...and it was due to Chapman's keen insight that the Abbey Road album soon flopped, went out of print, and nobody ever heard from the Beatles again. So sad.
Abbey road may have sold well. But it’s really far from the best work of the Beatles. The medley (or unfinished songs) is very much indicative that they weren’t gelling and the creative tank was running dry. And they did split not long after it hit the charts.
@@danieleyre8913 It is by far the Beatles' best work, full of creative energy and originality. Like to see you come up with that many quality drum parts.
I don’t have to imagine thinking that. The first time I heard come together as a kid in the 1980s; It seemed to me like McCartney was trying to be someone else.
Chapman was just giving an honest opinion. Family was, if anything, more eclectic than the Beatles and I noticed the Beatles seemed to lose energy starting with the White album. I liked them, but I never took them as the best group in the world. They were human; they could lose interest. I truly think they did lose interest. I think the same thing happened to the Stones after they signed with Atlantic. Even the best get complacent over time. I know a lot of people love this album. I liked it too, but after about three or four listenings, I wouldn't consciously put it on again. But that's my opinion...and this is Chapman's opinion. And everyone can have their own opinion. I think that's wonderful!!!
I had never heard of the guy (Chapman). Reminds me of some famous French guy who disparaged the Bible. A Bible society now operates out of the home he once occupied.
The Beatles truly made music for the future and not the times. At first, one might think it's ordinary, then the more you listen their albums, the more you like it; the more you discover and the more your body and your ears register.
That makes no sense whatsoever. Music for the future?? Sgt. Pepper's is so dated it will forever by a relic of 1967. Their Pre-Rubber Soul albums are far from being ahead of their time. They are forever locked into the early 1960s. The only Beatles album that sounds contemporary is Abbey Road. I guess I don't get what you are saying.
@@goplad1 I agree with what you say about pre-Rubber Soul, but a lot of their material after that isn't. As far as 'Pepper goes, 'Within You, Without You' and 'A Day In The Life' are so strange, I think they're timeless and can leave an impression on anyone listening.
Well, as they say now days: These takes aged like a gallon of milk left out in the sun. Abbey Road is literally the first album I remember....hearing..or seeing. I was so young, I remember thinking the half apple on the center looked tasty..like I wanted to eat it. One of my older sisters bought it of course. They were in the demo. They could have been those girls freaking out at Shea Stadium. I remember playing it on the Telefunken console unit we had in the living room. It had a record player, a reel to reel and a massive multi-ban radio. Had to be like a 1960 model? Beautiful mahogany? with sliding doors. Tubes. What a sound. With two external speakers no less. At the age of 7, Maxwell's Silver Hammer fascinated me. The guy was killing people? With a hammer? And this from the cartoon guys I watched on TV every Saturday morning? Yes, I am an old...
@@doggedout Nope not at all. What’s aged like milk is Abbey road. If you played it to most people born after 1985; they would tell you it’s mostly shit. So if anything his comments are still highly relevant. And while that assessment would be hyperbole; there’s still some truth behind it. It’s far from the Beatles best work, I’ve always felt it was their second worst album after the mess that was the white album. It’s pretty indicative to me that they were no longer getting on & gelling behind the scenes and that the band was running its course and the creative tank was running dry. The side 2’s exalted “medley” is really just a bunch of unfinished songs. Octopuses garden is just rubbish and he’s right about Maxwells silver hammer being typical McCartney granny music like when I’m 64 (and you mother should know, honey pie, etc). The Beatles could get away with that and putting out such an overall mediocre album and sell so many copies (because they were the Beatles) but had any other band put out something like Abbey Road they would’ve got panned and the album would’ve likely flopped.
@@danieleyre8913 Oh well, If anyone born after 1985 thinks it is sht then it must be so.! Since only people born after 1985 are the true historical curators of taste..since they can't seem to make any good music themselves. What pompous bsht. It was basically their last album and it was as diverse as they could make it. By that time, they were sick of pandering to the charts. And sick of the stupid fans...like you. ...and ohh...what about Octopuses Garden? Who cares. So sick of that lame crap. What about Yellow Submarine? Your critique is about one inch deep. Nobody listening to radio at the time had a problem with it...and nobody buying albums since has either..unless apparently they were "born after 1985".
There is nothing of any value in Chapman’s ‘blind date’ comments. “Everyone in this room is now dumber.” That said, keep up the great work, love this channel!
@@danieleyre8913 Like what? He rightly dismissed the clunkers, but he also dismissed everything else, including some great songs. Where's the insight or value in that?
@@danieleyre8913 Musical preferences aside, I think it's a bit sad to not be able to appreciate a perfectly crafted song like Something. Come Together and I Want You also have a lot going for them.
I once tried listening to Roger Chapman's vocals, and gave up pretty quickly, because I just wasn't into vocals that sound like a goat being tortured. I'd give him some leeway if he disliked one or two of the Abbey Road songs, just on the grounds of personal taste (I'm not too keen on Maxwell myself), but dissing the entire first side of Abbey Road? Nope, he's just jealous. I do give him some credit on his take on The Soft Parade - the first couple minutes of the song are kind of similar to The Mothers Of Invention, at least in terms of being a cut-and-paste of various styles.
I was going to post almost the same comment until I saw yours. I want to like Family because it's my style of music but Roger Chapman's voice is horrendous.
You're definitely right, a lot of the people knocking the Beatles in Melody Maker just seemed jealous, especially seeing how a lot of Family's music is pretty Beatley
I think the real value in these videos (which I am very grateful to the maker for uploading for us to enjoy) is precisely that they allow us to see how things were viewed very differently at the time and challenge out preconceptions. Far from being heretic one of the biggest critics of Abbey Road at the time was John Lennon himself who for good measure was also a fan of Roger Chapman and the Family.
Ahh, Roger Chapman, otherwise known as the 'Electric Goat', who can forget his vocals. I must thank him for reminding me of Mel Torme's brilliant record 'Comin' Home Baby', to give it it's proper name, although it has only the vaguest similarity to the Beatle's“ I Want you to (She’s so Heavy)”. To give him his due he was presented with quite a few clunkers which he dispensed with fairly. (Jimmy Young! Saints preserve us!!) Roger's group, Family, were prominent in the Underground scene but never really emerged far into the daylight.
Family's 1969 LP 'Family Entertainment' reached number six in the U.K., and the band hoped for similar success in the U.S. Then Rick Grech announced he was leaving for Blind Faith, which discombobulated them, and at Family's first AMerican concert on April 8, 1696 - Roger Chapman's 27th birthday - at the Fillmore East in New York, Chapman got so frustrated over the audience booing tem and Grech being stoned out of his gourd that he threw a microphone stand - unintentionally in Bill Graham's direction! Graham had Family blackballed after that and Family never were able to do big business in the U.S.
Maxwell's Silver Hammer and Octopus's Garden aren't the Beatles best, but I think the rest of the album is genius and one of the greatest rock albums recorded so far.
@@imkluu is not the best but still has its moments, Georges's intro for Octopuses Garden is pretty great in my opinion. Maxwell's Silver Hammer I think is agreed upon by everyone to be the Beatle's worst song but again I still like to look for the positives in everything rather than shit on it
@@officalhumblefish565 Maxwell has the unlucky feature of coming after two great songs (John's and George´s), and being very anticlimatic. I actually like it, it's musically inventive and the lyrics are interesting to me. To be honest, I think it's one of those cases where the other beatles hate on Paul for personal and business reasons became musical distaste, and the public got infected by that. Poor Paul wasn't to blame though, the others were a bit naive and frankly, John was over his head in that period, pretentioness, heroin, yoko and all.
Chapman...who has one of the most distinctive voices in rock music...also has very distinctive opinions! I think he is being over critical but on the other hand he has a very extensive knowledge of music and artists.
Love your channel so much!! Also, have to give credit to the great “original” soundtrack snippets you record, the “Je taim’e” rip off on the end is Fantastic!! Thanks for all the great work!! Cheers H
Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, the White Album, and Abbey Road are five of the greatest albums of all time. They just sound better and better with age.
@@danieleyre8913 Well, to ea. his own. I too, amateur guitar player & garage band member then, thought the White LP was just shit & I'd have scrapped half those tunes and made a single album. But, my wife loved it, still does. I'm a little more receptive to it 53 or so yrs. later; even fond of some of it. I was already thin on Lennon and his whole "I'm the world's guru" trip, by time Abbey Road came. But I came to like it, in time. Besides, I always thought Yoko was buttugly to the 9s, and a dominating, narcisisstic shitbag, as well. When he showed up with her, concluded "He's way off the deep end, and now they're done." Reckon I was right about that.
By way, 50+ yrs. in bands, found long ago, 9x outa' 10, bring the ol' lady in, let her blow all night to the others about "what should be" is no-brainer recipe for impending disaster; and everyone else there knows full well, "We're done."
@@tomp.6239 Well you’re entitled to your opinion. But my opinions on the white album and abbey road haven’t at all changed over the years. And I doubt the Beatles running their course was all down to John Lennon nor had anything to do with Yoko Ono. I would think the biggest catalyst was often insufferable egomaniac Paul McCartney (who was also struggling to change with the times), although I’d naturally assume that all 4 members played a part in some way. It’s natural for bands to eventually split, especially with all the rigours and stresses of touring and recording.
in 1975, Roger Chapman was sitting in a club when this new record came on and it sounded like a disco-R&B-pop hybrid. He asked someone who it was. Told it was the Bee Gees with their then-new single "Jive Talkin'," Chapman said, "You're kidding, right?" 😆
I listened to Family's *_In a Doll's House_* , in the background while reading these comments. It's actually pretty good and if I had heard back then there is a good chance I would have bought it.
I consider 'Music In a Doll's House' to be one of the best debut LPs of 1968, right up there with Fairport Convention's self-titled debut and the Band's 'Music From Big Pink.'
@Paul Cooper, I expected that Chappo would at least have a good word for "I want you she's so heavy." Would have fitted in with the live half of the Family's album "Anyway" if they had run out of concert material. Family/Chapman wasn't hard rock, but they weren't Donovan either. Chapman doing Helter Skelter? Would be plausible. Yesterday's Paper is great sixties fun, but I often have the feeling that these reviews are made up by someone else. Or that the superstars didn't take their own reviews serious. Dusty Springfield was perhaps an exception; what she said (wrote) at the time made sense and showed her understanding of pop music.
I know people will hate me for it but I was also underwhelmed by Abbey Road when it came out, I wasn't used to hearing a Beatles album that had only four songs on it that I cared about and it hasn't got any better with time for me anyway. Let It Be, although largely recorded earlier but released later was a low point. Despite these two albums I'm still a massive fan of The Beatles.
Interesting how he mentions how, by 1969, he figured The Beatles only made records because they were The Beatles… because it’s obvious now that The Beatles themselves felt exactly the same in 1969… in various degrees… What Roger says here is not too different from some of Lennon’s public pronouncements about the album… However, at the same time, “Abbey Road” was always and remains a great listening experience… As Eric Burdon said a few years earlier on “Blind Date”, “everyone criticises the new Beatles record upon release and two days later, they love it..:” Robbie Robertson says in his memoirs that upon arriving in The UK in August 1969 to play The Isle of Wight with Bob Dylan, John and George played The Band cuts from “Abbey Road” - which knocked them out
Roger Chapman was trying way too hard with Abbey Road. He sounds like one of those people who entirely dismiss The Beatles just for the sake of knocking them off their pedestal. Side one of Abbey Road has some downright undisputed classics with 'Come Together', 'Something', 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' and 'Oh Darling'. Nice video!
Bandstand is an absolute masterpiece. Other great tunes: "Bolero Babe" "Coronation", "Broken Nose" "My Friend the Sun", "Top of the Hill", and my personal favorite, "Glove"
Abbey Road is an interesting album that honestly is not appreciated enough for the entirety of the writing/music/recording. You can dislike the album, but there were so many recording innovations, playing with the soundstage, as well as a non-gimmicky use of the modular synthesizer that set it apart from anything out. It was highly influential and takes more than a cursory listen to appreciate it's complexity. Listen to "The End" and "I want you (She's so heavy)" on a properly set up stereo system. The drums in "The End" has each drum placed in a different area of the soundstage that gives you the impression of being surrounded by drums. "I want you" with it's spanning the soundstage jumping from high to low frequencies grows in tension until it's abrupt end. The recording process album particularly was as artistic as the music and words. But, that is sit down and listen on a stereo info, not a cursory listen on who knows what.
Wow! "Come Together " = "Beatles are doing a Humble Pie now?!" "I want you" = "it sounds like Coming Home be Mel Torme.....maybe the whole thing has got beyond them"
It's honestly nice to hear a negative review of Abbey Road, all of us are wrapped up in The Beatles mystique and have lived with these songs our whole lives, it's hard to imagine what listening to it for the first time would have been like. Still, I think Roger's critical hat is on a bit tight. Surely he would have loved some of those songs if they came from a group other than the fab four. The high standard of each record made every subsequent release that much harder. The expectations everyone, including their peers, had for the Beatles played a big role in their dissolution. Unhalfbricking making it to 12 is unfathomable to me. It's such an incredible album, essential. Glad so many people of the 60s agreed.
It never ceases to amaze me that when someone is critical of the Beatles music Beatlemaniacs just swoop down on them as if they just committed murder. What's wrong with a dissenting viewpoint? Mr. Chapman was being very honest with his critique. While I don't necessarily agree with him 100% I do respect his opinion. For me the Beatles created some wonderful and enduring music but they are also responsible for some real rubbish, too.
Your attention to detail in syncing Paul's sulks at 1:08 and 1:16 with Chapman's barbs so it seems like he's reacting to them! 👏👏👏 He's wrong about Oh! Darling though.
Thanks loved the take,one of my favourite bands in the 60"s was the family, Roger had such a fabulous voice and a brilliant singer,I liked his comments of the music of the time, thanks for bringing this together,and a thank you 🎶🤸🏄 for sharing.
The Soft Parade was a departure for The Doors. I think it was off-putting to many because of the use of strings and brass. If Roger Chapman longed for the earlier Doors sound, all he’d have to do is wait for their next release Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman. It’s interesting to me that The Doors came up in Blind Date. Over the past weekend I gave a tour of The Doors L.A. to a couple of young people (16 and 21) who love the band. We went into downtown Los Angeles to see where the cover for Morrison Hotel was shot. Then it was off to Laurel Canyon and West Hollywood to show them the various places where the band members lived and played.
Although I like Abbey Road, I do believe Chapman, who is one of my favorite singers from one of my favorite bands, had a very valid point about the Beatles-if anyone else had put out what they did after 1968, it would have bombed badly. The Beatles and the Stones both benefitted from the "halo effect". They were so universally loved that anything they did was given a free pass. Chapman wasn't the only one to make this observation. When he heard the White album, Hendrix, a good friend of theirs, said it sounded like the Beatles were going backward; they had stopped exploring. Abbey Road was a relief because it sounded normal and coherent; it was well crafted and tight, but there was truly nothing new on the album, except for little bits of Moog. I liked the White Album, but really nothing new. Revolution 9 sounded new, but it was the Beatles' take on tape composition, done earlier by the Mothers and other groups and countless avant garde composers. I like the Beatles and even played some of these songs, but I held the same perspective then...the Beatles were successful because they already had a mountain of good will from their original audience. But they had an innovative peak that collapsed after 1967, I think. It's just been my opinion for decades, but Chapman articulated it very well. Entertainment is deemed great by consensus, and people tend to stick with popular winners. This is different than saying it's bad music. It isn't bad music; but it's not really inspired, if we're honest. Just my take...
Ugh! I hated the last two Morrison Doors albums. The atmosphere Chapman mentioned was gone, washed away by Morrison's burn out. There was no vibe at all in the last two Morrison Doors albums. They sounded like a washed up British blues band. The first three albums were all very good. Soft Parade was uneven; Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman were bunches of blues cliches. They weren't the earlier Doors sound, in my pompous swelling opinion. I know lots of people love em, but I thought they were embarrassing. As with the Beatles, they reached high and evolved backwards. Chapman, I don't think, would have necessarily objected to the use of strings and brass. His band, Family, used them throughout their recorded history (although they did remix some earlier songs to minimize the string overdubs on their second album, Family Entertainment, because their manager inserted these without the band's permission), but the feel of a band isn't just instrumentation. It's other factors, that can be heard even though instrumentation. I don't think the Doors ever had the same feel after Waiting for the Sun, although I thought Touch Me was their last good single.
@@garygomesvedicastrology It's your opinion and of course you're entitled to your opinion. I can remember exactly when Abby Road came out and for me many songs were something new and I still like them very much. There are some songs I like less. I like Roger, but in this interview he isn't very sharp and insighful compared to many others interviewed in Melody Maker, Blind Date et cetera.
I tend to agree they worked best as a studio band but I've heard a lot of the archival live stuff, if Jim managed to get into the zone then it tended to be a good show. A lot of fans rave about the Detroit '70 show but I prefer NYC and Pittsburgh 1970.
A very harsh assessment of side one of Abbey Road, I wonder what he thought of side two? Showing the Singles and Album Charts from the time (both British and US) really puts the era in context and jogs the memory on some forgotten songs. Really good.
If it makes anyone feel better ...Roger Chapman could be equally dismissive of Family albums. In some of his old interviews, you would think he didn't even like music ...he just did it for a living.
And Lennon was very dismissive of Beatles records. Like a permanent moody 14-year old until he grew up a couple of years before he died and discovered that silly love songs are what make the world and its babies and infants tick
I think what you are reading here is someone who was (and is, by the way) a full time musician. I think if he didn't like it he would have stopped long ago. Chapman's idols were people like Ray Charles. I loved Family, but agree all their material didn't hit it out of the park. You are hearing, in this response about the Beatles and in his assessment of his earlier work, a rare example of serious reflection about musical output. A good musician usually thinks he or she can do better. It's not all self promotion. One of the remarkable things about Family was that they kept trying different things, up until Bandstand. They released one album (It's Only a Movie) that sounded half hearted, then broke up. Chapman went on to Streetwalkers, and had a solo career that was eccentric and unusual, but totally Chapman. He's a working musician who still maintains an audience. Money and popularity aren't the sole measures of success. Just because you aren't impressed with yourself doesn't mean you don't like music. This guy heard A LOT. He was and will be hard to impress.
@@stevenmaginnis1965 Rick…..I’m aware thank you have you seen that Clapton Winwood concert at Madison Square Garden when they did can’t find my way home…. Awfully good have a great day
My all-time favourite Lp, the Stones "Through the Past Darkly" tying at 19 with Val Doonican - too funny 😁 .Thanks for another great video with a nice nod to Jetaime in your self-created soundtrack.
Roger Chapman was being grumpy about everyone way before Morrissey and Paul Weller in the 80s lol I recall John Peel was quite the fan of Family, Music In A Doll's House is excellent.
How wrong can someone be? He didn't like Abbey Road, he thought Jim Morrison was not good on stage...I was expecting him to say Hendrix ought to get guitar lessons. Who was this guy? Never heard of him..
Did this post draw the most comments? Hell hath no fury like A Beatles fan finding out that someone does not view the Beatles as sacrosanct. The folks that label Chapman as bitter or grumpy obviously don't have mirrors. One man's opinions about music on a first listen and folks need to excoriate him? I bought Abbey Road the day it cane out, and like Roger, I was less than impressed on first listen, but repeated listenings are the true test of the worth of a piece of music. Revolver, my favorite Beatles album and well within my all-time top ten, has improved to my ears over the years. I was impressed by Roger's knowledge of music of the past - the past before another 55 years had gone by. And Family was a great live band the one time that I saw them in '69.
Lets see I have 70 + Beatles related albums in my collection... I'll be purchasing both CD and LP versions of Revolver Deluxe in addition to the 7+ other Beatles box sets I currently own. Now, as to Family and Roger Chapman solo albums... lessee ah yes. Let's see here... yes, there we go. zilch, nadda, none. #AbbeyRoadForever 😎
Hahaha! Family's first two albums are excellent, Rachel. You should check them out, I think you'd dig them. Despite Roger Chapman's grumpiness, Family were an excellent band. They were obviously not in the same league as the Beatles but a great band nonetheless..
Thank you YP... just a lil knee jerk Beatlemania on my part for his ready dismissal of a now legendary LP. I'm sure I'd like his music given the time frame and where he hails from. 😊
He was spot-on about the Luther Grosvenor-ish guitar sound on the Griffin single - and I Am the Noise in Your Head is a fantastic title. As a fan of Spooky Tooth, I want to hear more. 🙂
Nice to see a link between the past, Blind Date reviews, and today, social media comments, where anyone with an opinion can spout off. Btw I had to Google Rodger. I really was not familiar with him.
Funny to hear a guy I have never heard of from a band I have never heard of slagging off every one of his contemporary's singles - virtually every one of which are by artists I HAVE heard of.
For a guy whose singing style was called “an electric goat”, he certainly has a lot to say about how bad Abbey Road was - though he is spot on with Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and I’m sure everyone but Paul got a chuckle out of that one
Poor old Roger. He probably thought Mozart was a washout, too. What a great channel this is. A real highlight when each new video comes out. Thank you.
Accurate Abbey Road review - they were making music because they had to and running out of ideas. What was Something ripped off from? Aren't there French chanson crooner records from the era with similar melodies?
Lol. Well as the video was nearing its end I admit I was rooting for a clean sweep. And most of the songs he got I didn't care much for, the little I heard. And even the Beatles stuff didn't move me much this time. Maybe I've just heard them too often or maybe I'm getting old. Still dig all their earlier albums though including Revolver of course. Thanks for this wipeout, YP. I was laughing at the end.
I’d say with the problems of real commercial success, tho I loved Family, and Streetwalkers, etc… (What a vibrato) i’m really surprised at his “openness” towards the tunes. But hey, everyone has an opinion! Great clip!!
Wow, Chapman missed the boat entirely on Abbey Road. He is one of the most critical reviewers on this channel yet, and I have no idea who he is/was. Interesting.
He was the lead singer for Family, the band Rick Grech left to join Blind Faith. He and fellow Family member Charlie Whitney, Family's guitarist, later formed another band called Streetwalkers. Chapman is 80 years old and still going strong in England making blues-rock albums.
When you hear McCartney or Hendrix reviewing other people, they have broad tastes and a generous spirit. They are also very much on top of everyone else's work.
I really don't see why people get pissy and personally touched when they get to know that more than fifty years ago an artist said something cold about their favourite band. Come on, get over it!
So Roger Chapman was under the misguided belief that he'd heard every song at least once before by another artist. What a drag the music scene must have been for the Family's Roger Chapman. Interesting to see Dylan's "La Lady Lay" in the charts, considering it was really meant for the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack, but he couldn't get it finished in time. What I wouldn't have given to hear John Barry's fine production on that song for the movie.
OK, I know this is slightly off topic, but I noticed a song on the chart called “Wet Dream” by Max Romeo. Listened to it on RUclips music and looked at the lyrics. How did that get on the radio in 1969?
It was banned on Radio 1. It made it into the charts on the back of the reggae/ska boom that started in the late sixties and the BBC felt obliged to give it airtime in order to look “with it.” I remember listening to the top twenty and Alan Freeman simply saying “this is Max Romeo!”
@@WattisWatts "Something in the Way She Moves" is a song written by James Taylor that appeared on his 1968 debut album for Apple Records, "James Taylor". The opening line inspired George Harrison to write the No. 1 Beatles' song "Something". According to James Taylor's stage banter at The Star in Frisco 31 July 2017, this was the song he played for Paul McCartney and George Harrison as an audition before signing with Apple Records. (wiki) Seems George was not above a little plagiarising, me thinks. See: the Ronnie Mack song "He's So Fine"...
LOL damn, i mean he's not wrong about it sounding like old shit, just people now only listen to the beatles and not what inspired them, pretty interesting, i dig Family's "Second Generation Woman", that 3 single only band Factory covered it, but I prefer the original
I have to agree with him about the first side of Abbey Road. I do think Come Together (nicked from Chuck Berry) and Something are good....but the rest is pretty substandard. Now... the second side...excellent.
I've never heard of Family, but he's got Ray Davies level jealousy going on. He heard Something and since he liked it, it's obviously plagiarized. 🤪 Also, "I want you" sounds like Mel Torme?
To be fair, there is a bit of "Something in the way she moves" by James Taylor in "Something", which was recorded at Abbey Road under the Apple label months before... still, one of my favourite songs.
Sorry everyone but I kind of agree with Chapman about the first side of Abbey Road. And consider that his assessment was at the time of release. Wow. Great performances though. I just don't think it has aged as well as most people seem to think. The Morrison's were never as good without Jim Doors, no idea why he's comparing them to The Invention of Mothers.
"Maxwell" is such a drag and " Garden" is cute cause it's Ringo but not a great song. The rest of side one is good save "Come together" which is great., but side 1 is lacking qualities that make side 2 the saving grace that it is.
@@eltatoyo9211 Somewhat agree. My feeling is that the songs as written are not so innovative, but the performances ARE innovative and very good. "Something" starts with a direct quote from a James Taylor song that Apple released the year before. The whole song hinges on that quote. It's beautiful in a retro, sentimental way. Sinatra loved it I think because of how well it fit with his 50s-ish ballad style. "Come Together" reaches back to Chuck Berry, "Oh Darling" very retro as well--Ray Charles? Excellent performances from both L & M. Their retro approach to song writing had started with Fats Domino-ish "Lady Madonna," which I love, and that seems to have started their recurrent retro touchstone for their song writing. Of course retro was nothing new to PM. It was an interesting surprise to me that Roger Chapman had a similar sense of that album.
In hindsight, sending a man from a band who just failed to break through in the US to comment on the most anticipated release for a long time by the biggest band in the world might not have been wise.
I couldn't agree more. They were fresh on the Dylan songwriting influence and it shows. No Beatles album comes close to honest to goodness songwriting excellence.
@@stephenwalker2924 The Beatles never recorded a concept album. If you are referring to Sgt. Pepper's it is NOT a true concept album. What it is is a theme album, the theme being a fictitious band. A true concept album has songs that interconnect to tell a story. The Who's "Tommy" is a good example. That whole concept album thing has grown way out of proportion over the years.
@@joaquinlezcano2372 no mi caso, tengo un cd con los dos primeros albumes de Family y me parecen sensacionales, y Chapman un cantante tremendo, pero en estas opiniones parece estaba en un mal día
...and it was due to Chapman's keen insight that the Abbey Road album soon flopped, went out of print, and nobody ever heard from the Beatles again. So sad.
Very funny.
Abbey road may have sold well. But it’s really far from the best work of the Beatles. The medley (or unfinished songs) is very much indicative that they weren’t gelling and the creative tank was running dry. And they did split not long after it hit the charts.
most of the McCartney stuff bores me but everybody else is in good form
He didn't appear to like anything he was shown. Perhaps he was in a bad mood that day? Or perhaps he's grumpy in general?
@@danieleyre8913 It is by far the Beatles' best work, full of creative energy and originality. Like to see you come up with that many quality drum parts.
Man this was almost hilarious. Imagine hearing "Come together" and just concluding "Eh. Just a Humble Pie knockoff..."
I don’t have to imagine thinking that. The first time I heard come together as a kid in the 1980s; It seemed to me like McCartney was trying to be someone else.
You'd be right McCartney was trying to be someone else, someone named John Lennon!
@@danieleyre8913 Come Together is John's song, not Paul's.
@@louisnewton4292 and it's a rip on a chuck berry tune
@@louisnewton4292 Yeah but I didn’t know that at that age.
Wow! This makes Ray Davies' opinion of 'Revolver' sound like a total rave review!
Hahaha! True!
Chapman was just giving an honest opinion. Family was, if anything, more eclectic than the Beatles and I noticed the Beatles seemed to lose energy starting with the White album. I liked them, but I never took them as the best group in the world. They were human; they could lose interest. I truly think they did lose interest. I think the same thing happened to the Stones after they signed with Atlantic. Even the best get complacent over time. I know a lot of people love this album. I liked it too, but after about three or four listenings, I wouldn't consciously put it on again. But that's my opinion...and this is Chapman's opinion.
And everyone can have their own opinion. I think that's wonderful!!!
That’s why Roger Chapman is the absolute living legend known the world over, and The Beatles have been forgotten for decades. Spot on, Sir Roger!
Was he the vocalist for the Family after Charles Manson went to prison?
>Beatles been forgotten for decades
Holy fuck lmao talk about being out of touch. You can have your opinion dude, but that's just factually incorrect.
No need to read any more comments. John has effectively summed it up in these few words.
I had never heard of the guy (Chapman).
Reminds me of some famous French guy who disparaged the Bible. A Bible society now operates out of the home he once occupied.
Do I detect a hint of sarcasm? 😝
"I keep expecting him to give a recipe for stewed rice any minute..." Now THAT'S a classic British pop music critique...
The Beatles truly made music for the future and not the times. At first, one might think it's ordinary, then the more you listen their albums, the more you like it; the more you discover and the more your body and your ears register.
As a quick dip into RUclips will reveal, if you listen to anything for fifty years it will become a classic.
That makes no sense whatsoever. Music for the future?? Sgt. Pepper's is so dated it will forever by a relic of 1967. Their Pre-Rubber Soul albums are far from being ahead of their time. They are forever locked into the early 1960s. The only Beatles album that sounds contemporary is Abbey Road. I guess I don't get what you are saying.
@@goplad1 I agree with what you say about pre-Rubber Soul, but a lot of their material after that isn't. As far as 'Pepper goes, 'Within You, Without You' and 'A Day In The Life' are so strange, I think they're timeless and can leave an impression on anyone listening.
@@goplad1 You're so angry and jealous.
Well, as they say now days: These takes aged like a gallon of milk left out in the sun.
Abbey Road is literally the first album I remember....hearing..or seeing.
I was so young, I remember thinking the half apple on the center looked tasty..like I wanted to eat it.
One of my older sisters bought it of course. They were in the demo. They could have been those girls freaking out at Shea Stadium.
I remember playing it on the Telefunken console unit we had in the living room. It had a record player, a reel to reel and a massive multi-ban radio. Had to be like a 1960 model? Beautiful mahogany? with sliding doors. Tubes. What a sound. With two external speakers no less.
At the age of 7, Maxwell's Silver Hammer fascinated me.
The guy was killing people? With a hammer?
And this from the cartoon guys I watched on TV every Saturday morning?
Yes, I am an old...
Not really.
@@danieleyre8913 Yeah..really
@@doggedout Nope not at all.
What’s aged like milk is Abbey road. If you played it to most people born after 1985; they would tell you it’s mostly shit. So if anything his comments are still highly relevant.
And while that assessment would be hyperbole; there’s still some truth behind it. It’s far from the Beatles best work, I’ve always felt it was their second worst album after the mess that was the white album. It’s pretty indicative to me that they were no longer getting on & gelling behind the scenes and that the band was running its course and the creative tank was running dry. The side 2’s exalted “medley” is really just a bunch of unfinished songs. Octopuses garden is just rubbish and he’s right about Maxwells silver hammer being typical McCartney granny music like when I’m 64 (and you mother should know, honey pie, etc). The Beatles could get away with that and putting out such an overall mediocre album and sell so many copies (because they were the Beatles) but had any other band put out something like Abbey Road they would’ve got panned and the album would’ve likely flopped.
@@danieleyre8913 Oh well, If anyone born after 1985 thinks it is sht then it must be so.!
Since only people born after 1985 are the true historical curators of taste..since they can't seem to make any good music themselves.
What pompous bsht.
It was basically their last album and it was as diverse as they could make it.
By that time, they were sick of pandering to the charts. And sick of the stupid fans...like you.
...and ohh...what about Octopuses Garden?
Who cares.
So sick of that lame crap. What about Yellow Submarine?
Your critique is about one inch deep.
Nobody listening to radio at the time had a problem with it...and nobody buying albums since has either..unless apparently they were "born after 1985".
Adam’s (the guy in the book of Genesis) comments on his first gander at the sun: “That thing? It’s too warm, yellow and bright. It’ll never catch on.”
There is nothing of any value in Chapman’s ‘blind date’ comments. “Everyone in this room is now dumber.” That said, keep up the great work, love this channel!
I think he made some of the best calls and assessments of all.
@@danieleyre8913 Like what? He rightly dismissed the clunkers, but he also dismissed everything else, including some great songs. Where's the insight or value in that?
@@KariKauree I don’t think there were any great songs in the selection they played him.
@@danieleyre8913 Musical preferences aside, I think it's a bit sad to not be able to appreciate a perfectly crafted song like Something. Come Together and I Want You also have a lot going for them.
@@KariKauree "Maxwell" really is a bad version of "When I'm Sixty-Four", for instance.
I once tried listening to Roger Chapman's vocals, and gave up pretty quickly, because I just wasn't into vocals that sound like a goat being tortured. I'd give him some leeway if he disliked one or two of the Abbey Road songs, just on the grounds of personal taste (I'm not too keen on Maxwell myself), but dissing the entire first side of Abbey Road? Nope, he's just jealous. I do give him some credit on his take on The Soft Parade - the first couple minutes of the song are kind of similar to The Mothers Of Invention, at least in terms of being a cut-and-paste of various styles.
Ridiculous! I tortured a goat once and its mellifluous tones...
I was going to post almost the same comment until I saw yours. I want to like Family because it's my style of music but Roger Chapman's voice is horrendous.
You're definitely right, a lot of the people knocking the Beatles in Melody Maker just seemed jealous, especially seeing how a lot of Family's music is pretty Beatley
Some people don't like Tom Waits voice either. Really simple, boring people. You know, Celine Dion fans.
You say that - Roger Chapman was nicknamed the 'electric goat' for that exact reason.
I think the real value in these videos (which I am very grateful to the maker for uploading for us to enjoy) is precisely that they allow us to see how things were viewed very differently at the time and challenge out preconceptions. Far from being heretic one of the biggest critics of Abbey Road at the time was John Lennon himself who for good measure was also a fan of Roger Chapman and the Family.
Ahh, Roger Chapman, otherwise known as the 'Electric Goat', who can forget his vocals. I must thank him for reminding me of Mel Torme's brilliant record 'Comin' Home Baby', to give it it's proper name, although it has only the vaguest similarity to the Beatle's“ I Want you to (She’s so Heavy)”.
To give him his due he was presented with quite a few clunkers which he dispensed with fairly. (Jimmy Young! Saints preserve us!!)
Roger's group, Family, were prominent in the Underground scene but never really emerged far into the daylight.
This is the channel I come to when I want to escape the here and now.
Thank you.
"Jim Doors and the Morrisons" - LMFAO🤣🤣🤣!
yes, exactly what I wanted to mention !
I think Roger Chapman had a bit of what we call “professional jealousy”
I disagree. He made some fair objective calls. I’d more likely say he was a fan of the Beatles earlier stuff.
Who is Roger Chapman?
To be fair, that was probably the worst collection of singles I've seen reviewed on these blind dates.
Family's 1969 LP 'Family Entertainment' reached number six in the U.K., and the band hoped for similar success in the U.S. Then Rick Grech announced he was leaving for Blind Faith, which discombobulated them, and at Family's first AMerican concert on April 8, 1696 - Roger Chapman's 27th birthday - at the Fillmore East in New York, Chapman got so frustrated over the audience booing tem and Grech being stoned out of his gourd that he threw a microphone stand - unintentionally in Bill Graham's direction! Graham had Family blackballed after that and Family never were able to do big business in the U.S.
@@goldtown6747 He was the lead singer of Family, the band Rick Grech left to join Blind Faith.
The amount of people hating on Abbey Road is hilarious
Maxwell's Silver Hammer and Octopus's Garden aren't the Beatles best, but I think the rest of the album is genius and one of the greatest rock albums recorded so far.
@@imkluu is not the best but still has its moments, Georges's intro for Octopuses Garden is pretty great in my opinion. Maxwell's Silver Hammer I think is agreed upon by everyone to be the Beatle's worst song but again I still like to look for the positives in everything rather than shit on it
@@officalhumblefish565 Maxwell has the unlucky feature of coming after two great songs (John's and George´s), and being very anticlimatic. I actually like it, it's musically inventive and the lyrics are interesting to me. To be honest, I think it's one of those cases where the other beatles hate on Paul for personal and business reasons became musical distaste, and the public got infected by that. Poor Paul wasn't to blame though, the others were a bit naive and frankly, John was over his head in that period, pretentioness, heroin, yoko and all.
@@imkluu But they're both still better than that Oh Darling garbage.
I never did and I don't care!
Chapman...who has one of the most distinctive voices in rock music...also has very distinctive opinions! I think he is being over critical but on the other hand he has a very extensive knowledge of music and artists.
Love your channel so much!! Also, have to give credit to the great “original” soundtrack snippets you record, the “Je taim’e” rip off on the end is Fantastic!! Thanks for all the great work!! Cheers H
Thanks!
Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, the White Album, and Abbey Road are five of the greatest albums of all time. They just sound better and better with age.
Didn't care for some those, initially, but they do all grow on you, with time.
I disagree. The white album is bollocks and Abbey road is mediocre & tired. The Beatles had run their course by Abbey road.
@@danieleyre8913
Well, to ea. his own. I too, amateur guitar player & garage band member then, thought the White LP was just shit & I'd have scrapped half those tunes and made a single album. But, my wife loved it, still does. I'm a little more receptive to it 53 or so yrs. later; even fond of some of it. I was already thin on Lennon and his whole "I'm the world's guru" trip, by time Abbey Road came. But I came to like it, in time. Besides, I always thought Yoko was buttugly to the 9s, and a dominating, narcisisstic shitbag, as well. When he showed up with her, concluded "He's way off the deep end, and now they're done." Reckon I was right about that.
By way, 50+ yrs. in bands, found long ago, 9x outa' 10, bring the ol' lady in, let her blow all night to the others about "what should be" is no-brainer recipe for impending disaster; and everyone else there knows full well, "We're done."
@@tomp.6239 Well you’re entitled to your opinion. But my opinions on the white album and abbey road haven’t at all changed over the years. And I doubt the Beatles running their course was all down to John Lennon nor had anything to do with Yoko Ono. I would think the biggest catalyst was often insufferable egomaniac Paul McCartney (who was also struggling to change with the times), although I’d naturally assume that all 4 members played a part in some way. It’s natural for bands to eventually split, especially with all the rigours and stresses of touring and recording.
Chappo pulls no punches, he's "Fearless"
(One of Familys' best albums)
in 1975, Roger Chapman was sitting in a club when this new record came on and it sounded like a disco-R&B-pop hybrid. He asked someone who it was. Told it was the Bee Gees with their then-new single "Jive Talkin'," Chapman said, "You're kidding, right?" 😆
I listened to Family's *_In a Doll's House_* , in the background while reading these comments.
It's actually pretty good and if I had heard back then there is a good chance I would have bought it.
It's a great album. The second one "Family Entertainment" is also really good.
The Beatles' self titled album was actually going to be called "A Doll's House". They changed the name because of this Family album.
@@YesterdaysPapers "Family Entertainment" and "A Song For Me" are such masterpieces. They're my favourite Family albums.
I consider 'Music In a Doll's House' to be one of the best debut LPs of 1968, right up there with Fairport Convention's self-titled debut and the Band's 'Music From Big Pink.'
@Paul Cooper,
I expected that Chappo would at least have a good word for "I want you she's so heavy." Would have fitted in with the live half of the Family's album "Anyway" if they had run out of concert material. Family/Chapman wasn't hard rock, but they weren't Donovan either.
Chapman doing Helter Skelter? Would be plausible.
Yesterday's Paper is great sixties fun, but I often have the feeling that these reviews are made up by someone else. Or that the superstars didn't take their own reviews serious. Dusty Springfield was perhaps an exception; what she said (wrote) at the time made sense and showed her understanding of pop music.
I know people will hate me for it but I was also underwhelmed by Abbey Road when it came out, I wasn't used to hearing a Beatles album that had only four songs on it that I cared about and it hasn't got any better with time for me anyway. Let It Be, although largely recorded earlier but released later was a low point. Despite these two albums I'm still a massive fan of The Beatles.
Interesting how he mentions how,
by 1969, he figured The Beatles only made records because they were
The Beatles…
because it’s obvious now that
The Beatles themselves felt
exactly the same in 1969…
in various degrees…
What Roger says here is not
too different from some of
Lennon’s public pronouncements
about the album…
However, at the same time,
“Abbey Road” was always and
remains a great listening experience…
As Eric Burdon said a few years earlier
on “Blind Date”,
“everyone criticises the new
Beatles record upon release
and two days later, they love it..:”
Robbie Robertson says in his memoirs
that upon arriving in The UK
in August 1969 to play
The Isle of Wight with Bob Dylan,
John and George played
The Band cuts from “Abbey Road”
- which knocked them out
Roger Chapman was trying way too hard with Abbey Road. He sounds like one of those people who entirely dismiss The Beatles just for the sake of knocking them off their pedestal. Side one of Abbey Road has some downright undisputed classics with 'Come Together', 'Something', 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' and 'Oh Darling'. Nice video!
Had a Family lp once. Don't remember the name but it made a great target for the BB gun.
Philistine!
Funny...to this day I still listen to Family's BANDSTAND album...and I used to play the track "Burlesque" on radio a couple hundred years ago...
Bandstand is an absolute masterpiece. Other great tunes: "Bolero Babe" "Coronation", "Broken Nose" "My Friend the Sun", "Top of the Hill", and my personal favorite, "Glove"
I love the Bandstand album but I always pull out the Anyway... album for the brilliant track Lives And Ladies
People hate Chapman for panning "Abbey Road," but his judgment that the Beatles might be coming to an end was correct.
Abbey Road is an interesting album that honestly is not appreciated enough for the entirety of the writing/music/recording. You can dislike the album, but there were so many recording innovations, playing with the soundstage, as well as a non-gimmicky use of the modular synthesizer that set it apart from anything out. It was highly influential and takes more than a cursory listen to appreciate it's complexity. Listen to "The End" and "I want you (She's so heavy)" on a properly set up stereo system. The drums in "The End" has each drum placed in a different area of the soundstage that gives you the impression of being surrounded by drums. "I want you" with it's spanning the soundstage jumping from high to low frequencies grows in tension until it's abrupt end. The recording process album particularly was as artistic as the music and words.
But, that is sit down and listen on a stereo info, not a cursory listen on who knows what.
Wow!
"Come Together " = "Beatles are doing a Humble Pie now?!"
"I want you" = "it sounds like Coming Home be Mel Torme.....maybe the whole thing has got beyond them"
It's honestly nice to hear a negative review of Abbey Road, all of us are wrapped up in The Beatles mystique and have lived with these songs our whole lives, it's hard to imagine what listening to it for the first time would have been like. Still, I think Roger's critical hat is on a bit tight. Surely he would have loved some of those songs if they came from a group other than the fab four. The high standard of each record made every subsequent release that much harder. The expectations everyone, including their peers, had for the Beatles played a big role in their dissolution.
Unhalfbricking making it to 12 is unfathomable to me. It's such an incredible album, essential. Glad so many people of the 60s agreed.
It never ceases to amaze me that when someone is critical of the Beatles music Beatlemaniacs just swoop down on them as if they just committed murder. What's wrong with a dissenting viewpoint? Mr. Chapman was being very honest with his critique. While I don't necessarily agree with him 100% I do respect his opinion. For me the Beatles created some wonderful and enduring music but they are also responsible for some real rubbish, too.
Right after the review Chapman ran outside and yelled at the kids on the lawn.
I agree with Chapman on "Maxwell". I think that one, "Octopus" and "Darling" should have been saved for McCartney's crappy solo records.
Your attention to detail in syncing Paul's sulks at 1:08 and 1:16 with Chapman's barbs so it seems like he's reacting to them! 👏👏👏
He's wrong about Oh! Darling though.
Roger Chapman could probably sing a killer “Oh, Darling!”.
Thanks loved the take,one of my favourite bands in the 60"s was the family, Roger had such a fabulous voice and a brilliant singer,I liked his comments of the music of the time, thanks for bringing this together,and a thank you 🎶🤸🏄 for sharing.
Thanks 🤸🍀🤸😿
The Soft Parade was a departure for The Doors. I think it was off-putting to many because of the use of strings and brass. If Roger Chapman longed for the earlier Doors sound, all he’d have to do is wait for their next release Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman. It’s interesting to me that The Doors came up in Blind Date. Over the past weekend I gave a tour of The Doors L.A. to a couple of young people (16 and 21) who love the band. We went into downtown Los Angeles to see where the cover for Morrison Hotel was shot. Then it was off to Laurel Canyon and West Hollywood to show them the various places where the band members lived and played.
Although I like Abbey Road, I do believe Chapman, who is one of my favorite singers from one of my favorite bands, had a very valid point about the Beatles-if anyone else had put out what they did after 1968, it would have bombed badly. The Beatles and the Stones both benefitted from the "halo effect". They were so universally loved that anything they did was given a free pass. Chapman wasn't the only one to make this observation. When he heard the White album, Hendrix, a good friend of theirs, said it sounded like the Beatles were going backward; they had stopped exploring.
Abbey Road was a relief because it sounded normal and coherent; it was well crafted and tight, but there was truly nothing new on the album, except for little bits of Moog. I liked the White Album, but really nothing new. Revolution 9 sounded new, but it was the Beatles' take on tape composition, done earlier by the Mothers and other groups and countless avant garde composers. I like the Beatles and even played some of these songs, but I held the same perspective then...the Beatles were successful because they already had a mountain of good will from their original audience. But they had an innovative peak that collapsed after 1967, I think.
It's just been my opinion for decades, but Chapman articulated it very well. Entertainment is deemed great by consensus, and people tend to stick with popular winners. This is different than saying it's bad music. It isn't bad music; but it's not really inspired, if we're honest. Just my take...
Ugh! I hated the last two Morrison Doors albums. The atmosphere Chapman mentioned was gone, washed away by Morrison's burn out. There was no vibe at all in the last two Morrison Doors albums. They sounded like a washed up British blues band. The first three albums were all very good. Soft Parade was uneven; Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman were bunches of blues cliches. They weren't the earlier Doors sound, in my pompous swelling opinion. I know lots of people love em, but I thought they were embarrassing. As with the Beatles, they reached high and evolved backwards.
Chapman, I don't think, would have necessarily objected to the use of strings and brass. His band, Family, used them throughout their recorded history (although they did remix some earlier songs to minimize the string overdubs on their second album, Family Entertainment, because their manager inserted these without the band's permission), but the feel of a band isn't just instrumentation. It's other factors, that can be heard even though instrumentation. I don't think the Doors ever had the same feel after Waiting for the Sun, although I thought Touch Me was their last good single.
The Doors were miles ahead of themselves
He was right in that their singles weren’t their best tracks generally
@@garygomesvedicastrology It's your opinion and of course you're entitled to your opinion. I can remember exactly when Abby Road came out and for me many songs were something new and I still like them very much. There are some songs I like less. I like Roger, but in this interview he isn't very sharp and insighful compared to many others interviewed in Melody Maker, Blind Date et cetera.
He was spot on about Jim Doors & The Morrisons
I tend to agree they worked best as a studio band but I've heard a lot of the archival live stuff, if Jim managed to get into the zone then it tended to be a good show. A lot of fans rave about the Detroit '70 show but I prefer NYC and Pittsburgh 1970.
Yeah, they always ripped off The Doors......
Jim Doors was an open and shut case of blatant plagiarism
Reminds me of Decca guy saying: "Guitar bands are on the way out."
A very harsh assessment of side one of Abbey Road, I wonder what he thought of side two? Showing the Singles and Album Charts from the time (both British and US) really puts the era in context and jogs the memory on some forgotten songs. Really good.
If it makes anyone feel better ...Roger Chapman could be equally dismissive of Family albums. In some of his old interviews, you would think he didn't even like music ...he just did it for a living.
Is that the band who titled their album Music from a doll's house, necessitating the Beatles to entitle their own album, the Beatles?
In fairness, I agree with him about his music. 😜🤘
And Lennon was very dismissive of Beatles records. Like a permanent moody 14-year old until he grew up a couple of years before he died and discovered that silly love songs are what make the world and its babies and infants tick
@@robertjordinelli3041 It is. They didn't know the Beatles intended name for the White Album.
I think what you are reading here is someone who was (and is, by the way) a full time musician. I think if he didn't like it he would have stopped long ago.
Chapman's idols were people like Ray Charles. I loved Family, but agree all their material didn't hit it out of the park. You are hearing, in this response about the Beatles and in his assessment of his earlier work, a rare example of serious reflection about musical output. A good musician usually thinks he or she can do better. It's not all self promotion. One of the remarkable things about Family was that they kept trying different things, up until Bandstand. They released one album (It's Only a Movie) that sounded half hearted, then broke up. Chapman went on to Streetwalkers, and had a solo career that was eccentric and unusual, but totally Chapman. He's a working musician who still maintains an audience. Money and popularity aren't the sole measures of success. Just because you aren't impressed with yourself doesn't mean you don't like music.
This guy heard A LOT. He was and will be hard to impress.
Love his vocals. Family too.
Can you make a video about them? 😃
I'll probably make a video about them in the future. Great band.
Good for him for having his own opinion. Pity so many here struggle to accept any thoughts that differ from the accepted norm.
I’d never thought about the similarity between I Want You and Comin Home before but he’s right.
Nice one roger. The Emperor has no clothes.
Since Chapman wasn't impressed with any of those songs, it makes me very curious to know what songs he actually did like in september 1969.
To find that out you'd most likely have to read his NME 'prison assault' review.
Love seeing Blind Faith at the top of the English album chart… Never knew a soul that well thanks for the info! Great as always
Rick Grech was in Family with Roger Chapman.
@@stevenmaginnis1965 Rick…..I’m aware thank you have you seen that Clapton Winwood concert at Madison Square Garden when they did can’t find my way home…. Awfully good have a great day
My all-time favourite Lp, the Stones "Through the Past Darkly" tying at 19 with Val Doonican - too funny 😁 .Thanks for another great video with a nice nod to Jetaime in your self-created soundtrack.
So I guess Roger Chapman hated everything in 1969.
Roger Chapman was being grumpy about everyone way before Morrissey and Paul Weller in the 80s lol
I recall John Peel was quite the fan of Family, Music In A Doll's House is excellent.
How wrong can someone be? He didn't like Abbey Road, he thought Jim Morrison was not good on stage...I was expecting him to say Hendrix ought to get guitar lessons. Who was this guy? Never heard of him..
Hahaha!
He was the lead singer from Family, the band Rick Grech left to join Blind Faith.
www.familyalbumreviews.blogspot.com
Did this post draw the most comments? Hell hath no fury like A Beatles fan finding out that someone does not view the Beatles as sacrosanct. The folks that label Chapman as bitter or grumpy obviously don't have mirrors. One man's opinions about music on a first listen and folks need to excoriate him? I bought Abbey Road the day it cane out, and like Roger, I was less than impressed on first listen, but repeated listenings are the true test of the worth of a piece of music. Revolver, my favorite Beatles album and well within my all-time top ten, has improved to my ears over the years. I was impressed by Roger's knowledge of music of the past - the past before another 55 years had gone by. And Family was a great live band the one time that I saw them in '69.
Roger really missed the boat with Abbey Road.
Lets see I have 70 + Beatles related albums in my collection... I'll be purchasing both CD and LP versions of Revolver Deluxe in addition to the 7+ other Beatles box sets I currently own. Now, as to Family and Roger Chapman solo albums... lessee ah yes. Let's see here... yes, there we go. zilch, nadda, none. #AbbeyRoadForever 😎
Hahaha! Family's first two albums are excellent, Rachel. You should check them out, I think you'd dig them. Despite Roger Chapman's grumpiness, Family were an excellent band. They were obviously not in the same league as the Beatles but a great band nonetheless..
So no bias from you then.
Thank you YP... just a lil knee jerk Beatlemania on my part for his ready dismissal of a now legendary LP. I'm sure I'd like his music given the time frame and where he hails from. 😊
@@annoyingbstard9407 Total bias... and unapologetically so. 😎
He was spot-on about the Luther Grosvenor-ish guitar sound on the Griffin single - and I Am the Noise in Your Head is a fantastic title. As a fan of Spooky Tooth, I want to hear more. 🙂
Imagine what he thought about Pet Sounds or Blue.
When I think of the name "Family" it's usually preceded by "Manson."
When I think of the name "Chapman" it's usually preceded by "Mark." So it goes.
He was only being truthful. Family were pushing the boundaries using vibes etc. on their albums.
The Family guy who "really digs The Beatles" sounds a little bitter. Never heard of him till this clip.
Nice to see a link between the past, Blind Date reviews, and today, social media comments, where anyone with an opinion can spout off.
Btw I had to Google Rodger. I really was not familiar with him.
Funny to hear a guy I have never heard of from a band I have never heard of slagging off every one of his contemporary's singles - virtually every one of which are by artists I HAVE heard of.
I’m sure he’d find you as equally hilarious…
What Burger King is Roger working at?
Who will ever forget What’s the recipe today, Jim?
God, did he went hard core on all othem, considering he is from literary almost uknown group even for 60s rock fans 😂 but he got a point a lot...
Wondering why I didn't like Family, now I know.
For a guy whose singing style was called “an electric goat”, he certainly has a lot to say about how bad Abbey Road was - though he is spot on with Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and I’m sure everyone but Paul got a chuckle out of that one
Poor old Roger. He probably thought Mozart was a washout, too. What a great channel this is. A real highlight when each new video comes out. Thank you.
Thank you very much!
Jim Doors and the Morrisons, now that made me giggle.
Accurate Abbey Road review - they were making music because they had to and running out of ideas. What was Something ripped off from? Aren't there French chanson crooner records from the era with similar melodies?
he was probably referring to James Taylor's "Something in the way she moves"
Lol. Well as the video was nearing its end I admit I was rooting for a clean sweep. And most of the songs he got I didn't care much for, the little I heard. And even the Beatles stuff didn't move me much this time. Maybe I've just heard them too often or maybe I'm getting old. Still dig all their earlier albums though including Revolver of course. Thanks for this wipeout, YP. I was laughing at the end.
Cheers, Willie!
@@YesterdaysPapers Top of the morning to you, mate.
Tbf I think he's right about these records, generally
I can't listen to Family, not a fan of his vocal style...but he was unique.
Only song really worth hearing is buffet tea for two...a classic imo
I’d say with the problems of real commercial success, tho I loved Family, and Streetwalkers, etc…
(What a vibrato) i’m really surprised at his “openness” towards the tunes. But hey, everyone has an opinion!
Great clip!!
Jim Doors and the Morrisons😂😂, I have to agree with 99% of Rogers comments. Familys first album was great
Agreed. Really excellent album.
Their second, Family Entertainment, was also great, in my opinion.
@@appledoreman I love that album as well.
Wow, Chapman missed the boat entirely on Abbey Road. He is one of the most critical reviewers on this channel yet, and I have no idea who he is/was. Interesting.
It's interesting that people have opinions? They asked him what he thought of the record and he told them, hardly groundbreaking stuff is it?
He was the lead singer for Family, the band Rick Grech left to join Blind Faith. He and fellow Family member Charlie Whitney, Family's guitarist, later formed another band called Streetwalkers. Chapman is 80 years old and still going strong in England making blues-rock albums.
When you hear McCartney or Hendrix reviewing other people, they have broad tastes and a generous spirit. They are also very much on top of everyone else's work.
Accurate Beatles criticism, Doors sound like the Mother's, havin a laugh
I really don't see why people get pissy and personally touched when they get to know that more than fifty years ago an artist said something cold about their favourite band. Come on, get over it!
oh it's not the negative view, it just sound patronizing, very light comments and self centered.
So Roger Chapman was under the misguided belief that he'd heard every song at least once before by another artist. What a drag the music scene must have been for the Family's Roger Chapman. Interesting to see Dylan's "La Lady Lay" in the charts, considering it was really meant for the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack, but he couldn't get it finished in time. What I wouldn't have given to hear John Barry's fine production on that song for the movie.
I have a lot of admiration for Chapman ... Graham Chapman :)
Hey YP, Je t'aime moi non plus too ;-)
Roger hated everything. Mr Grumpy.
OK, I know this is slightly off topic, but I noticed a song on the chart called “Wet Dream” by Max Romeo. Listened to it on RUclips music and looked at the lyrics. How did that get on the radio in 1969?
It was banned on Radio 1. It made it into the charts on the back of the reggae/ska boom that started in the late sixties and the BBC felt obliged to give it airtime in order to look “with it.” I remember listening to the top twenty and Alan Freeman simply saying “this is Max Romeo!”
Just as well Chapman's suspicion about "Something" being plagiarised never stood up.
Didn't James Taylor have a song that began with the very first lines of Something? Not that it was enough to call plagiarism IMO.
@@WattisWatts "Something in the Way She Moves" is a song written by James Taylor that appeared on his 1968 debut album for Apple Records, "James Taylor". The opening line inspired George Harrison to write the No. 1 Beatles' song "Something". According to James Taylor's stage banter at The Star in Frisco 31 July 2017, this was the song he played for Paul McCartney and George Harrison as an audition before signing with Apple Records. (wiki)
Seems George was not above a little plagiarising, me thinks. See: the Ronnie Mack song "He's So Fine"...
I saw family at newport 69 . with hendrix and many others . wonder if its the same band ? Thanks YP cheers !
No idea who Family's Roger Chapman is, but his whole "everything is horrible" schtick is a bit of a bore.
Hey Robert! The first two Family albums are well worth checking out. I think you'd probably enjoy them.
Maxwell's Silver Hammer and Octopus' Garden are timeless. They will always sound awful.
Ha. Well put.
Ah yes. They're like timeless nursery rhymes.
Some people take music way too seriously
Maxwell is a humorous Dr. Demento type song of high quality. I loved it as a kid. 😄
@@Lola-AreaCode212 and then there was Steve Martin "singing" it in the wretched Sgt. Pepper movie. The late 70s were pure ugh.
I tend to agree with him about most of his comments, especially Maxwell's Silver Hammer and Octopussy's Garden.
People romanticise 1960's music, but there was also tons of crap trying to cash in on the latest thing. Implicitly, Chapman is correct.
LOL damn, i mean he's not wrong about it sounding like old shit, just people now only listen to the beatles and not what inspired them, pretty interesting, i dig Family's "Second Generation Woman", that 3 single only band Factory covered it, but I prefer the original
I have to agree with him about the first side of Abbey Road. I do think Come Together (nicked from Chuck Berry) and Something are good....but the rest is pretty substandard. Now... the second side...excellent.
I've never heard of Family, but he's got Ray Davies level jealousy going on. He heard Something and since he liked it, it's obviously plagiarized. 🤪 Also, "I want you" sounds like Mel Torme?
To be fair, there is a bit of "Something in the way she moves" by James Taylor in "Something", which was recorded at Abbey Road under the Apple label months before... still, one of my favourite songs.
Family: www.familyalbumreviews.blogspot.com
When does The Sound of Music ever leave the British album charts.
Man this guy's must be fun at parties 🙄
I wonder who will be more notable in 100 years, The Beatles, or "Roger Chapman"?
Both. Family is as much classic rock as the Beatles, Listen for yourself!
ruclips.net/video/jJFU5JJCaHU/видео.html
Wow this guy must have a limited record collection that has only one genre of music. In other words "He hates everything."
How can you take anyone who doesn’t love Jimmy Young seriously?
It's Ringo! Lolll
The Doors Riders on the Storm is based on Advice to Medics (1958) by Sun Ra, a genuine musical genius and a complete original.
Great factoid. Love it...
And John Densmore was was Elvin Jones's favourite rock drummer.
Manzarek said it was based on Ghostriders in the sky
This man spares no one!
I'm not going to take his opinions seriously.😡
Thanks, YP. 😀😜🌹
Sorry everyone but I kind of agree with Chapman about the first side of Abbey Road. And consider that his assessment was at the time of release. Wow. Great performances though. I just don't think it has aged as well as most people seem to think. The Morrison's were never as good without Jim Doors, no idea why he's comparing them to The Invention of Mothers.
"Maxwell" is such a drag and " Garden" is cute cause it's Ringo but not a great song. The rest of side one is good save "Come together" which is great., but side 1 is lacking qualities that make side 2 the saving grace that it is.
@@eltatoyo9211 Somewhat agree. My feeling is that the songs as written are not so innovative, but the performances ARE innovative and very good. "Something" starts with a direct quote from a James Taylor song that Apple released the year before. The whole song hinges on that quote. It's beautiful in a retro, sentimental way. Sinatra loved it I think because of how well it fit with his 50s-ish ballad style. "Come Together" reaches back to Chuck Berry, "Oh Darling" very retro as well--Ray Charles? Excellent performances from both L & M. Their retro approach to song writing had started with Fats Domino-ish "Lady Madonna," which I love, and that seems to have started their recurrent retro touchstone for their song writing. Of course retro was nothing new to PM. It was an interesting surprise to me that Roger Chapman had a similar sense of that album.
Right or wrong, if only reviewers nowadays were so honest. Everything is great, move along....
Well he was right about Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
In hindsight, sending a man from a band who just failed to break through in the US to comment on the most anticipated release for a long time by the biggest band in the world might not have been wise.
Roger Nobody of the Nobodies.
The Beatles best songwriting album is Rubber Soul.
Or...Revolver...or....that rather good concept album they did...or...
I couldn't agree more. They were fresh on the Dylan songwriting influence and it shows. No Beatles album comes close to honest to goodness songwriting excellence.
@@stephenwalker2924 The Beatles never recorded a concept album. If you are referring to Sgt. Pepper's it is NOT a true concept album. What it is is a theme album, the theme being a fictitious band. A true concept album has songs that interconnect to tell a story. The Who's "Tommy" is a good example. That whole concept album thing has grown way out of proportion over the years.
Creí por un momento que Chapman iba a decir que "Something" es la peor canción de amor de los últimos 50 años
"Something" es la mejor canción de 'Abbey Road'. Incluso Shirley Bassey hizo todo lo posible para matar esa canción y no pudo.
Me encanta como no hay medios en estos comentarios. O hay gente que desprecia el Abbey Road o gente que desprecia a Chapman.
@@joaquinlezcano2372 Estoy seguro de que mucha gente aquí los desprecia a ambos por igual.
@@joaquinlezcano2372 no mi caso, tengo un cd con los dos primeros albumes de Family y me parecen sensacionales, y Chapman un cantante tremendo, pero en estas opiniones parece estaba en un mal día
Ol' Roge doesn't much like anything, does he?