From Past Archives #2:- Family - Music in a Doll's House

On this occasion I'm revisiting an album I have been familiar with since soon after it was released in July 1968 when a few of us 6th formers would hang out in the school music room at lunch times and those who could afford to purchase LP records would bring in their current favourites for our enjoyment. That was how I first heard Music in a Doll's House' the debut album by Family.

Since then I have owned the album on LP, CD and in 1999 I purchased the double See For Miles CD package which coupled the album with it's follow-up, 'Family Entertainment'. The main motivation for buying it on that occasion was the inclusion of both sides of the very hard to find first Family single, 'Scene Through The Eye of a Lens' / 'Gypsy Woman'. That record was released in the autumn of 1967 on the Liberty label and despite being hailed since as something of a classic, it failed to dent the charts. Incidentally, if you stumble across an original copy, you will probably have to fork out something like £200 for it.

At around that time, drummer Harry Overnall was replaced by Rob Townsend and in December 1967, the band commenced work at Olympic Studios, London on the tracks for what would become 'Music in a Doll's House'. The intention had been to use New Yorker Jimmy Miller as producer (he had been at the controls for the single) but although he continued to have an input, he was becoming heavily involved with the Rolling Stones who were recording 'Beggars Banquet' also at Olympic Studios. Consequently much of the production was handed to Dave Mason who was flitting in and out of the band Traffic.

Although it is often referred to as a classic of it's time, I feel that that the album has never really gained the recognition it deserves. I've lived with and loved this album for close to 50 years now and I never tire of hearing it. If I ever do get round to actually compiling a list of my top 20 albums of all time, I feel certain that it will be in there. Consequently despite owning CD copies, it was a record that I simply had to own once more on vinyl. And now I do. And if ever a record has convinced me that vinyl is the way to listen to music - then this is it. (Anyone want to buy a CD copy?) There is an awful lot going on in the tracks of this record and instead of straining to hear some of my favourite parts, I find that they now leap out of the speakers and fill the room. It is quite astonishing and the quality belies the age of this recording.

The eagle-eyed among you will however note from these photos that while the record I have is catalogue number K44057, the cover is for the far rarer original mono version (RLP 6312). I have to confess that my heart skipped a beat when I saw the cover, as the mono copy is extremely rare as well as being somewhat different to the stereo version. Oh well, perhaps one of these days I will stumble across one of those.

It is of course now a well known fact that the Beatles had intended calling what would become the double white album, 'A Doll's House' but Family scuppered that plan. Musically the album is very different from what Family would eventually become best known for though, to be fair, Family were a very eclectic band musically and were very difficult to categorise. I mean, can you imagine four more different singles than 'Today', 'The Weaver's Answer', 'No Mule's Fool' or 'Burlesque'? 'Music in a Doll's House' was far more psychedelic than later releases with tracks seamlessly running into each other and in some cases being connected by short, instrumental "variations on a theme" of some of the main tracks. The songwriting was mainly credited to Roger Chapman and John 'Charlie' Whitney though producer Dave Mason chipped in with one song 'Never Like This' which contained surrealistic lyrics somewhat akin to Traffic's 'Hole in My Shoe'. Stylistically it fitted onto the album perfectly.

The track 'Old Songs, New Songs' has on many CD issues of the album, been erroneously titled 'Old Songs For New Songs'. Thankfully, my LP gets it right. It is a great track which features jazz saxophonist Tubby Hayes and his band playing out a rip-roaring finale. The arrangement had been done by an 18 year old Mike Batt who inadvertently wrote the parts in the wrong key. The ever professional Hayes realised the error and simply transposed the parts by ear as he played along to the backing track. Unfortunately soon after the sessions, Hayes had to undergo major heart surgery and in 1973 he died while having further surgery at the age of 38.

'Music in a Doll's House' is a great album and a welcome addition to my vinyl collection.
For your enjoyment, here is the track referred to above, 'Old Songs New Songs'
Old Songs New Songs