IT'S ONLY A MOVIE

Jim Cregan of Blossom Toes and the late Tony Ashton rounded out a rather long list of musicians who wandered through the Family turnstile at one time or another, and became part of the lineup that would disband shortly after this album released. This isn't as bad an album as the rap it's given would leave you to believe, but by the same token there's not a whole lot to remind me of some of their better days either.

"Buffet Tea for Two", despite the cheesy title, has some great piano and percussion (not to mention at least a couple of uncredited instruments), and the opening title track has the feel of what was coming to be known as "art rock" at the time. The band even manages to take a stab at dirty R&B with "Sweet Desiree" and what can only be described as cowboy country blues with the completely out-of-place "Stop This Car" including a muddled attempt at slide guitar that I'm pretty sure was delivered with a Gibson and a beer bottle. So some creativity I suppose considering they really weren't that kind of band, but in this record is mostly a total mishmash of sounds with no cohesive theme, rhyme or reason.

The cowboy photo on the cover is appropriate given the salty, almost redneck sound of most of the rest of the album, including the aptly-named "Boots N' Roots" and the closing "Check Out", which sounds like a jam session and appropriately fades away to signal an end to the album and to the band.

Not much else to say really. This was a very good band in their heyday, but changing times and a revolving lineup combined to make them irrelevant as the mid-70s gave way to the early vestiges of disco and punk. They called it quits after this record, followed of course by the inevitable 'lost' live releases and white-label compilations. Really for collectors only, although probably a little too good for the two stars I'm going to lay on it (but not by much).

peace