YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 111 (Family Bands)
(Originally finalized on November 28, 2024)
Preface: It wasn't until I actually sat down and watched The Godfather that I realized why they marathon those movies during Thanksgiving. It's because they're about family! And that's the theme for this, our eleventy-first week - classic rock bands that have featured two or more family members (usually siblings) playing together at some point in time. You might be surprised by how common that is - it seems that talent really does run in the family!
Monday: The Allman Brothers Band - Statesboro Blues (Live) [At Fillmore East, 1971]
Comments: We'll start with one of the most obvious family bands in rock history - it's right there in the name! With brothers Gregg on vocals, and Duane playing slide guitar, here's a track that was narrowly pushed out of my "blues" theme, from the phenomenal live album At Fillmore East. Tragically, Duane's life would be cut short in a motorcycle accident within months of the album's release. But, with heavy hearts, the band carried on. In fact, drummer Butch Trucks' nephew Derek played guitar with the band for 15 years, before their official retirement in 2014.
Tuesday: The Stooges - Dirt [Fun House, 1970]
Comments: Proto-punk band The Stooges were notable for launching Iggy Pop's career, but though he was the frontman, the band also included a pair of brothers: Ron (guitar) and Scott (drums) Asheton. Inspired by garage rock and bands such as The Kinks, they were one of the heaviest acts of their era - and apparently before their time, as their records received little critical acclaim, but have been re-evaluated since, and influenced a lot of musicians that came after them. Unfortunately, the very wild spirit that made their music so compelling is a large part of what contributed to the band's volatility. From their second of only three albums (at least until their 21st century resurgence), this is one of my favorite songs by The Stooges.
Wednesday: Van Halen - You Really Got Me [Van Halen, 1978]
Comments: There's a lot of material to cover this week, so this song is doing double duty. Written by The Kinks - itself a family band, formed by brothers Ray and Dave Davies - this cover was a breakout hit for Van Halen, which not only famously featured six string sorcerer Eddie Van Halen on guitar, but also his brother Alex on drums. Furthermore, with the addition of Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass in 2007, and until the band's dissolution after Eddie died of cancer in 2020, the band consisted of 3/4 Van Halens!
Thursday: AC/DC - T.N.T. [T.N.T., 1975] / [High Voltage, 1976]
Comments: As far as high profile classic rock bands featuring family members go, AC/DC is a huge one. Founded by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young - on lead and rhythm guitars, respectively - the band's early albums were also co-produced by their older brother George. What's more, after Malcolm's retirement in 2014, his nephew Stevie Young took over his spot in the band! Here's a song that epitomizes AC/DC's explosive energy, originally released on the band's second album in Australia, and included on their first international release the following year.
Friday: Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Let It Ride [Bachman-Turner Overdrive II, 1973]
Comments: If listening to T.N.T. by AC/DC didn't satisfy your hunger for acronyms (initialisms, to be more accurate), here's some BTO. Although the band's name mentions Bachman and Turner, the first part is doing triple duty - referring to not just singer and guitarist Randy Bachman (formerly of The Guess Who), but his two brothers Tim (guitar, vocals) and Robbie (drums). That is, at least for their first two albums, after which Tim, who wasn't really fitting in, was replaced. This is one of their hits from that early period, from the album that also produced the quite frankly over-played monster hit Takin' Care of Business (a phrase that itself is known by another initialism - TCB).
Saturday: Heart - Crazy On You [Dreamboat Annie, 1975]
Comments: No list of classic rock family bands would be complete without including Heart - which famously features sisters (not brothers, this time!) Ann (vocals) & Nancy (rhythm guitar) Wilson. This is one of my favorite songs by the band, from their debut album. It opens with Nancy playing an acoustic intro, before the electric band charges in. And since Heart were fans of Led Zeppelin, I wanna use this opportunity to introduce you to Greta Van Fleet - the 21st century retro rock band that's been hailed as the second coming of Led Zeppelin (listen). The band features three brothers - two of which (the Page and Plant soundalikes) are twins!
Sunday: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen The Rain [Pendulum, 1970]
Comments: We'll end the week on a somber note, with a song by yet another band that is often referred to by just its initials. I feel like the poignancy of this song's meaning is obscured by cutting the title off without finishing the question posed by its chorus: "have you ever seen the rain coming down on a sunny day?" After making a name for themselves, and solidifying their status in the hallmark of rock history, tensions were rising within the band - unfortunately, including between founding members and brothers John (vocals, lead guitar) and Tom (rhythm guitar) Fogerty. Tom would leave the band after this album, and they would record one more album (a critical flop) before folding.
Honorable Mention: Stonefield - Through The Clover [Through The Clover, 2010]
Comments: As we've seen, there are no shortage of family bands out there. But for the honorable mention, I want to highlight a criminally underrated (at least overseas) 21st century Australian retro rock band by the name of Stonefield. Here's the title track from their debut EP. What's most notable about this band is that it consists of four sisters: Amy (vocals, drums), Hannah (guitar), Holly (bass), and Sarah (keyboards) Findlay - who started performing as teenagers! It definitely recalls the Quatro sisters - Suzi, Patty, Arlene, and Nancy - who formed a garage rock band in the '60s called The Pleasure Seekers - later renamed Cradle (listen) - which laid the blueprint for The Runaways in the '70s, another all-girl teenage rock band. Suzi Quatro went on to a moderately successful solo career, appeared on television as Leather Tuscadero in the sitcom Happy Days, and was an early inspiration to Joan Jett (who was a member of The Runaways).