On Time [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: Grand Funk Railroad
Engineer: Ken Hamann
Producer: Ted Knight; Shannon Ward; Brian Kelley; Terry Knight
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Grand Funk Railroad: Mark Farner (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano); Don Bewer (vocals, drums); Mel Schacher (bass). Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company Studios, Cleveland, Ohio on April 16 & June 18-19, 1969. Originally released on Capitol (307). Includes liner notes by Steve Roeser. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Personnel: Mark Farner (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, keyboards); Don Brewer (vocals, drums); Mel Schacher (vocals). Audio Mixer: Jimmy Hoyson. Recording information: Cleveland Recording Company Studios (04/16/1969-06/19/1969). Photographer: Barry Edmunds. Although Grand Funk's first album, 1969's ON TIME, didn't contain as many instantly recognizable tracks as would future albums (1973's WE'RE AN AMERICAN BAND, for example), it's unquestionably one of the best hard rock debuts ever. While some bands honed their sound over the course of a few albums, GFR had already found its niche with ON TIME, which was one of the first albums to be termed "heavy metal." Sample a young and hungry Grand Funk, with highlights including "Anybody's Answer," "Into the Sun," "Time Machine," and "Are You Ready?" Grand Funk Railroad's 1969 debut is a wildly uneven affair. Although the exuberant energy and power-trio theatrics that would fuel their 1970s hits are in place, the group's songwriting and arranging abilities are very much in their infancy. The biggest problems in terms of songwriting are the often-amateurish lyrics: "Anybody's Answer" is a sincere but muddled attempt at a message song that expends a lot of energy without ever focusing on a particular target and "Heartbreaker" is a love lament that is content to trot out a series of well-worn heartbreak clich�s. In terms of arrangements, the band often places an aimless jam where a tight instrumental break should be. The standout example of this problem is "TNUC," a loose-limbed tune that wears out its welcome with an overlong and unstructured drum solo. Despite these problems, there are some strong tunes in the mix: "Are You Ready" is an exuberant rocker built on one of Mel Schacher's trademark walking basslines and "Into the Sun" is a clever tune that starts as a mellow mid-tempo jam before blossoming into a stomping rocker with a funky guitar riff. Both of these sturdy tunes appropriately became mainstays of Grand Funk Railroad's live show for many years to come. "Time Machine" is another highlight, a bluesy shuffle built on Mark Farner's wailing vocals and a catchy, stuttered guitar riff. All in all, On Time is way too patchy of an album to please the casual listener but provides a few hints of and contains enough worthwhile moments to please the group's fans. [The 2002 reissue contains two bonus tracks: the original versions of "High On a Horse" and "Heartbreaker".]~ Donald A. Guarisco

Homer Simpson may have captured the essence of Grand Funk Railroad in the SIMPSONS episode where he rhapsodizes about "Mark Farner's wild, shirtless lyrics, the bong-rattling bass of Mel Schacher," and yes, "the competent drum work of Don Brewer." Emerging from the industrial town of Flint, MI, Grand Funk were a workman-like "people's band." They turned the Cream power-trio format into a stadium filling, larger-than-life experience that made them one of the most popular live acts of the early '70s. Their early albums were filled with amped-up blues-rock, but towards the end of their initial tether, they scored hits with covers of soul tunes such as "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "The Locomotion." IRS troubles contributed to their breakup in the late-'70s, but Grand Funk reunited with a vengeance in the '90s.

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