aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser
#030– Friends of the Family – ‘Rotten To The Core’ (Ediesta Records ’87)
Dear friends,
I’m still caught in last week’s trap, so much so that – again – the next single in the box is by a band no-one knows, most probably. No, that’s not true, I’m sure my chum Brian knows them – because he is the renowned expert for jingly C86 – stuff, otherwise unbeknownst to the masses. And the less such a band is known, the less information one can find about them some decades later …. as pointed out last week.
Of course, we have all learnt by now that just because a band didn’t end up with a massive output, it automatically means they are crap. You see, if such a band has released just one single which meets with my approval, they have achieved more than I have achieved in my lifetime! There are dozens of examples proving this great theory, and today’s single is just one of them.
Apparently there are quite a handful of bands called Friends Of The Family, a “Dutch folk collective”, based in The Hague. Also there is a “fun-loving big band” from Perth in Australia. Then, one from northeast Pennsylvania, with “an ever rotating lineup of musicians”. Also, of course, there were Friends Of The Family from Wilmington, Delaware, one of the “more progressive 60’s garage bands”.
So, which of those will it be today, I’m sure you are eager to learn?! The answer is, none of them, because today’s Friends Of The Family came from the UK, originally from Harrogate, but ended up in Birmingham.
Basically the only member with at least a little bit of background on the internet is Matthew Eaton. He used to play in a band called Delta, and after Friends Of The Family he moved on to join Pram, and, as it seems, he took singer Rosie Cuckston with him.
But as Friends Of The Family, they only recorded two records, both on Ediesta Records and both in 1987: a 12” called “Three Fat Men (On A Bicycle)” and today’s offering, the absolutely stunning
mp3: Friends Of The Family – Rotten To The Core
And the above, folks, is all I know about this single. So, as they say, let the music speak instead: nothing wrong with that, I’m sure you agree. Especially when the music is as fine as it is today.
Just let me know what you think, please!
Enjoy!
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 