Grand Funk Lives [Original recording reissued]

Grand Funk Railroad | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 8, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Wounded Bird Records
• ASIN: B0012CJM90
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,027 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Fronted by Mark Farner & Don Brewer, Grand Funk Railroad was one of the most successful rock groups of the 1970's. After nearly a decade with Capitol Records, they switched over to the Warner offshoot, Full Moon Records for two albums. Grand Funk Lives & What's Funk? Released on CD for only a short time by the band themselves, these fine albums finally are available everywhere through Wounded Bird.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, if unappreciated comeback effort, July 15, 2002

By 

Francis King "Frank King" (Calgary, AB, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grand Funk Lives (Audio CD)

Grand Funk Railroad brings several images to people's minds. One is the early version - Mark, Don & Mel blasting sweaty, loud, grunge rock and selling out stadiums all over the world between 1969 and '72. For others the band is Mark, Don, Mel and Craig, burning up the charts with songs that are still staples of classic rock radio: We're An American Band, Bad Time, The Loco-Motion and Some Kind of Wonderful. Unfortunately, those songs, and others from albums like Born To Die and Shinin' On, are mostly unappreciated by fans of the earlier band. They just couldn't forgive GFR for "selling out", whatever that might mean.

Well, if they were still buying records in the 1980s, they weren't going to like this comeback. Mel Schacher, who created those amazing early '70s bass lines, declined to participate and it was left to Mark Farner band bassist Dennis Bellinger to fill the spot. So this lineup comes together and produces what could be seen as an extension of the later, commercial GFR sound. This means a mix of crunchy rockers like No Reason Why and Greed Of Man, coupled with pop ditties like Can't Be With You Tonight and Wait For Me. There's also a cover here, a marvellous, energetic take on the Animals' 1960s hit We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.

So where does Grand Funk Lives rank on the GFR scale? For me, it's certainly better than the next album, the forgettable What's Funk. And I'd put it on par with recordings like Good Singin', Good Playin' and Shinin' On. It won't equal any of the live albums, of course (any version of GFR you think of was AMAZING on stage), and it can't equal the giddy We're An American Band. But it's definitely worth the money. I'll have it in my collection forever.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Only half of this CD actually "lives"!, July 11, 2009

By 

F. Todd Jennings "hot toddy" (dugspur, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grand Funk Lives (Audio CD)

" Grand Funk Lives" didn't exactly break any barriers when it was first released, in fact it seemed to hit the cut-out bins fairly quick, but it did a fine job of announcing their comeback.

"Good Times" is a bright opening tune and a delicious return to the typical Grand Funk "let's party" rave-up. It is loose and gloriously dumb lyric-wise but it sounds like they really had fun recording it.

"Y.O.U." is a memorable, upbeat, pop song which should have been a minor radio hit had anyone thought to properly promote it.

"Queen Bee", a minor hit at the time, is the best produced song on the album and has held up well over the past quarter century.

"We Gotta Get Outta This Place" is the most fun song on here. It sounds like they just took off playing, latched onto a riff and had a great time winging it. Mark's guitar tone is at its most brutal on this song. For those of you who would agree that Grand Funk beat the Stones at their own game with their fuzzed-out version of "Gimme Shelter" then this boisterous cover of the Animals will be most enjoyable indeed.

"Wait For Me" is a poignant but heavy-hitting nod to Farner's Christian beliefs and is probably the most heartfelt song on the record. Great vocal harmonies and wondrously metallic guitar.

Unfortunately, the rest of the songs tend to bog down the remainder of the album. The painfully dull, keyboard-driven "Stuck In The Middle" lopes along hoping to move forward but never really does. Songs like "Greed Of Man" try to push heavy social commentary with a terribly pedestrian riff and fail miserably. "Testify" seeks to back up a decade or two by adding some soulful aspects but sadly remains in neutral.

In summation: Half of this CD is a worthy listen and deserving of at least 4 stars but the weaker offerings constituting the other half lowered my overall rating to 3 stars.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad come back, January 14, 2002

By 

Richard D. Cappetto "RickDC" (Moodus, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Grand Funk Lives (Audio CD)

This was not typical bone crunching GFR, but its not bad. It has some good highlights in No Reason Why and Greed of man. But the album lacks some punch because Mel Schacher declined to be part of the 80s reunion, because he did not like management. Mark and Don found out Mel was right. But because of Mel's absence the album lakes some punch. Dennis B does a fine job on Bass but he is no Mel Schacher. Also; The song Y.O.U is the single for the album and it stinks, they picked the wrong single to promote, The two songs I mentioned above are way better. Its a must buy for the GFR Fanatic, but if your new to GFR start with eitehr We're An American Band, E Pluribus Funk, Capitol Collectors Series or GFR 30 Years Of Funk The Anthology.