Live: The 1971 Tour [Live]

Grand Funk Railroad | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 2, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1971
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000068QVN
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,971 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Grand Funk Live: On Tour 1971 is a trip in the way-back machine to the very beginnings of arena rock, and it functions best if you keep that in mind. On Tour 1971 captures these prosaic rockers at the height of their powers, when they matched the record set by the Beatles by becoming the second rock band to sell out New York's Shea Stadium. Their artless, hard-charging playing and unfaltering energy--especially essential during those extended drum solos on "Inside Looking Out" and "T.N.U.C. "--capture the spirit of a generation in transition by shrugging off the baroque, meandering psychedelia and socially conscious trappings of '60s music and stripping it down to its bare, unvarnished, and unpretentious surfaces. Grand Funk Railroad were considered by fans to be a breath of fresh air--much like the Ramones would be later in the decade. But not everyone was a fan. After manager Terry Knight paid $100,000 for a huge billboard in Times Square in 1970 to promote their album Closer to Home, the backlash from critics and DJs caught fire, even before the band got off the ground. But GFR's popularity rose on the backs of fans. This mighty power trio toured the country relentlessly, bringing their artless brand of hard, blues-based rock to the masses time and time again. These 11 songs represent the band's swing through Chicago, Detroit, and finally Shea Stadium during a week in 1971, and they showcase the band in all their sweaty glory. Mark Farner tears into a song with the ferocity of a starved beast, his voice like Jack Bruce on steroids. Don Brewer, who began life as a jazz drummer, abandons all his high-brow leanings and thrashes out erratic, heart-topping beats, while former Question Mark and the Mysterians bassist Mel Schacher lays down a mighty foundation with his throbbing bass. This is head-banging at its finest, 15 years before the term was coined. While rather lacking in imagination, Grand Funk Railroad make up for it in sheer power. A raucous trip back in time, with the exception of their rather lackluster cover of the Stones’ "Gimme Shelter." --Jaan Uhelszki

Product Description

All previously unreleased live tracks recorded in 1971 from Chicago, Detroit & their sold-out appearance at Shea Stadium. 24-Bit digitally remastered. 11 tracks. 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Testament to The Power Of Early GFR., July 14, 2002

By 

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Live: The 1971 Tour (Audio CD)

This CD is a wonderful testament to the power of early GFR. I will give a track by track review.

1. The introduction first has the fans chanting We Want Grand Funk then the recorded Sprach Zarathustra (2001) come on and stops and an announcer says. Welcome, Closer To Home, Grand Funk Railroad.

2. Are You Ready-Rocking version equal to Live album but faster paced.

3. Footstompin Music, this must be the survival version it is different than the regular version and really its like Footstompin Music on steroids. This one has a loner intro before the singing, it starts off with Don on Drums by himself and then Mel comes in and then Finally Mark on Keys. Its really cool. It is heavier then the normal Footstompin music. When Mark gets on the guitar he starts off like the normal guitar lick but then changes it up to sounds like a bit of inneed, it rocks. Mark's guitar is feeding back real easy so it must have been on eleven.

4. Paranoid-This version is real similar to Live album except Marks guitar playing is better, more crisp. Mark is on Fire on this one. I give this version a slight lead over the live album version.

5-6-7.-Medley I'm Your Captian/Hooked On Love/ Get it together. each song has a CD break (Unheard of course) so there song 5, 6 and 7 but its a medley. I mush prefer this medley to having mean mistreater on the CD. IYC starts off like the Caught in the act version at first but then Mark comes in with some cool chicken scratch guitaring and then they come to an end and start up IYC like the album version. Mark seems to sing in a lower key then normal (ever so slightly) which sounds cool, Mark and Dons harmonies are great as usual. About half way through the normal version then changes in a short rendition of Hooked on Love and then changes into Get It together. Really cool stuff.

8. T.N.U.C. -WOW 16 plus minutes the best version of the Drum solo I ever heard. Don is on Fire on this one. Totally Rockin version, at the 10 minute mark, Mark shouts everybody help us out, Mark and Mel hop on the drums as well. Drum thing 71 style.

9. Inside Looking Out-15:30 version Mark dedicates the song to all the people in Washington for you and me, and for everyone out that that smokes..... Similar version to one on Anthology, but better, its faster. Mel is just on fire on this one, he is throughout every song on the disk. This CD is so bass heavy its like all the music revolves around Mel's bass playing. It should be called Mel Funk Railroad Live in 1971. Marks guitar work rules on this one, it is much like the anthology version but better, Mark is very bluesy, then he is on fire, in a glorious feedback frenzy. This was what GFR was all about baby. There is even extra juice on the harmonica part. Then it ends in a distorted feedback frenzy. And the fans chant Grand Funk, Grand Funk. This is probably the best power trio version ever. But I will have to give it some time to be sure.

10. Gimme Shelter- (First encore) Kick but POWER TRIO version. Mark cooks, Mel Cooks, Don Cooks then all cook. Don sings it in a powerful way (and Mark does as well), Don and Mark's harmonies rule. 7 plus minute version. Don is just pounding his drums as he sings, incredible. Mark starts at the half way point to go nuts on the guitar and rips off some fast playing. Then Mark holds a long distorted note and GFR keeps it going as they bring the song back up. And then Mark comes back in again with some home cooking fast frenzy guitar playing, then into all kinds of stuff-wait until you hear it. Easily the best GFR version ever.

11. Into The Sun- (final encore) the cool long version. Much the same type of version like Live album; but not all the lopped audience noise tracked over Marks guitar, this version beats live album hands down. Much clearer thren live album, and Mark is ON FIRE! Mel is ON FIRE. Don is on FIRE. But this is Mark's song to shine and he is shinin on baby. The most obnoxious guitar work you will ever hear, it rules. And no audience noise to block it out. I absolutely LOVE it! Boy this is the most fun I have had listening to old GFR in three years. 71 had to be the peak live year for GFR. I hope capitol Get's video out of the 1971 tour!

The CD sounds Great David Tedds rules he and his team did a wonderful job. The 24 bit remastering allows one to hear all the distortion in its meant for hearing glory. Its 79 minutes that will fry your brian. Get ready. 79 minuets of wild Guitar Playing; 79 minutes of pounding drums; 79 minutes of throbbing bass playing. This CD is a GFR fan's dream come ture. Get ready to ROCK.

RickDC FNUK Cappetto

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mark,Don and Mel.....The power of the Funk!, July 2, 2002

By 

William J Redford (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live: The 1971 Tour (Audio CD)

Grand Funk...loved by fans and scorned by critics were always at their best onstage. They debuted at the 1969 Atlanta Pop Festival as relative unknowns and were superstars overnight;packing out concert halls and selling truckloads of records. Their power is here now for all to savor on this collection of performances from the spring and summer of 1971.

For those of you familar with the 1970 "Live Album",you are in for the sonic ride of your lives! Not only are the recordings superior in sonic clarity to that album but what a difference a year of nonstop gigging made! Mark Farner working the stage like no other,his guitar playing making up in sheer energy and gut power what it may have lacked in technical perfection,Don Brewer, a vastly underrated drummer,driving the band with locomotive intensity,and Mel Schacher,diminutive in stature but mighty of sound with his overdriven,milkshake thick tone and deft bass lines.

They place their stamp on "Gimme Shelter",nearly making it their own,deliver a version of "Inside Looking Out" that stands head and shoulders above any performances before or since,fashion a sweet medley of "I'm Your Captain/Hooked On Love/Get It Together,and give us an early version of "Footstompin'Music"which had first been cut during the sessions for "Survival",shelved and later recut on "E PLuribus Funk" later that year.Sure,several of the songs are LONG..we're talking 1971 here folks! Grand Funk Railroad ruled the concert stage and the proof is right here...Their influence was huge,if not always given its due credit.

Their power was absolute....listen and experience for yourself!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Live From The Vaults!, September 29, 2002

By 

J. E FELL "boogaloojef" (Carterville, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live: The 1971 Tour (Audio CD)

"Live The 1971 Tour" was the first disk issued to kick off the new Grand Funk Railroad remastering project. The set contains live trio versions of songs from the 1971 tour. The set contains material from various venues including their famous Shea Stadium concert in New York City. The sound quality is rather raw but passable for the this time period. The disk was issued without overdubs as evidenced by the tuning problems in "Are You Ready" and "Paranoid". The set contains 11 tracks the same number as the "Live Album" from the 1970 tour. However, the 1971 disk contains great live versions of the medley "I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home/Hooked On Love/Get It Together, a ultra heavy version of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and "Footstompin' Music", while the 1970 live set contains "In Need", "Heartbreaker" and "Mean Mistreater" and "Mark Says Alright" instead. Personally, I favor the set list on the 1971 set. The 1971 set hits its stride near the end with long barnstorming versions of the Animals' "Inside Looking Out" and "Into The Sun" which along with "T.N.U.C" also appear on the live disk from 1970. The version of "T.N.U.C" included here clocking in at over 15 minutes lasts too long perhaps but it is an example of the jamming that some the bands of the early seventies favored in concert. In summary, while not essential I enjoyed this disk more than the "Live Album" from 1970" and despite some tuning problems it shows the excitement that Grand Funk Railroad was capable of generating in concert. I hope the new remasters will contain some more live unissued cuts as bonus tracks.