Grand Funk Railroad

In this case, the critics were entirely correct. Enjoyed the Zappa and Rundgren produced records though. A guilty pleasure kinda thing.

 

Add Deep Purple and The Moody Blues. I wonder how long it will be until DP is back on a ballot!

 

Critics not with standing, there is only one thing that is the deciding factor weather something be it wine, food, music is good or bad. DO YOU LIKE IT. If you do, it is good, if you dont it is not good.

My personel example. I dont care much for the Stones and Mozart.

 

Should it not be called "Rock and Roll Hall of Farce"

 

I'm not a fan of Grand Funk (Railroad). Closer To Home is one of the most boring songs I've ever heard, Locomotion was a distinctly subpar cover of a great original by Little Eva, and I can find nothing of interest in We're an American Band either. However, they managed to illustrate the notion that every band I dislike will eventually release a song I like when they put out Bad Time around 1975, 'cause that's a terrific pop tune.

 

"Nothing Is The Same" blew one of my woofers in my Speakercraft speakers (#3s) during my junior year at UC Riverside. That old "Closer to Home" get thrashed and I never found another with flat bass extension like my 1970 green label version. Lot of Grand Funk memories that I relive a couple times a month.

Find the Funk in the attached picture:

 

me neither...to many variables.

 

Eddie Trunk called it the Rock And Roll Hall Of Shame And Disgrace.

 

So did you come on this thread to make this point? Why even join the conversation? How did this add to the conversation of the OP wondering what he missed? Well, obviously since you like probably the worst song they ever released Bad Time and also The Locomotion, which you didn't and might be their second, I can understand why you don't call yourself a fan. If you would have thrown in Some Kind of Wonderful you would have GFR's pop trifecta. I can't say I'm a real fan of any of the three but surely like most of their album ouput. Actually, the cover you don't like reached No. 1 and the song you did No. 4. And if you can honestly say there is nothing on We're An American Band that you don't like.......why are you here?

 

I saw them open a show at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
The headliner was supposed to be Sly and The Family Stone.
They pulled a no,show and Delaney and Bonnie took their place.
Anyway..Grand Funk was amazing !!
This was 1969, I think.
Paranoid was a great album.
Glen

 

Fortunate to have seen the Shea Stadium show; still in my top ten. Mark Farner just has that spark, you can't buy it , you can't learn it . . Just gotta have it. American treasure, screw the critics.

 

I suspect one of the reason they were hated by critics is that Terry Knight was a very clever promoter, and seen the value in negative press as being great advertising, so he did all he could to keep the press pissed at GFR by isolating the band from the media. Which, lets face it, critics do not like being blown off.

I think it is to their credit not to be in the HOF.
E. Pluribus Funk is still one of my favorite albums, closely followed by Survival.
I seen them ( the real band , not the currently touring cover band) in 1972, and Mark Farner is by far the most entertaining rock musician I have seen. That is still the best concert I have ever been to.

 

This show should be on DVD.

Darryl

 

Grand Funk Live Album was the very first lp I ever bought - I still have it, but the poster ended up getting trashed from me hanging it on the wall in my bedroom back when I was in the 6th grade.

 

Those songs are NOT representative of their albums prior to Todd Rundgrens involvement. Their stuff before his production was amazingly varied and ass kicking music. Those were just the songs that were radio friendly enough for the record label to feel they could make some money from.

 

If the thread title says "appreciation thread", I won't cut in (as per forum rules). Otherwise, it's fair game for any opinion. Yours obviously differs from mine. That's fine.

 

Fair enough. The "radio-friendly" ones turned me off. But as I said, when something I like such as Bad Time comes along, I don't let my previous opinion of the band colour my opinion of the song.

 

No kidding, you want to hear some fantastic music as well as some of the most interesting sounds coming from a guitar you have ever heard, find a copy of E. Pluribus Funk.
I bet guys that are into grunge would like the album, just because of the sheer balls of the guitar sounds. But far more sophisticated music.
If you like it then find Survival. It has fantastic very heavy versions of both Feeling Alright and Gimme Shelter on it.

 

Has there ever been a GFR album thread?
Did a quick search & couldn't find one.

Darryl

 

"On Time" and "The Red" album are essential. The Japan "Past Masters" cd's are worth looking for. Great "American" Band...

 

In defence of John54, I agree about the songs he didn't like. As another poster stated, they were simply aimed at the masses to get a hit, and succeeded very nicely. I never play them and skip over them if I'm listening to a cd with them on it. I'm a HUGE GF fan from the 1st album on, I owned all their albums when they were released, up to Phoenix. The Closer To Home album is one of my favorites, if not my absolute fave, and the title track never did much for me. That's a album of fantastic deep album cuts, imho.
I also agree with the poster who "dissed" the WAAB album. I never liked it much except for one song - "Creepin". I was a bit dismayed that AF chose to do that album out of all of them, but I understand it was the logical choice from a business point of view. I just wish, since it sold out so fast, that they would have kept it up with CTH, the "Red" album, Survival, E Pluribus Funk...but I guess it's not to be. We sure get every title by James Taylor, Phil Collins and the like, though....

As for "Bad Time", it's imho the perfect radio single by GFR, I love this song. When I saw the reunion tour with the original band the last time they reformed in 1998 <?> at Lisner Auditorium in Wash DC, they played a beautiful, note-perfect version of that song. It was goose-bump city for me, Mark just nailed that vocal, and the acoustics in that Hall are legendary anyway - it was one of those moments where time just stops and was the highlight of the show for me. He really does have a great voice and when the song is good, the combination is a revelation.

Anyway, I don't feel anyone was thread-crapping, GF was could be a frustrating band, esp in the later years. Even I, a big fan myself, have lots of gripes with songs they did and musical directions some of the albums took, esp. the later ones. I thought Good Singin Good Playin was a great return to form though, the last really good album by them imho. But they have surely had their share of "stinkers"!

 

Tend to favor the later Shinin On/American Band stuff - and any band that can come up with a throwback classic like "Bad Time" is all right in my book. Farner's always had great pipes as well...

 

I never understood the ridicule GFR had to endure. I always thought they were a great rock band.

 

I love the sound of those early recordings. The red album probably has one of the
best sounding electric basses ever committed to tape in my opinion.
Pretty amazing live set here. Bands really do not mean it like this anymore.

 

I agree. He always got trashed for his guitar playing , but the guy has got a really good voice. So of course what does Todd Rundgren do as producer...tells them Brewer needs to sing more leads.