“Miss Butters” by Family Tree - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1968Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s

TJR says

San Franciscan quintet led by Bob Segarini, completely inspired by the Englishness of “Sgt. Pepper”, with “Penny Lane” providing a key pop template. The line up includes Bob Segarini (vocals), Jim DeCocq (keyboards), Michael Dure (guitar), Bill Troachim (bass) and Vann Slatter (drums). The album was written solely by Segarini, and produced by Rick Jarrard with orchestral arrangements by George Tipton, both of whom were simultaneously working on a similar project; Harry Nilsson’s “Aerial Ballet” also for RCA Victor. Similarities between both albums have been widely noted – even down to catalogue numbers – “Miss Butters” (RCA-3955) and “Aerial Ballet” (RCA-3956). Conceptually, the album could be regarded in the same context as “Eleanor Rigby”. It was inspired by Segarini’s real-life kindergarten teacher (Miss Grady) and features a suite of songs that depict the life of a spinster school teacher, Miss Butters, who is born into a showbiz family, but experiences a failed relationship that leads her to devote life to children and teaching, before dying old and lonely. “Slippin Thru My Fingers” was chosen as a single to promote the album but didn’t result in any significant sales. Family Tree were never going to bring home the same amount of dollars as The Mamas & The Papas or The Monkees so they were subsequently dropped by RCA in 1969…

The Jukebox Rebel
12–Nov–2008

Tracklist
A1 [01:32] 6.5.png Family Tree - Birthday/Dirgeday (Bob Segarini) Psychedelia
A2 [01:56] 6.6.png Family Tree - Melancholy Vaudeville Man (Bob Segarini) Psychedelia
A3 [03:32] 6.3.png Family Tree - Any Other Baby (Bob Segarini) Psychedelia
A4 [03:50] 5.4.png Family Tree - Sideshow (Bob Segarini) Psychedelia
A5 [03:29] 6.2.png Family Tree - Mrs. Mcpheeny (Has Flu In Her Chest And Has Needed A Rest For So Long) (Bob Segarini) Pop
A6 [02:18] 5.0.png Family Tree - Butters Lament (Bob Segarini, Harry Nilsson) Pop
A7 [03:32] 4.6.png Family Tree - Simple Life (Bob Segarini) Songwriter
B1 [02:48] 5.9.png Family Tree - Slippin’ Thru My Fingers (Bob Segarini) Cerebral Pop
B2 [02:45] 3.8.png Family Tree - Nine To Three (Bob Segarini) Rock
B3 [01:55] 4.4.png Family Tree - Lesson Book Life (Bob Segarini) Psychedelia
B4 [02:01] 5.3.png Family Tree - Nickelodeon Music (Bob Segarini) Pop
B5 [04:16] 3.9.png Family Tree - Miss Butters (Bob Segarini) Cerebral Pop
B6 [01:34] 4.1.png Family Tree - Underture (Bob Segarini) Psychedelia

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