Fearless [Extra tracks, Original recording remastered, Import]

Family | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 29, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered, Import
• Label: Castle Essential
• ASIN: B000006PM5
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #833,746 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Between Blue and Me

2. Sat'd'y Barfly

3. Larf and Sing

4. Spanish Tide

5. Save Some for Thee

6. Take Your Partners

7. Children

8. Crinkley Grin

9. Blind

10. Burning Bridges

11. In My Own Time [*]

12. Seasons [*]

Editorial Reviews

Remastered, packaged in a die-cut LP style sleeve and contains the 4 bonus tracks "In My Own Time", "Seasons", "Between Blue & Me" (Live), "Sing 'Em the Way" (Live). --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'GOD KNOWS I'M HIP...EVERYBODY'S ARSE IS UP FOR KICKS', June 16, 2001

By 

Larry L. Looney (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fearless (Audio CD)

FEARLESS showcases this seminal British band at their pinnacle. Their following album, BANDSTAND, is great as well -- but on this cd, they shine as on no other in their catalogue. Their influences were many -- blues, jazz, pop, progressive, folk -- but they generally always rocked.

Roger Chapman's unique vocals led the way -- his trademark bluesy growl could belong to no one else. He's been compared to Joe Cocker -- Cocker has become almost a parody of himself, something Chapman avoided. Chapman and his writing partner, guitarist Charlie Whitney, were responsible for the core of Family's sound [After Family's eventual demise, they continued their collaborative work in the band Streetwalkers]. Poli Palmer adds some fine keyboard work, and the rhythm section of rock-steady drummer Rob Townsend and (new to the band on this album) bassist/vocalist extraordinaire John Wetton (later to move on to King Crimson) rounded out the group.

The album begins with the folk-like opening of 'Between Blue and me', which builds nicely as Chapman's voice moves from its first restrained lines toward the second verse, where the first-time listener finds that something special awaits. The band then moves on to 'Sat d-y barfly' -- a gin-soaked, rollicking ode in praise of over-indulgence. 'Larf and sing', a Poli Palmer composition, follows, full of some really inventive, multi-part harmonies, offering a lighter look at the band's philosophy of their work and of life: 'That's why we all larf and sing whenever we all feel blue -- you should see the way we grin whenever you feel it, too...love, o Mother Life, she's the only kin we've got'.

The following track, 'Spanish tide', is one of the most amazing under-4-minutes tunes I've ever heard in rock music. Over this short space of time, the song effortlessly and seamlessly glides through enough changes that the listener would swear the time listing is wrong -- and not because it's tedious, but just because there's so much packed into this song. We're treated to a little of John Wetton's distinctive vocals on this tune as well, a portent of things to come with King Crimson.

'Save some for me' keeps the pace up -- 'As living's for free, I'm going to save some for thee...' -- with another statement of the band's outlook, complete with some fine work by the Ladbroke Horns, who add their creatie touches to the album in other places as well. 'Take your partners' continues to rock, and then the band relaxes a bit with the quieter, folkier 'Children'. Poli Palmer's instrumental offering 'Crinkly grin' comes next, letting the players stretch out nicely. Two of the band's most incredible tunes close out the original album -- 'Blind' and the uncommonly powerful 'Burning bridges'...'...burning your bridges with God's holy fire...' God's holy fire is what Family played with.

This cd edition finishes up with a couple of rareties, two songs recorded during the sessions for this album: 'In my own time', which was released as a single and became their highest-charting single ever in the UK; and 'Seasons', the B-side.

Recorded and released orignally in 1971, FEARLESS effectively showcases the giant talents of this band. My only regret is that I never got to see them live -- from the reports I've read, they were a powerhouse concert act.

Turn it up, Louise...!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family always greater than the sum of it's parts., August 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fearless (Audio CD)

Family wasn't considered a bastion of musicianly vituosity in a time when that was the ideal amongst their peers in the Brit prog-rock scene of the late sixties, early seventies. Family sometimes lumbered, occasionaly awkward, and blissfully often of the brink of chaos and falling apart. And it's this quality that endears them after all this time. The playing always was in service of the song, not the other way around, even on songs where they stretched out instrumentaly such as the hypnotizing dervish of "Take Your Partners" And of course Chapman-Whitney songwriting team ran the gamut of hard rock, balladry and British music hall all in a unique manner. This Family lineup was seminal with Poli Palmer on vibes adding that unique edge that Jim King did on the first two releases, and marking what was for most people the first appearance of John Wetton (King Crimson, U.K., Asia). And as many may remember the original vinyl issue came is about two pounds of cardboard packaging, this CD is a little more environmentally friendly. Truly worthy of a five star rating and essential for any Family Fan.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fearless is Peerless, July 27, 2001

By 

loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fearless (Audio CD)

I've worn out 2 LPs of Fearless and used to break out my better copy only a couple of times a year before getting the CD. If you are a serious fan of early '70s music---the real stuff, not radio fodder or fad junk---most likely you have some Family in your collection. If not, then "Fearless" is a superb starting point, a recording that endures as perhaps the strongest testimony to what was once the most-loved band in rural England.

Some folks consider this to be Family's "quite" album. Maybe, but that is a relative matter. The range of material is actually quite staggering from the contemplative opening cut Between Blue and Me to the gutsy Blind (by the way, the weird sound is a piece of pipe looped through a string that Poli Palmer is whirling overhead) to the gentle Children. It's almost worth the price of the CD just to hear Spanish Tide, one of the best cuts on any Family album. Three songs in particular-the smoldering Burning Bridges, feisty Take Your Partners, and aforementioned Blind-showcase the group's flat out rock and roll style. Sat D-Y Barfly further cements Chappo's legend as the greatest rock vocalist. One of the two bonus tracks, In My Own Time, is a solid addition to the Family canon, not a throwaway like some bonus tracks. Seasons, the other bonus track, is nice enough but nothing special.

The production here is a step up from some of the earlier Family recordings and this ensemble is as tight as that on the group's legendary first album. Having John Wetton in the mix really anchored the band's sound, and he is often front and center instead of being relegated to a supporting role. Charlie Whitney once more turns in virtuoso performances on every song, leaving one to wonder why he never enjoyed the success of more one-dimensional guitarists such as Jeff Beck or Eric Clapton. Roger Chapman is, well, there has never been a vocalist quite like the fellow whose delivery some have likened to an electric sheep's bleating or an elephant's gargling. With power and range that exceeded such peers as Robert Plant or Joe Cocker, he can be remarkably expressive and contained at times but sound like Zeus having a tantrum at others. Rob Townsend, one of the three mainstays of the group, is another underrated member of Family. His flawless drumming powers the group along. Listen to him on Save Some for Thee to get an idea of how good this guy was (actually is, for he still plays skins for the Blues Band and the Manfreds). If there is any weakness, then some of Palmer's eccentric synthesizer might sound quaint to those steeped in modern electronic modes of music.

But Chappo and Whitney, the leaders of Family, show, once again, why they serve all of the respect they were never afforded and this fine recording highlights the failings of FM radio, both then and now, as an artists' medium. For once, you can trust all these five star reviews.