''Music in a Doll's House'' is the debut album by English progressive rock group Family, released on 19 July 1968. The album, co-produced by Dave Mason of Traffic,Vernon Joynson, ''The Tapestry of Delights Revised, The Comprehensive Guide To British Music Of The Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963 - 1976'', 2006 Edition (Borderline Productions, Reprinted 2008), pp. 276 features a number of complex musical arrangements contributing to its ambitious

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sound.

Background

The Beatles had originally intended to use the title ''A Doll's House'' for the double album they were recording during 1968. The release of Family's similarly titled debut then prompted them to adopt the minimalist title '' The Beatles'' for what is now commonly referred to as the "White Album" due to its plain white sleeve. "Old Songs, New Songs" features a cameo from the Tubby Hayes group, arranged by 18-year-old Mike Batt. Hayes played the tenor sax solo at the end of the track (uncredited). Batt also arranged and conducted other strings and brass for the album, notably "The Chase" and "Mellowing Grey" but was not credited. The album was the first of its kind by an English rock group on the US Reprise label set up for Frank Sinatra (but was already part of Warner Bros). It was licensed to the label by Dukeslodge Enterprises, a company run by the band's manager, John Gilbert, who was credited as 'executive producer' of the album. The album was released on vinyl in mono (RLP6312) and stereo (RSLP6312), and also Stereo 8 Track Cartridge. Mono vinyl copies featured a different mix to the stereo pressing and many mono copies were returned to the shops as they often skipped tracks. The mono edition was swiftly withdrawn, making this a much sought-after format. This album was initially issued in the US using the UK import and sold in the US as a domestic album with an extra piece of cardboard to stiffen the sleeve (as they essentially had the same catalog number in both countries). Around the time the second album was issued in the US, US pressings of this album started to appear. (The album also initially had a 12" black and white photo of group included as an insert.) In the '' Q'' & '' Mojo'' Classic Special Edition ''Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock'', the album ranked number 30 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".''Q Classic: Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock'', 2005. It was voted number 606 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's '' All Time Top 1000 Albums'' (2000).

Track listing

All tracks written by John Whitney and Roger Chapman, except as noted.

Personnel

Family

* Roger Chapman – vocals,

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, tenor saxophone * John "Charlie" Whitney – lead and

steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

s * Jim King – tenor and

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

saxophones, vocals, harmonica * Ric Grech – bass guitar, vocals, violin, cello * Rob Townsend –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, percussion

Technical

* Dave Mason –

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

* Jimmy Miller – co-producer on "The Breeze" and "Peace of Mind" * John Gilbert –

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

* Eddie Kramer – engineer * George Chkiantz – second engineer * Peter Duval – album design * Julian Cottrell – front cover photography * Jac Remise – back cover photography

References

*Sleevenotes from CD re-release of album on See For Miles Records ;Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Music In A Doll's House Family (band) albums 1968 debut albums Albums produced by Dave Mason Albums produced by Jimmy Miller Reprise Records albums