The New First Family, 1968 - A Futuristic Fairy Tale

Released in 1966 on the Verve label, The New First Family was a satirical comedy album conceived by producers Bob Booker and George Foster. Coming on the heels of their immense success with The First Family—a parody of the Kennedy administration—this follow-up attempted to apply the same format to a fictional, futuristic political landscape. The record featured a cast of impressionists performing sketches centered on the concept of a White House populated by characters living in the year 2000, blending mid-sixties anxieties about technology and space travel with the tropes of political satire.

The album was a notable departure for the production team, as it moved away from the recognizable real-world figures that had defined their previous work. While it demonstrated the studio polish characteristic of Verve’s comedy releases, the record struggled to find the same cultural resonance as its predecessor. Critics of the era generally noted that while the technical performances were skilled, the futuristic premise felt detached from the political realities of 1966, leading to a more muted reception among audiences who preferred the direct topicality of earlier political comedy albums.