Fearless | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 29 October 1971 | |||
Recorded | 1971 | |||
Studio | Olympic Studios, London | |||
Genre | Progressive rock, psychedelic rock | |||
Length | 38:06 | |||
Label | Reprise (UK), United Artists (US) | |||
Producer | Family, George Chkiantz | |||
Family chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B [2] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
Hi-Fi News & Record Review | A:1/2 [4] |
Fearless is the fifth album by the British progressive rock band Family, which was released on 29 October 1971, on Reprise Records in the UK and United Artists Records in the US. It is known for its innovative cover design by John Kosh, using layered-page album headshots of the band's members melding into a single blur.
After completing their second US tour in mid 1971, John Weider left the band and was replaced by John Wetton on bass and vocals. The band's direction was notably changed with Wetton bringing along his trademark propulsive performance style, as evidenced on the album opener "Between Blue and Me". [1] After only a year and one more album, Wetton left to join the latest line-up of King Crimson and was replaced by Jim Cregan. Fearless was the first Family album to chart in the United States, reaching #177 on the Billboard 200 in March 1972, and staying on the charts for 7 weeks. [5]
A three-disc expanded edition was released in September, 2023. It includes tracks drawn from the ‘In My Own Time’ single, period BBC Radio sessions (Bob Harris, Top Gear) and a BBC Radio One In Concert performance recorded on Dec. 28, 1970.
Writing in the US rock magazine Creem, reviewer Ed Ward, after admitting that he hadn't liked Family, called Fearless "a good, strong album, loaded with some of the most intense, high energy British rock and roll being made these days", but still rated it "not quite as good as Anyway" (which hadn't been released in the United States at that time, anyway). He dismissed tracks "Spanish Tide" and "Children" as "filler", but concluded that "what's left is fine indeed." [6]
Jack Breschard, writing in Crawdaddy, went further and declared the album to be "nothing less than brilliant." He singled out Side One for particular praise, "being the catchiest album side I've heard in a very long time." He thought that much of the album's strength lay in "the multi-instrumentality of the band", adding that although the band's range was wide "no-one gets hung up in a bunch of musical pretensions." [7]
AllMusic deemed the album "uneven", but noted that it had some strong highlights, such as "Spanish Tide", "Save Some for Thee", and "Take Your Partners", the last of which saw "the bandmembers maneuver their interaction with an aptitude and skill that would arguably best any jam-based aggregate of the day." [1]
All selections are by Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Between Blue and Me" | 4:58 | |
2. | "Sat'd'y Barfly" | 4:02 | |
3. | "Larf and Sing" | Palmer | 2:45 |
4. | "Spanish Tide" | 4:00 | |
5. | "Save Some for Thee" | 3:45 | |
6. | "Take Your Partners" | Whitney, Chapman, Palmer | 6:25 |
7. | "Children" | 2:20 | |
8. | "Crinkly Grin" (instrumental) | Palmer | 1:05 |
9. | "Blind" | 4:02 | |
10. | "Burning Bridges" | Whitney, Chapman, Palmer | 4:44 |
Chart (1971) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Albums (OCC) [8] | 14 |
US Billboard 200 [9] | 177 |
Asia is the debut studio album by English rock supergroup Asia, released in 1982. According to both Billboard and Cashbox, it was the #1 album in the United States for the year 1982. It contains their biggest hit "Heat of the Moment", which reached #4 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Larks' Tongues in Aspic is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock group King Crimson, released on 23 March 1973 through Island Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada. This album is the debut of King Crimson's third incarnation, featuring co-founder and guitarist Robert Fripp along with four new members: bass guitarist and vocalist John Wetton, violinist and keyboardist David Cross, percussionist Jamie Muir, and drummer Bill Bruford. It is a key album in the band's evolution, drawing on Eastern European classical music and European free improvisation as central influences.
Autoamerican is the fifth studio album by American rock band Blondie. It was released in November 1980 and reached No. 3 in the UK charts, No. 7 in the US, and No. 8 in Australia. The album spawned two singles, "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture". "The Tide Is High" hit number one in several countries, including the US and the UK. "Rapture" became the first rap song ever to reach number one on the singles chart in the US. It also reached number five in the UK and number four in Australia.
Made in the Shade, released in 1975, is the third official compilation album by the Rolling Stones, and the first under their Atlantic Records contract. It covers material from Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972), Goats Head Soup (1973) and It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (1974).
Free at Last is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Free. It was recorded between January and March 1972, and released in May that year. After breaking up in May 1971 due to differences between singer Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser, the band had reformed in January 1972.
The World Is a Ghetto is the fifth album by American band War, released in late 1972 on United Artists Records. The album attained the number one spot on Billboard, and was Billboard magazine's Album of the Year as the best-selling album of 1973. In addition to being Billboard's #1 album of 1973, the album was ranked number 444 on Rolling Stone magazine's original list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The title track became a gold record.
Family were an English rock band, active from late 1966 to October 1973, and again since 2013 for a series of live shows. Their style has been characterised as progressive rock, as their sound often explored other genres, incorporating elements of styles such as folk, psychedelia, acid rock, jazz fusion, and rock and roll. The band achieved recognition in the United Kingdom through their albums, club and concert tours, and appearances at festivals.
The Magician's Birthday is the fifth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in November 1972 by Bronze Records in the UK and Mercury Records in the US. The concept was "based loosely on a short story" written by keyboardist Ken Hensley in June and July 1972.
U.K. is the debut album by the progressive rock supergroup U.K., released in May 1978 through E.G. Records and Polydor Records. It features John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, Bill Bruford, and Allan Holdsworth. The album was well received by FM album rock radio and by the public during the summer of 1978. The LP sold just over 250,000 copies by 1 September 1978, with further sales through the rest of the year. The album was remastered in 2016 and included as part of the box-set "Ultimate Collector's Edition". "In the Dead of Night" and "Mental Medication" were both edited for a single A- and B-side release.
Bare Trees is the sixth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in March 1972. It was their last album to feature Danny Kirwan, who was fired during the album's supporting tour. The album peaked at number 70 on the US Billboard 200 chart dated 3 June 1972.
High and Mighty is the ninth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in May 1976 by Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the US. High and Mighty was the last Uriah Heep album to feature bassist John Wetton, and vocalist and founding member David Byron who was fired later that year due to his troubles with alcohol and differences with band priorities.
Dr. John's Gumbo released in 1972 is the fifth album by New Orleans singer and pianist Dr. John, a tribute to the music of his native city. The album is a collection of covers of New Orleans classics, played by a major figure in the city's music. It marked the beginning of Dr. John's transition away from the eccentric stage character that earned him a cult following, and toward a more straightforward image based on New Orleans' R&B traditions.
Streetwalkers were an English rock band formed in late 1973 by two former members of rock band Family, vocalist Roger Chapman and guitarist John "Charlie" Whitney. They were a five piece band which evolved from the Chapman Whitney Band.
Anyway is the fourth album by the British progressive rock band Family. Side one was recorded at a concert at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, south London; side two is a collection of new studio recordings.
Bandstand is the sixth studio album by the British progressive rock band Family. Released in 1972, it was their second and last album to chart in the United States. The original album cover was die-cut in the shape of a Bush TV22 television set, with a black-and-white image of the band onscreen.
The Electric Light Orchestra is the debut studio album by English rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), released in December 1971 in the United Kingdom by Harvest Records. In the United States, the album was released in March 1972 as No Answer, after a misunderstood telephone message made by a United Artists Records executive asking about the album name; the caller, having failed to reach the ELO contact, wrote down "no answer" in his notes, and this was misconstrued to be the name of the album.
It's Only a Movie is the seventh studio album by the British progressive rock band Family, released in 1973, and their last original studio album before they disbanded that year.
Streetwalkers was the title of an album recorded by Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney released in 1974, following the dissolution of Family in 1973. The musicians credited on this album included other former members of Family and the band evolved into the band called Streetwalkers.
Live at the Orpheum is a live album by the band King Crimson, released by Discipline Global Mobile records in 2015. The album was recorded on 30 September and 1 October at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California on the band's The Elements of King Crimson US tour of 2014.
"My Friend the Sun" is a song by the British rock band Family. It was written by Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney for the band's 1972 album Bandstand. The single did not make the UK Singles Chart.