Family Entertainment
Studio album by Family
Released	February 1969
Recorded	1968, 1969
Genre	Rock / Progressive rock
Length	n/av.
Label	Reprise Records
Producer(s)	Glyn Johns, John Gilbert
Family chronology
Music in a Doll's House (1968)	Family Entertainment (1969)	A Song For Me (1970)

Family Entertainment was the second album from the British progressive rock band Family, released in February 1969. The cover of the album was a clear takeoff from the sleeve of the Doors' second album, Strange Days, as Family frankly admitted. A Studio Album is an album of regular studio recordings. ... This is about the British rock band Family. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... For the unrelated Swedish music movement, see progg. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Reprise Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, operated through Warner Bros. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Glyn Johns (born 1942 in Epsom, England) is a recording engineer and record producer who has worked with such artists as The Beatles, The Steve Miller Band, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, The Clash, Midnight Oil and the Blue Öyster Cult Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou... This is about the British rock band Family. ... Music in a Dolls House is the debut album by progressive rock group Family, released in July 1968. ... A Song For Me is the third album from the British progressive rock band Family, released in January 1970. ... This is about the British rock band Family. ... The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles by keyboardist Ray Manzarek, vocalist Jim Morrison, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger. ... Strange Days is an album released by The Doors at the end of 1967. ...

Family Entertainment was the last album from the group's original lineup.

Track listing

1. "The Weaver's Answer"
2. "Observations From a Hill"
3. "Hung Up Down"
4. "Summer '67" (instrumental) (Whitney)
5. "How-Hi-the-Li" (Grech)
6. "Second Generation Woman" (Grech)
7. "From Past Archives"
8. "Dim"
9. "Processions" (Whitney)
10. "Face In the Cloud" (Grech)
11. "Emotions"

All selctions are by Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney except where noted.

The album

After the critical success of their 1968 debut, Music in a Doll's House, many aficianados of British progressive rock wondered how Family could avoid repeating themselves and still sound fresh. Family, however, were hardly a static psychedelic band, as Music In a Doll's House might have suggested: their sound was largely influenced by folk, country, and pop, all solidly rooted in the blues. The group, under the production of Glyn Johns and Family manager John Gilbert, would create a worthy sophomore effort that drew on all of their musical influences and abilities. Music in a Dolls House is the debut album by progressive rock group Family, released in July 1968. ... Glyn Johns (born 1942 in Epsom, England) is a recording engineer and record producer who has worked with such artists as The Beatles, The Steve Miller Band, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, The Clash, Midnight Oil and the Blue Öyster Cult Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou...

The album opened with "The Weaver's Answer", a haunting, stately song about a dying old man about to see his life in the form of tapestry. Lead singer Roger Chapman sings the lyric of remembrance with a great deal of grit and a heavy blues undercurrent throughout; the final violin passage from Ric Grech perfectly symbolizes the old man's moment of death. On much of the rest of the album, Family blends seemingly contrasting styles within single songs; the anti-war rant "Hung Up Down" blends a madrigal melody with a guttural blues-rock bass line, while "From Past Archives" cuts suddenly from a lilting ballad melody to a hip jazz arrangement.

Charlie Whitney was enjoying the thrill of discovering new worlds on Family Entertainment with his dreamlike song "Processions," about a little boy fantasising about his life ahead while enjoying a day at the seashore, while "Observations From a Hill" - sung by Jim King - finds magic and beauty in the most mundane scenery of Family's hometown, Leicester. Leicester (pronounced ) is the largest city in the East Midlands of England. ...

Ric Grech stood out especially on Family Entertainment, his fast rocker "Second Generation Woman" being the exciting opener of side two. His other two songs grabbed attention as well. "How-Hi-The-Li" acerbically thumbed a nose at authority figures, while "Face In the Cloud" conjured up beautiful dreams of an ideal world. (Tellingly, all of Grech's songs contained explicit drug references, and drug abuse would eventually lead to his premature death at 43 in 1990). The album closed with "Emotions," an immaculately produced choral number in the manner of the Rolling Stones's "Salt Of the Earth." This article is about the rock band. ...

Family's momentum was almost derailed by the departure of Grech for Blind Faith two months after Family Entertainment's UK release, which caused their first U.S. tour to founder, and Jim King only worsened the situation with his departure later in 1969. But the album gave their music a new direction, and remains an indisputable classic. "The Weaver's Answer" would go on to become their signature song. There are other articles with similar names; see Blind Faith (disambiguation). ...

Personnel

• Roger Chapman: vocals and percussion
• John "Charlie" Whitney: guitars, organ
• Jim King: vocals, saxophone, piano
• Ric Grech: bass, vocals, violin
• Rob Townsend: drums and percussion

Roger Chapman on the cover of his 1996 album Kiss My Soul Roger Chapman (Roger Maxwell Chapman) is a British singer (born on 8 April 1942, in Leicester, England). ... Richard John Whitney (born June 24, 1944) John Charlie Whitney is a British rock guitarist and a former member of both Family and Streetwalkers. ... Jim King (born in Northamptonshire, England, in 1945) was an original member of the British rock band Family. ... Richard Roman Grech, November 1, 1946 – March 17, 1990. ... Rob Townsend (born July 7, 1947) is a British rock drummer who played for the progressive rock band Family from 1967 to 1973. ...

Chart positions

• Highest chart position (UK) - #6
• Highest chart position (U.S.) - did not chart