FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT

Family's second album sees the same line-up as it was on the debut album, but this sophomore effort is rather different than its rookie predecessor. I would not really say that it is less inspired, but it is definitely inconsistent even if there are some major highlights, but overall, I ban only think of this album as a deception. I never really understood exactly what this was about, but apparently this album was a base for a live concept with outside artists intervening on stage, but there is no clear (or at least obvious) link between the different tracks on this record.

There are some real pearls on the album such as the opening The Weaver's Answer and the closing Emotions with its great instrumental finale. Others include the short instrumental and eastern-influenced Summer Of 67 - which is more reminiscent of the debut album) and Face In The Clouds with its sitar dominated mid-paced ballad, but the real gem on the album is the politically conscious How-Hi-The- Li that hints towards the best Traffic moments.

The rest of the tracks are IMHO sub-standard Family songs and seem completely uninspired even if the Grech-penned Second Generation Woman was a minor hit with its strong power chords. Dim is a rather awful country-esque track and the pastoral From Past Archives is very average with superfluous string arrangements, Processions fails to raise the slightest interest in this listener's mind and the Observations seems to have been written from a pit rather than on top of a hill.

I am not too sure this album got another recent release on Mystic records (as did all of the following albums) but if it were, there would tons of singles material added as bonus tracks since they made a few non-album singles. If I seem rather severe with this album, it is because it is sandwiched between two much better albums and there are some rather weak tracks and those outnumber the three real gems/ Weaver, Emotions and How-Hi.