--- Sez Kenneth Newman to Will Mcaveney ---
 KN> On 05-29-97 WILL MCAVENEY wrote to ALL... 
 
 WM> want to try to get into listening to Family... one of John Wettons 
 WM> groups before King Crimson (although he was not an original member). 
 WM> I understand that some of the albums are quite good... 
 KN> I recommend _It's Only a Movie_, _Anyway_ and _Bandstand_ 
 KN> though only the last has Wetton. They were never a prog 
 KN> band, really, but simply a fine British rock band.
They were quite psychedelic at times, though.  Some similarities
to Traffic on Family's earlier albums.  At least one was produced by
Jimmy Miller.  I've seen _Music In A Doll's House_ called their best.
I like several about equally, _MIADH_, _Family Entertainment_,
another whose name escapes me, and _Fearless_ which has a nice
pointlessly multiply die-cut album cover like _Creedence Gold_ as
well as _Bandstand_.  There's folkie-influenced violin on some
earlier stuff.  Ric Grech was in the band for a while, maybe just
their first LP.  They probably held the "most bass players" award
until Roxy Music came along.
_Anyway_ is half live and was released in the US out of sequence.
_It's Only A Movie_ I never warmed up to, but after selling a copy
bought another a few years later when I wasn't so scared of Tony
Ashton.  Is he Welsh or something?
 WM> ... Roger Chapman ...
 KN> He's great. He also did some nice stuff in the band 
 KN> called Streetwalkers.
Chapman and Whitney did a "duo" album called _Streetwalkers_, which
became the name of the band they put together with wossname from the
Jeff Beck Group.  I think of Family->Streetwalkers as similar to
Free->Bad Company, core players forming a similar new band, tightened
up and a little more commercial, a bit less eccentric...
DM
... Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
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