(Review from progarchives.com)

By 1971, Leicester band Family had pretty much reached the height of their popularity and commercial success. That height was however not great when compared to their peers, such as Free, Ten Years After, Deep Purple etc. Despite having had several hit singles, and attracted a small but loyal following, Family never managed to make the leap from pub-rock band done good, to fully fledged headliners.

In preparation for what was hoped to be their breakthrough US tour, the band and their record label put together this compilation of selected album tracks and non-album singles (A and/or B). Some of the tracks were remixed, and the backing tracks to four of the songs (“Weaver’s Answer”, “Hung up Down”, “Observations from a Hill” and “Hometown”) were re-recorded all together. In the event, the tour was cancelled, and this album became a stopgap UK release.

The period covered by this set, which is technically a compilation but is effectively a bona fide studio album, is from the band’s debut album (“Music in a doll’s house”) through to their fourth album (“Anyway”), although the latter is only represented by the CD bonus track “Today”. During the period, bassist and violinist Rick Grech left to join Blind Faith and Jim King was sacked due to the band’s style mutating and rendering him superfluous. A certain John Wetton, who does not appear here, arrived before their next studio album was recorded.

As was common in the 1960′s and early 70′s, several singles by Family never appeared on their original studio albums, and four of the tracks here fall into that category, including the minor hit single “No mule’s fool”.

Musically, the album consists of eleven diverse Chapman/Whitney composed songs. Some of these such as “Hung up down”, Drowned in wine”, and “Peace of mind” are very much of their time, and have not aged particularly well. They have echoes of early Uriah Heep/Spice (“Peace of mind”), Slade’s “Cos I love you” (Drowned in wine”), and early Genesis (“Today”).

There are softer reflective numbers such as “No mule’s fool” and “Home town” where Roger Chapman demonstrates that he did not need to utilise his demented warble to get noticed. The latter song was criminally hidden away for years as a non-album B side.

The standout track by far though is “The weaver’s answer”, from which the lyrical quote at the start of this review is taken. Indeed, Chapman’s virtually unintelligible vocal style on this track disguises some incredibly accomplished prose. The song is an exceptional work, which suits Chapman’s unique voice perfectly.

Line-up:
- Roger Chapman / Vocals, Percussion
- John ‘Charlie’ Whitney / Guitar, Banjo, Organ
- John Weider / Guitars, Violin, Dobro
- Robert Townsend / Drums, Percussion, Harp
- John ‘Poli’ Palmer / Vibes, Piano, Flute
- Jim King / saxophone

Track List:
01. Hung Up Down – 3:29
02. Today – 5:01
03. Observation From A Hill – 3:11
04. Good Friend Of Mine – 3:33
05. Drowned In Wine – 4:07
06. Peace Of Mind – 2:23
07. Hometown – 3:10
08. The Cat And The Rat – 2:29
09. No Mule’s Fool – 3:20
10. See Through Windows – 3:48
11. The Weaver’s Answer – 4:55

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