FAMILY – BANDSTAND LP – Nr MINT A4/B4 UK PROG ROCK

Family – Bandstand
(Reprise Records  1972  K54006)
Matrix No’s: A4/B4 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Nr MINT- condition
– some slight wear to edges and a little rubbing near the top
Die Cut Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT- conditon
– some creasing on one corner

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition

Family are an English rock band, active from late 1966 to October 1973, and again since 2013 for a series of live shows. Their style has been characterised as progressive rock, as their sound often explored other genres, incorporating elements of styles such as folk, psychedelia, acid, jazz fusion and rock and roll. The band achieved recognition in the United Kingdom through their albums, club and concert tours and appearances at festivals.

The band’s rotating membership throughout its relatively short existence led to a diversity in sound throughout their different albums. Family are also often seen as an unjustly forgotten act, when compared with other bands from the same period and have been described as an “odd band loved by a small but rabid group of fans”. Although most of their recordings were issued in the US, the band never achieved any appreciable success there.

Bandstand is the sixth studio album by the British progressive rock band Family. Released in 1972, it was the second and last album to chart in the United States. The original album cover was die-cut in the shape of a Bush TV22 television set, with a black-and-white image of the band onscreen.

Bandstand marked a notable change of direction for the band. Family’s sound had become more mainstream and somewhat more conventional. By Roger Chapman’s own admission, he and Charlie Whitney were getting more standardised in their songwriting, relying more on choruses and regular verse structure. Their sound was further conventionalised by British soul singer Linda Lewis contributing backing vocals.

Bandstand opened with “Burlesque,” a straight rocker about a bar of that name in Chapman and Whitney’s hometown of Leicester, England. Released as a single in the UK, it got up to number thirteen on the charts. Heavier songs on Bandstand included “Broken Nose,” an angry sexual rant involving the British class structure, and “Ready To Go,” a swipe at Family’s detractors in the British rock press. Family also were becoming more adept with introspective tunes like “Coronation,” about an apartment dweller ruminating about his neighbours and his own dishevelled flat, and “Dark Eyes,” a light, folkish ballad Chapman wrote with Poli Palmer. Many Family fans cited “Glove,” a soulful power ballad about meeting a woman through an act of chivalry, as one of their best songs ever. “My Friend The Sun,” a straight acoustic ballad, displayed a tenderness previously absent in Chapman’s vocal style. It was also issued as a single in the UK, but did not chart.

Bandstand was the last Family album to feature John Wetton. Having joined the band only a year earlier and being a large vocal and instrumental presence on Fearless, Wetton’s role in the band was reduced on Bandstand, and he left to join King Crimson. He was replaced by Jim Cregan, and the group toured North America with Elton John immediately after Bandstand’s release . They received favourable exposure from American critics and radio DJs and built up a small but loyal cult following in the US as a result.

Track listing

All selections are by Charlie Whitney and Roger Chapman except where noted.

Personnel

Family’s line-up in 1972 was as follows:

• Roger Chapman – lead vocals, percussion, soprano saxophone (2)
• Charlie Whitney – guitars, keyboards (2)
• Poli Palmer – keyboards, vibes, flute, percussion, guitar (4)
• John Wetton – basses, backing vocals, guitars
• Rob Townsend – drums, percussion

Guest artists

• Linda Lewis – backing vocals (5)
• Del Newman – string arrangements