ANYWAY

For many years the legend of the great British Art-rock band Family was based on on solid albums, but much of the warranted praise really was due to the band's live prowess. Lead singer Roger Chapman usually was a cite to behold, filled with bodily contortions, seemed more seizure-like, but yet the the great frontman's ability to get the song accross never wavered. On the Family's fourth album, Anyway the band put together a half live half studio effort which seemed more haphazard in its effort, as the the live side featured four songs recorded at the Fairfield Concert Hall in London (but the songs were poorly recorded due to Family's record label giving them the OK to record the concert hours before, so the sound recording was actually being set-up as the patrons were walking in the hall!). The songs on the first half netherless (despite the treble-ly sound) only hinted how powerful this band was at the peak during a live setting. Sadly, the visual side was not captured of this tour, but yet hinted on the last track "Strange Band" which the song comes to an apocalyptical ending with Roger Chapman throwing down his mike causing the audience to cheer frantically.

The second half of Anyway, were studio tracks written during a sabbatical from touring showing the band inbetween in their musical direction, The title track and the instrumental "Normans" date back to the experimental psychedlic era of the Family's first two albums, and the remaining tracks a precurser to Family's greatness to come on "Fearless" and "Bandstand". The track "Lives and Ladies", for Charlie Whitney's guitar solo, is worth this CD's price.

Charles