORD HODGE review

Family was ahead of its time, prefiguring the likes of Roxy Music by using an assortment of instruments previously not normally used in rock bands, such as clarinet, for example, and displaying a slight jazz influence; but what is most noteworthy about this band, popular in the U.K., but little known in America, is the almost unbelievable vocal intensity of front-man Roger Chapman, and by this I do not mean volume, I mean just sheer emotional bust-a-gut, pop-a-vein-in-your-face intensity. How did he do that? Jim Morrison should have been so intense. MC5 could have learned a thing or two. James Brown,...well, that's the level we're talking about here. Truly. Never have I heard the likes of him, nor do I ever expect to. And the band was equal to him instrumentally. Just listen to "Broken Nose" on this album. The frantic violin starts you wondering how the nose gets broken, the music providing an irresistable aural image. And then there is "Burlesque," and the incredibly poignant "My Friend The Sun", a simple ballad you would not expect from someone who sings "Broken Nose," or "Weavers Answer," not on this album, but one of their most haunting numbers. A 60's - 70's British band, Family had a sound quite its own, not in that common blues category a'la Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Savoy Brown, Groundhogs, Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Graham Bond, et. al., nor fitting into the psychedelic slot with such as The Strawberry Alarm Clock, or the garage sound of the Troggs or Them. Family just sounded like Family, perhaps one of the first progressive mainstream bands - as opposed to the progressive experimental. Theirs was a sound which was very easy for the average listener to relate to and adaptable to FM radio play, which makes it hard to understand why they were not played a lot more in the U.S. If you were to listen to my "The Best of Family" vinyl compilation, you would say that virtually any of these songs could easily have been a top 40 hit single, while at the same time having your interest piqued by the recognition that this was different from other things you'd heard. "Bandstand" is not Family's best, but it is quite good, and certainly much better than 99% of what you might have heard over the last 20 years on that other "Bandstand". If I didn't have it, it would be first on my "buy" list.

Very worthwhile album. Bubbles up into the top quarter of my regular listening. Family was for me a happy discovery after having gulped down most of what the Industry Empire told me was relevant. Fine musicianship, wonderful tunes--they actually reached a high level of quality in a time where many were being over-rewarded for much less. They were also legitimate practitioners of unrepentant creativity and I assume, partying. So, ultimately they may have missed their own boat.

Family was always the real deal, the working person's band, a group that did not pander to the top-40 crowd, recording executives, or misguided program directors.

Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney are certainly the most underrated duo of songwriters ever to front a rock band. Few realize just how many songs they composed together in both Family and later in Streetwalkers. Chappo's vocal prowess once led "Rolling Stone" to dub him arguably the best rock vocalist ever. The remarkable guitar playing of the versatile Whitney, the solid bass lines and backing vocals of John Wetton (his counterpoint to Chapman worked remarkably well), and the ever steady drumming of Rob Townsend still sound fresh and inventive. One quibble is that Poli Palmer sometimes goes overboard on the synthesizers making some passages clearly show their age, but then he redeems himself on others by tossing in the odd quirk.

The opening track, the classic "Burlesque," kick starts this session. "Burlesque," which can bring any moribund gathering to life, is one of the few Family songs any of my friends can recall having ever heard. Solid power rock songs such as the darkly humorous "Broken Nose," the snarling "Ready To Go," or lament "Top of the Hill" anchor the CD, and these are all tracks that, together with "Burlesque" can easily toe to toe with the best hard rock of the '70s. The acoustic tunes such as their gentle anthem about dealing with depression "My Friend the Sun" or the homage to memories in "Coronation" songs are even more remarkable for their beauty when contrasted with the grittiness of the real rockers here. Clearly, Family covered all the bases. Even the throwback bonus track, "The Rockin' R's," which harkens back to early '60s pop of the pre-Family line up of the Farinas sounds great on this remastered CD.

The fact that Family never broke through to become as big as its contemporaries does not diminish the importance of their body of work. Their music is worth the effort to seek out. I envy those of you who will soon be hearing some of this music for the first time.

If you already have Bandstand on a remastered CD with bonus tracks, then the only reasons to grab this latest edition would be for the bonus live tracks, but getting a copy of the long-awaited Family Live CD should satisfy the need for the live material in a more complete manner.

This is probably the best work by one band who for some reason never clicked in America. This pretty much signalled a peak in Family's career as this album begins with a very catchy opening track in "Burlesque" and takes it from there. Roger Chapman pretty much shows why he is regarded as one of rocks best frontmen and Charlie Whitney shows why he is one of the finest guitarists in rock. Also, Poli Palmer uses this album to really show off his experimental side as he makes good use of synthesizers on this album as well as his trademark flute, vibraphone and piano playing. There are a few slow spots, but all in all this is a great album by a band who should have been big in America.

Bandstand is probably Family's most accessible album. It has enough variety and eccentricities to satisfy the devotees, but also a number of songs a Family fan could play for friends without frightening them away. Lovely ballads like "My Friend The Sun" and "Dark Eyes." A crackling rocker like "Burlesque." Even straight-up R&B in "Ready To Go."

I figured that the rest of Bandstand had probably never been played on any radio station this side of Leicester, but then a later reviewer insisted that he played more of it on his college radio station. Duly corrected, it's still safe to say that American radio stations failed to wear out their copies. Only Roger Chapman could come up with "Broken Nose," an aggressive rock torch song with unusual propulsive rhythms, written sympathetically from the point of view of a stalker who laments: "The day that I stopped loving you was the day you broke my nose." "Bolero Babe" sounds like it was written by Maurice Ravel's cousin from Saturn. "Top of the Hill" is yet another example of how Chapman & Whitney often sounded like they weren't playing the same song, but still made it work in unimaginable ways.

I am baffled by the reviewer who criticized Family's arrangements on Bandstand. OK, Roger Chapman's voice is definitely not for everyone, & I can respect that. Family's music can be more challenging than some folks are willing to deal with, and they're not for everyone even without dealing with Chappo's crazed goat-boy vocal's. But the arrangements? The more complex pieces on Bandstand have incredible arrangements. Note my dissent.

Apparently, lots of Family albums are now being re-re-reissued with live tracks. If you have any interest in these guys live, the 2004 release "Live" (not much imagination in the marketing department, I guess) is most worthwhile and long overdue. Don't rebuy Bandstand yet again for the live tracks, get the live album instead.

excellent! the music i've listened when I was 18 years old ( now 58 yrs ). I returned back of my life!!!!

After stating how Fearless had left me with mixed feelings (which to be honest, has actually improved with repeated listens, I admit) Family releases an album by the name of Bandstand and their strong songwriting abilities seemed to have returned as well. At least, Bandstand feels more consistent with the number of quality tunes.

"Burlesque" is a really good blues rocker with a strong vocal melody. It's one of those songs that grows on you with repeated listens because you initially think it's just your typical early 70's rock song, but it's honestly much more than that. You'll discover this soon enough. Just as soon as it finally clicks (which for some reason takes longer to click than other Family songs- not sure why)

Family attempts some beautiful tender moments throughout the record, and the vocal melodies displayed during these particular songs is a highlight for me thanks mainly to Chapman's brilliant voice. "Coronation" has a vocal melody that, admittedly, sounds pretty dated and stuck in the mid 70's, however that's hardly a *bad* thing by any means. It's a quality song for sure. Actually playing it again tonight I realize that I underrated the sincere and emotionally distraught vocal melody the first time around. I love this song!

Side two is actually pretty splendid and honestly better than side one, which hardly EVER happens in the world of rock music. Bandstand is an exception. Side two is flawless.

"Glove" is a wonderful soulful-type track with vocals that are simply out of this world and totally appropriate for Chapman's voice. It's not quite a rocker or a ballad- it's caught somewhere in between. The high quality doesn't stop there either- "Top of the Hill" has a really good verse melody with a spooky undertone in Chapman's voice along with relatable lyrics, and "Ready To Go" features underrated guitar work in the middle and end of the track with a decent vocal melody to boot.

However, the number one reason this album is so fantastic is a song that goes by the name "My Friend the Sun". An absolutely *gorgeous* ballad that touches me in a way that I've honestly not felt in quite a long time. A magnificent song in every sense. A vocal melody that floors me, and a level of sincerity in the lead singers voice that elevates the song even higher. This should have definitely been an enormous hit all around the world. I gotta admit however that it bares a slight resemblance to Rod Stewart's "Mandolin Wind" in the vocal melody alone.

I guess the only song I really don't think is THAT great is "Bolero Babe". The vocals are dreamy and reminiscent of something Peter Gabriel would have done in the 80's I suppose, but it's clearly a weird experiment. Actually some of the orchestral arrangements remind me of a Beatles song I can't remember at the moment.

Overall, Family bounces back with a quality record in Bandstand. I highly recommend it.

What can I say? Let's put it this way. "My Friend the Sun", is so damned pretty, melodic and heartfelt, it ranks up there with something you'd have expected from Lennon and McCartney! Nuff' said!

Totally in agreement with the previous poster as to this album being their best work. And it shows why they had a cult following instead of becoming immensely popular. Their music was too complex to be pop but it was too "pop" to be prog rock. Still a very good album by a very interesting band.

First if you're looking at buying this you're probably going for the collectable packaging. This duplicates the original packaging for the original LP release (look carefully--if it doesn't say that this is the it's a limited edition and put out by Repertoire, then this review has been combined with ANOTHER review of the same title put out by a different company. The audio on the Repertoire release sounds slightly better than the release by some of the other labels (the exception would be the Castle release)but it appears that No Noise has been used on almost all of these releases. Does it sound different enough to pay the extra money? In my opinion yes but I'm also getting this for the replica of the original packaging. If you're looking to spend less money I would pick up the Castle release if you can find it. Family wasn't well known for writing hook-based rock music but Bandstand is probably one of the best albums in their discography. The band's bluesy sound is mixed well with experimental touches such as the use of sythesizer, strings, horns and John Wetton on electric violin on "Bolero". The opening cut "Burlesque" has a wicked, nasty flavor to its crunchy guitar riffs and the lyrics making it unlike alot of what this band recorded. "Coronation" and "Dark Eyes" are two of the best late period ballads the band recorded and it's clear listening to this song why Elton John picked them to open for him at one point--his music from "Tumbleweed Connection" through "Honkey Chateau" would have fit in quite well with the music heard here. "Dark Eyes" with terrific layered vocals and John Whitney's guitar picking is truly a highlight of the album. "Broken Nose" is more typical Family fair crossed with boogie rock. "My Friend the Sun" with its acoustic guitar playing and Roger Chapman's sensitive vocals is one of my favorite tracks on this underrated album. "Glove" opens with Wetton's bass gradually joined by other instruments and Chapman's vocals building slowly with some tasty organ that wouldn't have made this out of place on a Traffic album. "Ready to Go" and "Top of the Hill" close out the album with a subtle jazzy vibe on the former and a relaxed string drenched melody on the latter. The original album is packed with some nice bonus live tracks. "The Rockin' R's" was a b-side for a single and is easily as good as anything on the album. "No Mule's Fool", "Good News-Bad News" and "The Weaver's Answer" are all live recordings of varying quality and suffer from the usual limitations of bootlegs/cassette recordings at the time. "No Mule's Fool" sounds the best of the lot with the instruments and vocals coming through very clearly. Although Family recorded one final album after this ("It's Only A Movie"), that release doesn't quite hold up as well when compared to this album or "Fearless" in my opinion but even their final album shows that the band wasn't willing to call it a day with a substandard effort. Recommended.