Family
Family Entertainment

We are in the period straddling the '60s and '70s, amidst the psychedelic labyrinths post-summer of love and just before the rock of oceanic crowds from the Dirigible and company.

Many groups jostled in the crowded cauldron of what is called "progressive" music, in a few (and reductive) words a rock/pop that starts from psychedelic and reaches the structures and melodies of classical music, all seasoned with brainy and cultured lyrics but without "revolutionary" invectives. Many groups left behind memorable albums and flew towards other shores, some achieved mass success, and some continued to revolve in their own inscrutable universe.

A great and forgotten ensemble was the Family, who possessed great qualities increasingly rare in the years to come: imagination, instrumental talent, emotionality. "Family Entertainment", the second work, is considered the best legacy along with the debut of this group.

The first track leaves no room for doubt: "The Weaver's Answer" is a dramatic and theatrical song (without being garish or excessive) that showcases the bubbling rhythm section and, above all, the intense and profound voice of the frontman Robert Chapman, an outcast bluesman with tenor ambitions.

Imagination bursts forth, giving free rein to the creative aspirations of the English band, smoothly transitioning from the folk-rock of "Observations From A Hill", to the more epic progressive of "Emotions", allowing themselves a canonical rock 'n' roll song ("Second Generation Woman") and an oriental instrumental ("Summer '67"). In the abundance of flavors to fully enjoy in these 40 minutes of compositional anarchy, the gentle notes of "Processions" also stand out, as subtle and detailed as they are thrilling.

Eleven tracks that, developing the psychedelic themes of the magnificent debut album, immerse the listener in an insane wandering theater scenario.

The influences recognizable can be all and none, the hints of Jethro Tull or other groups of the period are merely elements of a sound rich in arrangements and refined, yet dense and instinctive. A less important detail, moreover, is a cover image that fully captures the feeling of the music proposed.

An excellent and rediscoverable work, followed by other less successful LPs yet always personal and enjoyable, which would see further intensification of the sounds, in stark contrast to more renowned groups who preferred to dive into catchy pop to wink at a less uncompromising audience.