Customer Reviews

Grand Funk

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I put this album right alongside "Disreali Gears" and "Are You Experienced". A tight, unified sound from start to finish - never mind that there weren't any radio hits on it. At that time and place, radio hits were beside the point. The music was rapidly evolving, and the power-trio format was the cutting edge of that evolution. Not as frenetic and competitive as Cream, and with a MUCH better rhythm section than the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Grand Funk Railroad was at the top of their game on this one! Led Zeppelin would take the power-trio format, add a great lead singer, and dominate the sound of the next decade. If you're into power-trios, you should DEFINITELY have this album. If you want to hear the very SOUL of Grand Funk Railroad, buy this one FIRST! You can pick up the "hits" any time, but this one is a jewel from start to finish!

RED ALBUM was THE GRAND FUNK RAILROAD in all their raw, nasty, sexual, high energy, Live sounding Power Trio madness. This is a Great second Album surpassing there great debut On Time, and helps rank GFR with the Great's of the 70s like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. This album was recorded live and the only overdubs are putting some rhythm guitar where the leads are (al of GFRs Terry Knight Produced were done the same way, as fast as possible and No Frills). Like On Time its a sledge hammer album, but even heavier with the smash songs that GFR used live such as In Need, Inside Looking Out and Paranoid. Red Album which is what we GFR fanatics call Grand Funk, also has the radio friendly songs Mr. Limousine Driver, Please Don't worry, and High Falottin Women. As well as the Sledge hammer rocker Got This Thing On The Move. This was what GFR was all about, Mel Schacher Playing his BOOMING BASS behind the note. Don Brewer Playing his POUNDING DRUMS ahead of the Note and Mark Farner playing his wild rhythms and screeching leads on GUITAR anywhere; before, after, or in the middle of the note. Or to be more accurate Don playing at the beginning of the note, Mel playing at the end of the note and Mark going wherever he wants with his wild rhythms. This sound made GFR something unique and special and gave them a driven sound that made you feel like your moving. Don and Mark do great Harmonies and both are excellent lead singers as well. Red Album is a special album every hard rock fan should have in there collection. GFRs sound can't be faked or copied, its something natural to the three musicians. This album along with Live, On Time, and Closer To Home, captured millions of fans for GFR who still reminisce about these albums to this day. This edition of RED ALBUM the CD is 24 Bit remastered with New liner Notes, Bonus Tracks, and photos. The Bonus tracks are a demo version of Nothing is the same and an extended version of Mr. Limousine Driver and there very cool. This is the first Time Capitol has released Red Album on CD in the USA and is a must have CD for every GFR fan and Every fan of Hard Rock. Is there someone standing Just out side your door?

RickDC :)

About "Grand Funk" (AKA: "The Red Album"):

Vintage Grand Funk Railroad sound! This record is what defined the Grand Funk Railroad power-sound. ALL of their other records are compared to this release. It gave early heavy metal fans what they wanted. It gave people into funk and soul what they wanted. It gave the politically astute what they wanted. It satisfies the nihilists. There were elements the bubblegum squad could latch on to. It was a huge sound without the haughty, "Creamish" air attached. Simple, but very, very effective! This is the core sound--devoid of any cliché slickness that is duck taped to all-too-many rock recordings. However, GFR didn't seem to strive to achieve this sound; it simply WAS their sound! Everything sounds natural and unpretentious. Mel Schacher says on the liner notes, "I liked the RED ALBUM the best, because I think it represented what Grand Funk was really all about, musically."

About the "Grand Funk Remasters":

First of all, what took so freakin' long to release these records in this format? Why do we have to listen to crappy sounding CDs in this day and age? As Nathan (William Snape) says in "The Full Monty" during one his dad's (Robert Carlyle) clumsy dance rehearsals--"that were crap!" Even the Beatles catalog is taking forever to get released on quality CDs! ("The Capital Albums Vol. 1") Oh well, better late than never, I guess! I just have one last thing to say to the record companies, et al involved concerning this faux pas; guess which finger I'm holding up!

There's a world of difference between the sound of these CDs and the sterile sounding earlier digital releases of the same material; that fact alone justifies buying the remasters. However, the bonus music on these CDs makes them a must-buy for anyone who likes Grand Funk.

It seems like ever since I first got a CD player, I've been waiting for the EARLY Grand Funk albums to be released. Unlike a lot of bands whose albums were at least available, albeit not remastered, most of the GFR catalog has been strangely absent from the CD racks for years - until now. People tend to think of "We're an American Band" or, God forbid, "The Locomotion" when they think of the Funk, but what they often overlook is how powerful, raw and loud these guys were in the early days. And this, "THE RED ALBUM", is their masterpiece. Capital has done a great job on the remastered sound, with Mel Schacher's booming, heavy bass right up front right where it belongs. These guys were crankin' when this type of sound was critically lambasted - alongside Sabbath, the early pioneering metal of Grand Funk was looked upon as being talentless noise by the critics. We all know now that it was simply a precursor to heavy-metal in general and the Seattle grunge sound in particular. This, along with their first album, "On Time", are testaments to one of the loudest, heaviest bands in existence.

Some records stand the test of time; others don't. Grand Funk's Red Album passes with flying colors and a bass lick to the gut for good measure. This record, their second and finest, was recorded in only two days during October, 1969. It's as live as a studio record can be. Indeed, on "In Need," you can hear Farner stop playing guitar, then start playing harmonica, then stop again before coming back in with his guitar The band is in a groove throughout. This is simple but powerful music.

Now I've heard some critics talk about the band's lack of proficiency on the instruments. No, Mark Farner wasn't Eric Clapton. But then Grand Funk weren't aristocracy. They were a blue-collar band from Flint, Michigan. More importantly, they played together well and their sound was good. Besides, Mel Schacher was a monster bass player.

I cannot say enough for the sound of this record. It reminds me so much of the sound of live rock bands from that era. Standing near their speakers you could feel the thunder of the bass and the crunch of the electric guitar. So it was not only an aural experience but a physical one too. The music hit you in the middle. That sort of sound seems to have been lost, either by technological development or by fashion I'm not sure. In any case, this recording captures that old sound well.

The new CD version of the red album also includes two bonus tracks. "Nothing is the Same" is labeled a "demo" but is sounds like a pretty fine song to me. Also a bonus is an extended version of "Mr. Limousine Driver".

As I was reading some of the other posts, I couldn't help but notice that someone posted saying that the Canada release of the CD was equal in sound. You have got to be kidding me!!!! When I purchased this Cd, I entered it into my car stereo and the clarity and raw power including mel's bass blew me away. David Tedds did an exceptional job on the rematering of the Album. Also I noticed the post included that the bonus material wasn't worth it. Well I on the other hand loved the "Nothing is the Same" demo. It has a whole different sound to it and different melodic breaks and tempos. Also there are some very nice fill-ins on "Mr. Limosuine Driver" Overall in my opinion this was Grand Funk Railroad's prime album. I loved everything else that they ever completed, but this was at a time when Grand Funk was the heaviest and loudest band on the planet. The only others that could compete were maybe Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath at the time. After ON TIME was released in 69, there were several things that Mark (farner) wanted different. For example the drums on ON TIME were put in front while Mark's guitar took a backseat, as did mel's bass. But on "GRAND FUNK" (RED ALBUM) Mark is in full force driven by the most powerful bass player in the history of rock, and the best drummer ever to grab the sticks. Every note on this album is perfect. Don is exceptional and Mel makes the bones in your body vibrate. Mark is playing his Messenger, which sounded great and gave the album that rusty, edgey feel. The combination of Blues/hard rock takes this album and makes it one of the best albums ever. songs like "Please don't worry", "Got this thing on the move", "In need", "Paranoid", and "Inside Looking out" showcase the band's talent. One thing about Grand Funk is that no one song of the bands has ever sounded the same. So in response to that one post, this album is obviously worth your hard earned money, you won't be sorry. You might even cry a tear after hearing the musical ingenious that went in to the album. 5 STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also check out the other 3 remasters in the package-ON TIME, CLOSER TO HOME, THE LIVE ALBUM. Enjoy

Never a fan of 80s Heavy Metal, new music, or really anything that is just plain loud in the arena of rock, I was quite surprised when I first discovered Grand Funk Railroad on a local classic rock station, since they were basically a compilation (albiet an extremely talented one) of all those things I just mentioned. Of course I first heard We're an American Band, then the Locomotion, Some Kind of Wonderful, and finally heard I'm Your Captain, and realized with that ten minute opus, I just had to find more stuff by this group.

After discovering MurrayTheCat's Top 400 Rock "So you'd like to..." guides, I chose get myself their quasi-self-titled second album, and could not have been in for more of a surprise.

While the lyrics of songs like I'm Your Captain may be missing, and the high quality production of later albums is also gone from the fold, this power trio, with emphasis on power, is remarkably different from their radio-friendly tunes. This just happens to be a good thing.

From the first drum whacks of Got This Thing on the Move, to the cacophonous finale of Inside Looking Out, this is the most delicious hard rock album I have had the joy of listening to outside of Captain Beyond's first album.

You get the pounding of Got This, to the fun, rollicking High Falootin' Woman (with a tasty keyboard part that sounds like a harpsicord towards the middle), to the mind-boggling guitar "thing" at the end of In Need, to the most passionate vocals from Mark in Inside Looking Out, this album will tickle your fancy from start to finish.

I don't think most people associate this type of music with much talent, just look at 80s heavy metal for proof; but these guys are anything but untalented. The fact that these three guys can put out so much energy into their music and still be able to hold themselves together better than groups like the Faces, and sound just as great live, is quite an amazing feat. Mel's bass parts are always intense, but never so in your face that you forget the rest of the band. Don's drumming is also brash, reckless, and played with abandon, but never draws attention to himself, or causes the band to fall apart, in fact, he does an amazing job holding everything together. And Mark's guitar playing is totally unique to him. I've never heard anything like it before or since. He knows when to back off and let the others share the spotlight, how to play intelligent licks and riffs, but still can blow your pants off with an amazing solo, whether on guitar or harmonica (if that's him on the harp, I don't really know.)

PS: If that really is a harpsicord on High Falootin' Woman, then slap me silly, because to not only hear it on a rock album, but this particular album, and not sound out of place, is just amazing.

Also, if you are looking for more similar to this, and new to the group, check out their more 60s sounding On Time, and the more finely tuned E Pluribus Funk, you will not regret it. Turn those amps to eleven.

"Serious" music journalists generally hated this kind of stuff. "The music is too ham-fisted and the lyrics are hopelessly cliche and socially irrelevant", they self-righteously argued while clinging to their worn out copies of "Trout Mask Replica". Meanwhile, these same critics were drooling over solo-era Lou Reed lyrics that read as if they were penned by a troubled third grader. To an extent, the critics were correct. Grand Funk comes across like a pissed off, mentally retarded dinosaur heavily into weed, chicks and muscle cars. But that's really the beauty of it! The early-70's were all (okay, mostly) about big, bloated, dumb and heavy rock and roll and Grand Funk Railroad was its chief ambassador.

Forget that "The Red Album" contains no earnest acoustic guitar balladry or poignant socio-political "observations". Mark, Don and Mell didn't have time for that touchy-feely crap! They wanted to rock! And rock they did.

Humor aside, GFR were actually very good musicians and very good at what they did: super heavy power trio thunder. That's why this CD is so fun to listen to. It consistently rocks the whole way through. Credit must also be given to producer (and swindler) Terry Knight for faithfully capturing the band's raw power in the studio. You just don't hear record production like this anymore. Knight, recognizing how integral Mel's earth shaking basslines were to the band's sound, wisely featured him prominently in the mix. Add Don's dry amd heavy drums and Mark's super raw guitar heroics and you have the complete picture of a band who were out to take no prisoners. Some Nixon-era headbangers even put their bongs down long enough to discover that GFR recorded a song called "Paranoid" a full year before fellow knuckle draggers Black Sabbath did. While Sabbath's "Paranoid" is rightfully considered a classic, GFR's may actually be heavier.

If you consider yourself a fan of Grand Funk Railroad, I highly recommend this album for several reasons:

First, I've always had a lot of trouble reading liner notes on remastered albums, but this one contained a lot of fun anecdotes and little-known facts about the recording sessions (the band's drummer, Don Brewer, tells a lot of great stories).

Second, it sounds great! This was the first remastered GFR album I bought, and I had bought four albums before it: On Time, the Live Album, Closer to Home, and We're An American Band. I have to say that I was disappointed with the audio quality of each, especially Closer to Home. Don't get me wrong, the music was great, it was just hard to hear without turning the volume on my stereo up high. With the remasters, the band is finally being heard the way they were meant to. If you have a pacemaker on, I'd use caution, because Mel Schacher's bass guitar just might cause complications.

And finally, there's the music itself. It seems funny to put it at the bottom of the list, but I like to save the best for last. In all honesty, I'd have to say that the A-Side of the Red Album sounds too similar to the A-Side of "On Time" (High-Falootin' Woman is almost a dead ringer for High On A Horse or Time Machine). They're fun songs to listen to, but it's not until track number 5 (In Need) that the band members finally burst out of their shells. "In Need" has a magnificent "jam session" feel to it, something that carries over to the better half of the album, the B-Side. "Winter And My Soul" and "Paranoid" were early attempts by lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Mark Farner to blend meaningful lyrics with the vibrant rhythms and nasty guitar licks of downtown, gritty rock, something which he does well (Paranoid contains one of Farner's best guitar solos ever). Before I go on, I just want to add that Paranoid should not be confused with the Black Sabbath song. GFR just happened to record an original song that happened to have the same title.
Anyway, the B-Side finishes with the band's first cover, Inside Looking Out (a song originally written by Farner's favorite British Invasion group, the Animals). This song, to put it simply, rocks! The best thing about it (and the three songs before it) is that it meanders in every direction, almost as if the band is not sure where they're going to go next, but all the while, Mel Schacher and Don Brewer manage to keep it on some sort of track.

I find it hard to listen to an album all the way through if it has a series of long songs on it, but the first time I sat down and played the Red Album on my discman, I stuck with it till the end. It's not their best album, but it did set the standard for Grand Funk Railroad's high time: that period between 1970 and 1973 (before keyboardist Craig Frost joined the roster) when the band recorded all their best music.

Some may say this, GF's second record, is a musically simplistic piece of work. But no one ever listened to Grand Funk for complexity. For a raw, burning power trio sound, this record is hard to beat. Lots of fun, funky rock 'n' roll and lots of sex in the first four tunes. The record gets heavier after that, including the longer concert staples In Need and Inside Looking Out, Mark Farner's climactic hard edged guitar playing on display. Only one throw-away tune: I just never cared for Paranoid. If you're looking for depth and complex musical layers, buy some Pink Floyd or Deep Purple. If you're looking to party and nothing else, put on this record.