Customer Reviews

Song for Me

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

What's astonishing about Family's third album is that they recorded it in the aftermath of so much adversity - a botched U.S. tour, two original members quitting, and a nasty split from their original manager - and came back stronger than ever. Family aren't concerned with genres here, they're too busy breaking through them to notice! "Drowned In Wine" crosses back and forth beween folk and hard rock, "Love Is a Sleeper" is augmented by intense guitar licks, and "The Cat and The Rat" is pure rockabilly boogie. The title song is the nastiest, heaviest nine-minute piece of music ever committed to tape. Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney came up with unortohdox arrangemnets for their songs, and drummer Rob Townsend anchors them wonderfully! Bassist John Weider and multi-instrumentalist Poli Palmer add to this delectable confection with their own performances. But watch out for Chapman's wailing and Whitney's biting guitar! :-D Truly a masterpiece of the highest order. :-)

Long-time fans of the late, great English band Family know something many other folks do not. Simply, Family was perhaps the greatest rock and roll band ever. Take this one step further, and you must conclude the Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney were one of the greatest songwriter duos ever.

"Song for Me" was released shortly after the band's initial line up imploded when bassist Rick Grech departed for the short-lived Blind Faith and reedman and song arranger Jim King either left--or was asked to leave. Of the two defections, King's had the greatest immediate impact on the group's sound. They were replaced with two excellent additions, however, John Weider on guitar and bass and Poli Palmer on vibes, flute, keyboards, and synthesizers.

Yet because King had arranged many of the songs on this recording---the absence of his stellar sax and falsetto backing vocals lingers on many tracks, particularly on Drowned in Wine and the title cut---Palmer's flute sounds thin and out of place at times. Weider's bass lines are not as clean as Grech's and sometimes get lost in the mix. (Some of these songs, including Song for Me, are available on some of the live Family recordings from this time. It's worth listening to how much more powerful that song sounds with King compared with the studio version.)
Regardless, Family proceeds to march through another varied, eclectic set that hits every range from the slow ballad Some Poor Soul to the all-out rockers such as Love Is a Sleeper to The Cat and the Rat.

The only filler here is one of the two bonus tracks, Good Friend of Mine. The other, No Mule's Fool, remains to this day one of lead singer Chapman's favorites.

Whitney tears up the guitar on the rockers and lulls you into a peaceful, contemplative state on the soft numbers. Rob Townsend, the other stalwart member of the group, provides an excellent foundation for the group's sound with his crisp, powerful drumming. Chapman shines on this recording, hitting full power on the rockers and imbuing the softer tracks with raw emotion.
I would not recommend "Song for Me" as the gateway recording for those new to Family. It is essential listening but seems less accessible than "Fearless," "Bandstand," "Entertainment," or even "Music from a Doll's House."

Instead, those new to Family might first listen to any of those four CDs. Regardless, once you start understanding why the critics and European audiences loved Family, you won't stop until you've added all their recordings to your collection. And most of your other early '70s recordings will likely collect dust for a couple of years as you savor the music of Family.

This 2004 release kept the bonus tracks from the 2000 remastering and added four live bonus tracks---none of which appear on the newly released Family Live CD, so Family collectors can make a case for getting this version. Still, one wonders if all the bonus live tracks popping up on this latest round of releases of Family's recordings will not eventually make their way to Family Live, Two.

"A Song For Me" was Family's first album after the departure of keymembers Rick Grech and Jim King. Both Grech and King were talented musicians who greatly contributed to Family's very original music which can be heard on the group's first two albums "Music In a Doll House's" and "Family Entertainment".

These two albums were noteworthy for their original instrumentation, but also for the fine songwriting; partly influenced by the psychedelic wave. Obviously the importance of Roger Chapman's very personal vocal cannot be overestimated. Chapman, who later showed tendency to exaggerate his vocal pursuits, is actually very controlled on the first Family albums, and he often resembles another great singer, Peter Gabriel.

"A Song For Me" is more rock and blues and less psychedelia than the previous two albums, but still comes as a good and natural extension of these.

The songwriting is still fine and original, and the two new members, Poli Palmer, John Wetton, are fine substitutes for Grech and King.

The album's highlights are many, not least Chapman's tour de force "Drowned in Wine". In the melodic department you'll notice "Stop the Traffic," "Wheels", which actually is an outtake from the original line-up, and "Song For Sinking Lovers."

The charming "The Cat And The Rat" is of course impossible to ignore, and together with "Drowned in Wine" this was a song that would become a favourite during their live-appearances.

The very fine single "No Mule's Fool" / "Good Friend of Mine" is included as bonus, making this album an even greater release..

There is also a fine live versions of "Drowned in Wine", "Wheels" and "The Cat And The Rat". Personally I have never been particularly enthusiastic about the title track and the live recording also included here seems unduly long and laborious. This, though, can in no way ruin the general impression of a great album.

Family proves once again for their third album that they most certainly DID have what it takes to make a lasting impression on the record buying public... had the people actually been buying their albums, that is. At least here in America, Family went by completely unknown for the majority of their career. I don't even know if America carried any Family albums.

What a COMPLETE shame too- this is brilliant songwriting. Seriously. I know I know, the word "brilliant" gets tossed around so much these days the word barely has any meaning left, but I can positively assure you that if you're someone who admires the sound of the late 60's and early 70's rock scene, you will most likely be floored by this band. Don't worry about the fact they are considered an art rock or progressive rock band- these guys wrote immediately enjoyable songs for anyone to appreciate.

My favorite song is probably the opener, "Drowned in Wine". The unique instrumental variety in this track combined with the lead singers astonishing vocal range adds up to one incredible experience. I'm convinced the lead singer of this band and the guy from the psychedelic folk rock band Comus are the same guy, haha. It's just really bizarre that, not only do both singers sound identical, they also use some of the same tricks. A really huge coincidence I guess.

Anyway, perhaps I also like how "Drowned in Wine" resembles "The Weaver's Answer" from the bands second album. This is due to the frantic and demanding way the lead singer expands his range. I LOVE when he does that. He sings like his life depends on it.

"Some Poor Soul" resembles Quick Silver Messenger Service (and perhaps the San Francisco rock scene in general). "Love is a Sleeper" has finally grown on me after repeated listens. Are those xylophones I hear? I love whatever they are. The band really lets loose with a jam near the end.

"Stop for the Traffic" could have been a perfect pop song fit for radio stations across the world, seriously. I love the vocal melody to pieces. "Song for Sinking Lovers" perhaps qualifies as the bands attempt at writing a country rock song, and it really works thanks to a beautifully sung vocal melody. This is one underrated track. "Wheels" contains more memorable songwriting.

"93's O.K. J" (whatever THAT means) is a really awesome instrumental. I swear the guitar jam in the middle sounds like something from Amon Duul II's Yeti album (Amon Duul II is a highly experimental German rock band in case you don't know). Also, the intro reminds me of a Genesis song called "After the Ordeal" which came out a few years after this song. I wonder if Genesis was listening to these guys? I bet they were.

Oh, and how about that song dealing with the cat and the rat? It's energetic and really fun (and sounds American quite a bit). I love it.

What do I think about the 9-minute title song? Well it's probably the weakest song here since the majority of it focuses on a huge monster guitar riff in addition to the lead singer wailing away with his distinct vocal range (which isn't necessarily a BAD thing, mind you). The second half of the song is pretty cool when the violins make an appearance though.

Why Family never found the same kind of success compared to artists such as Traffic and the Moody Blues is something we'll never know. Just buy some early Family albums and hear what you've been missing all these years.

This one must've been made soon after Ric Grech left Family for Blind Faith, since they still had a song in the bag Grech co-wrote ("Wheels"). By the eclectic standards of Family, many of the songs comprising A Song For Me are fairly normal. Lots of them are loud (anyone familiar with Roger Chapman's vocals knows what that will mean). A bit of jazz dabbling on a song titled "Hey Let It Rock" just to throw us off. The title cut is long, loud, aggressive and a bit ragged, but they had the chops to pull it off.

This would probably not be anyone's favorite Family disc, but it is solid & worthwhile. Family was such a singular band, if you like any of their stuff, you oughta get all the good ones since no one else was anywhere near Family's style.