Music In A Doll's House is the debut studio album from Family. I had never heard about Family before listening to this album and what a shame that is. This is an absolutely wonderful album and an excellent addition to my collection. The music is a bit hard to describe as there are influences from many genres present on Music In A Doll's House. I would say that the most dominant genre is bluesy rock´n´roll but mind you that it´s done in a sophisticated way that includes sax, flute and even what sounds like a mellotron at times. There is also a healthy dose of psychadelic rock and a bit of jazz and folk thrown in for good measure. The songs are pretty basic rock tunes but with the aforementioned features this makes for a great listening experience.
One of the greatest things on the album is Roger Chapman´s voice which is really distict and powerful. He sometimes sound a bit like Peter Gabriel when he sings most loud but a singer like Bernardo Lanzetti from Premiata Forneria Marconi also comes to mind. This is mostly due to the extreme vibrato both singers possess and use extensively. I´m sometimes reminded of another british band and that´s Audience who has a similar eclectic style.
The musicianship is great and the raw sixties production fits the music well.
Songs / Tracks Listing 1. The Chase (2:14) 2. Mellowing Grey (2:48) 3. Never Like This (2:17) 4. Me My Friend (2:01) 5. Variation on a Theme of Hey Mr. Policeman (0:23) 6. Winter (2:25) 7. Old Songs, New Songs (4:17) 8. Variation on a Theme of the Breeze (0:40) 9. Hey Mr. Policeman (3:13) 10. See Through Windows (3:43) 11. Variation on a Theme of Me and My Friend (0:22) 12. Peace of Mind (2:21) 13. Voyage (3:35) 14. The Breeze (2:50) 15. 3 x Time (3:48)
Total Time 36:57
Bonus tracks on Pucka 2012 release: 16. Scene Through the Eye of a Lens (1967 single) (2:52) 17. Gypsy Woman (1967 single) (3:25)
Line-up / Musicians - Roger Chapman / lead vocals, harmonica, tenor saxophone - John 'Charlie' Whitney / lead & steel guitar - Jim King / tenor & soprano saxophones, harmonica, vocals - Rick Grech / bass, violin, cello, vocals - Rob Townsend / drums & percussion
