Discover Family's Debut Album 'Music In A Doll's House' – A Hidden Gem of Eclectic Prog 🎶

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