A nominal rating. I really need to see the uncut episodes to deliver a true, informed verdict. UPDATE - After finally viewing the uncut episodes…long story short, have to stick with the 3-star rating.

Even in the abridged NG syndicated version, this is a decent, well-acted episode, with a good cast in offbeat roles (Will Geer and Jeanette Nolan). Fun fact: Gary Collins and Mary Ann Mobley were a real-life married couple.

Even in its truncated form this is one of the more watchable episodes of TSS, which somehow manages to tie a silver bullet, a groovy rock band cassette, twin sisters, and a kooky middle-aged fortune-teller (played by Louise Latham) to four murders. Don't ask, just watch.

By now Chapman and Whitney were backed by Bobby Tench, Jon Plotel, and Nicko McBrain - the very same who would play drums for Iron Maiden in the 80's - a lineup which reflected their transformation from obscure art-rock group to cult hard-rock group with a funk edge. Or, in the case of "Crawfish", some kind of bizarre gut-bucket tangent that's downright indescribable. Still, their former profile does not go down without a struggle, as evidenced by the ultra-gentle tones of "Miller", a song which could have been easily conceived in 1875! Completely hard to figure but on the average it's a sidelight compared to what preceded and followed it.

This grab-bag affair was never really matched by succeeding records, and in that respect, it was very much like Family's debut. But this time around Chapman and Whitney call in lots of friends and session players to help out, and the more colorful/progressive tones of Family's work had given way to a slicker mid-70's mindset. This is best encapsulated by the leadoff track "Parisienne High Heels", a cutting, adrenaline-charged funk-flavored rocker which outdoes most of the Stones' work from the same period, right down to the illicit subject matter. Another effective track in this vein is the self-deprecating "Creature Feature". The comedic dance-hall mood from the last Family record is also prominent on quite a few tracks here ("Roxianna", "Showbiz Joe"). All in all, an absolute pleasantly odd record you should give a listen to.