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Thread: Ultimate Family Boxset

  1. #26
    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by strawberrybrick View Post
    I have a colleague who was lucky enough to see them in the US in late 60s, and states this as well. I believe they were unparalleled in energy...
    I can attest to the manic, controlled chaos of the typical Family performance, having caught them in '69 (on a bill with another group that knew something about controlled chaos, The Nice)......
    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  2. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by walt View Post
    I agree Charles, but i'd add Entertainment to this list.Not nearly the equal of the debut or Fearless and Bandstand, but with more than enough great tunes,imo, to warrant its inclusion in any list of essential Family cds.
    Happy New Year Brother Walt, indeed FE is still one if the band's best studio albums.
    Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care... Frank Zappa

  3. #28
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chuck AzEee! View Post
    Happy New Year Brother Walt,.
    Happy New Year to you and yours Charles.

    (us New York City cats have to stick together
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  4. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by walt View Post
    Happy New Year to you and yours Charles.

    (us New York City cats have to stick together
    Indeed!


    I have a close friend that I played some Family for and he was mortified! He dispised the band. Ahh it's his loss.
    Thanks again Buddy!
    Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care... Frank Zappa

  5. #30
    Couple of classic clips.



    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  6. #31
    Boo! walt's Avatar
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    Just finished checking out the Rockenstock clip

    Fuckin' Poli Palmer on vibes!.......Great stuff.Will peruse the second clip anon.

    Thanks for posting 'em.
    "please do not understand me too quickly"-andre gide

  7. #32
    I'd go straight to "Strange Band", their psycho-manic-thrash-weirdo-angst-prog anthem from 1970. Fuzzvibes, goatvox and loonyfiddle galore!

    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  8. #33
    Forgive me guys, but who is the nice looking blonde at the beginning of the Rockenstock performance?
    Last edited by Chuck AzEee!; 01-04-2013 at 11:36 AM.
    Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care... Frank Zappa

  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by lovecraft View Post
    So, whats the mastering like.....?
    Forget it.....I caved already.....please don't tell my wife.......

  10. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by lovecraft View Post
    Forget it.....I caved already.....please don't tell my wife.......
    Tell us what the mastering is like and we won't.


  11. #36
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    My opinion on mastering is probably not worth much* but I will happily post a couple of tracks for your perusal if there is an easy way to do it?

    *eg I have no problem with the VDGG masters I think you hate so much but found the stereo remixes on the Genesis 70-75 box a crime against humanity though perhaps this latter example is an extreme one.

    So does anyone know the 2 LP's that are not from masters?

  12. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by lovecraft View Post
    My opinion on mastering is probably not worth much* but I will happily post a couple of tracks for your perusal if there is an easy way to do it?

    *eg I have no problem with the VDGG masters I think you hate so much but found the stereo remixes on the Genesis 70-75 box a crime against humanity though perhaps this latter example is an extreme one.

    So does anyone know the 2 LP's that are not from masters?
    Sounds good. Just rip a short track and upload to yousendit or any of dozens of free hosts. Then send me the link.

  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by JeffCarney View Post
    Sounds good. Just rip a short track and upload to yousendit or any of dozens of free hosts. Then send me the link.
    Well apparently mine is on its way though
    They are using a courier rather than Royal Mail which is shit.....

  14. #39
    Has anyone read Jenny Fabian's 1969 novel, 'Groupie'? Its not bad at all -she was a model who wwrote it with the help of a journalist- and the interesting thing is that she more or less tells about her life as a rock band groupie in those days, and for a while was Family bassist Rick Gretch's girlfriend. There's several chapters where she narrates the lifestyle of Family, who at the time where all living together. Of course, in the book they all have fake names (as well as other luminaries of the time, Syd Barrett included, who was one of her lovers), but are easy to identify.

  15. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by ceuyoyi View Post
    Has anyone read Jenny Fabian's 1969 novel, 'Groupie'? Its not bad at all -she was a model who wwrote it with the help of a journalist- and the interesting thing is that she more or less tells about her life as a rock band groupie in those days, and for a while was Family bassist Rick Gretch's girlfriend. There's several chapters where she narrates the lifestyle of Family, who at the time where all living together. Of course, in the book they all have fake names (as well as other luminaries of the time, Syd Barrett included, who was one of her lovers), but are easy to identify.
    I have not read this one but did very recently have a go at I'm With The Band by Pamela Des Barres - I'm afraid her spectacular vacuousness meant I could not finish it. I suppose some people just never grow up.

  16. #41
    Just back from the 2nd of their reunion shows at Shepherd's Bush Empire (originally meant to be a one-off but it sold out, and an extra show was added). The first album I ever bought, as a 13-year-old, was A Song for Me - under-rated compared to others in their catalogue - I was the only person in my class who liked them, my classmates couldn't tolerate Chappo's "bleating"; I loved it.
    I had tickets to a Family concert in the early 70s but the show was cancelled, so I had to make do with a couple of Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers gigs in the mid-70s, and a Short List show in Mainz c. 1988, so I was thrilled to hear about this "two-off" reunion, but I wasn't expecting much from a pretty gnarly bunch of guys. In fact, it was great - OK, Chappo can't reach the high notes any more, but he still has plenty of power at the age of 71 (!). The band were great - Poli Palmer on vibes, Jim Cregan on guitars and Rob Townsend on drums, augmented by long-time Chappo sideman Geoff Whitehorn on guitar, Nick Payn on flute and sax, Gary Twigg on bass, Paul Hirsch on keys and John Lingwood on a second drumset.
    They played a broad selection of songs. and played them well. This was the set list:-
    Top of the Hill
    Drowned in Wine
    Holding the Compass
    Part of the Load
    Ready to Go
    Crinkly Grin (I think)
    Burning Bridges
    No Mule's Fool
    Sat'dy Barfly
    Between Blue and Me (dedicated to Whitney)
    Hung Up Down
    Burlesque
    In my own Time
    The Weaver's Answer
    My Friend the Sun
    Sweet Desiree

    Of course there are songs I would have liked them to play - Lives and Ladies, Dim, Observations from a Hill, A Song for Me etc, but they played for 1hr 45mins, and I think everyone went home happy in the knowledge that they'd seen one of their old (literally - something the band made light of as the "limped" off stage at the end) favourites put on a good show one last time - I know I did!

  17. #42
    Thanks for the report Tony! Any pics?
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  18. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by strawberrybrick View Post
    Thanks for the report Tony! Any pics?
    I did take a couple on my Blackberry, but from 100 feet away, the quality is poor, I'm afraid.
    Last edited by TonyW; 02-03-2013 at 03:48 AM.

  19. #44
    Hammersmith and Fulham-20130202-00830.jpgHammersmith and Fulham-20130202-00833.jpg

    Here are a couple from last night's show - apologies for the poor quality.

  20. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by JeffCarney View Post
    Sounds good. Just rip a short track and upload to yousendit or any of dozens of free hosts. Then send me the link.
    Well I uploaded a track and here is the link. Was not sure what format to do it in so in the end unwisely opted for uncompressed wav so it is quite a big file but not prohibitively so.....

    http://www21.zippyshare.com/v/97424442/file.html

  21. #46
    Looks like the whole thing was "Remastered from original tapes by Peter J Reynolds in ... 2012". Beautiful box, LP size, quite thick, with Sounds Newspaper, COA, Hard cover book, and lots of digipacks. Big niggle is that Bandstand and Fearless sleeves aren't die-cut, but hey, at this price I gotta finds something to grip about.

    The remastering is a little bit hot for my taste, but I only have the US vinyl to compare to (and none were good copies/pressings that I remember), and I *just* got it. Very clean, balanced, good stereo separation though. Here's the WAV of Burlesque:

    Screenshot from 2013-02-05 18:54:01.jpg
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

  22. #47
    Quote Originally Posted by lovecraft View Post
    Well I uploaded a track and here is the link. Was not sure what format to do it in so in the end unwisely opted for uncompressed wav so it is quite a big file but not prohibitively so.....

    http://www21.zippyshare.com/v/97424442/file.html
    Thanks very much for the sample.

    I'll compare to the See For Miles CD and report back. Intiial impression is that some no-noise has been used and it's quite treble heavy, but the dynamics are pretty good. A little compression but not heavy or anything.

  23. #48
    Well, it's really a toss up.

    The See For Miles version has more breath and none of the no-noise that seems to be on the new version. It is also more dynamic with lots better punch, but it is way too trebley and the new version is far better in this regard.

    I think a clean vinyl copy would probably smoke both of these but if I had to choose, I might live with the new one. Although you could cut the treble yourself on the SFM version whereas the no-noise and compression on the new one cannot be undone.

  24. #49
    Member Garyhead's Avatar
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    DAMMIT! Just bought one......this kinda stuff only seems to happen during the cold winter months.....good thing I don't live in the Yukon!
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  25. #50
    Quote Originally Posted by JeffCarney View Post
    Well, it's really a toss up.
    The big issue is that you really can't crank these, they really are hot. A disappointment, but again, beautiful presentation.
    "Always ready with the ray of sunshine"

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