Grand Funk Lives [PA]

Performer: Grand Funk Railroad
Producer: Andrew Cavaliere
Distributor: Phantom Import Distributi

Notes: Digitally remastered by Bill Ingot and Dave Schultz. Grand Funk Railroad: Mark Farner (vocals, guitar, piano); Dennis Bellinger (vocals, bass guitar); Don Brewer (vocals, drums); Lance Ong (organ, synthesizer). Rising like a Phoenix, which was the title of one of their previous albums, perhaps Mark Farner is sending a subliminal message with opening track "Good Times" that his "Bad Time" is over? The song "Testify," track three, sums up this very good album from Mark Farner, Don Brewer, and bassist Dennis Bellinger replacing the MIA Mel Schacher. It's a hooky rock tune with Farner's religious overtones. All these tracks are strong, from "Can't Be With You Tonight" to the glorious ending of "Wait for Me." The no-nonsense production of manager Andrew Cavaliere -- shades of Terry Knight! --- and Bob Destocki, lets Farner and Brewer shine. This album is like a subdued version of the Grand Funk classic Survival. In fact, both Survival and Grand Funk Lives are underrated, not just among Grand Funk fans. Where the first Mark Farner solo album, produced by Dick Wagner, had more of a bluesy feel in 1977, and 1978's Flint by Brewer and company sounded like a stab in the dark, this collection rocks. "Queen Bee" has riffs taken from Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep, specifically the ending of the song; "Black Sabbath meets Heep's "Easy Livin'," with Farner's pop influences glossing it up. "We Gotta Get out of This Place" has more in common with a hard-rocking Young Rascals than the Animals or David Johansen. "Y.O.U." is almost there, halfway to a hit, missing the strength of producers Jimmy Ienner, Todd Rundgren, heck, even Frank Zappa might've lifted this track into the Top 40. The restrained production on the rest of the album is a plus except for "Y.O.U.," which needed just a bit more. "Stuck in the Middle" is fun Mark Farner, and is perhaps the best track on this excellent outing. Heavy keyboards, a great hook, and thick chorus -- a nice sequel to Funk's 1975 hit "Bad Time." "Greed of Man" goes back to the harder preaching of original GFR. All tunes except the cover of "We Gotta Get out of This Place" were written by Farner, who closes out the album with the introspective "Wait for Me." In a world mutated by Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, and Aerosmith gone pop, Grand Funk Railroad kept the flame of hard rock lit with this solid disc. It's too bad it didn't reach a larger audience. ~ Joe Viglione

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.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5