| Name: | Anyway |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Family |
| Cover: | Myscd171.jpeg --> |
| Released: | November 1970 |
| Genre: | Rock / Progressive rock |
| Length: | 39:57 |
| Label: | Reprise Records (UK), United Artists Records (U.S.) |
| Producer: | Family for Bradgate Bush, Ltd. |
| Engineer: | George Chkiantz |
| Last Album: | A Song For Me (1970) |
| This Album: | Anyway (1970) |
| Next Album: | Old Songs New Songs (1971) |
Anyway is the fourth album from the British progressive rock band Family. Side one was recorded at a concert at Fairfield Halls in the Croydon section of London; side two was a collection of studio recordings.
Side One: Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Side Two: Olympic Studios
Side One
Side Two
(All selections by Whitney/Chapman except where noted.)
Anyway was a stopgap album between A Song For Me and Fearless, evenly divided between a concert side and a studio side. The record was originally meant to be a double live album, but the band felt the available recordings weren't up to par; the Fairfield Halls performances here were meant to satisfy fans who wanted an example of their concert work on disc. Apart from a studio recording of "Strange Band" issued on an EP, none of the songs performed live, in fact, had ever been released in any form.
The concert recordings perfectly caught the thunder of Family live, with fiery performances of "Good News Bad News," a scathing indictment of upper-class control of the masses, and the cryptic "Strange Band" that offered up some of Charlie Whitney's heaviest guitar riffs and Roger Chapman's nastiest vocals. By contrast, the band featured a tender performance of the ballad "Willow Tree" and a crisp take on the folk-rock tune "Holding The Compass." Poli Palmer concentrates mainly on vibraphone, and Townsend displays an array of drum patterns.
Side two finds Family experimenting with different instruments and arrangements that, as always, tries to break new ground rather than rely on previous innovations. "Part of the Load," about touring America, displays descriptive lyrics against a tough bass line and a shuffling drum pattern. The title song experiments with exotic percussion, and the instrumental "Normans" is an unconventional waltz track. "Lives And Ladies" closes Anyway with an antiwar message and a tight band performance.
Much of what Family achieved on Anyway laid the groundwork for their next album, Fearless.
Family's single "In My Own Time" was added to the American edition of Anyway when it was released by United Artists Records in 1971.