E Pluribus Funk [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Grand Funk Railroad | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 19, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1971
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000071WWX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,607 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Footstompin' Music leads off, and this album never lets up, winding up with four bonus tracks including I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home !

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The last hurrah from a much underrated band., January 25, 2004

By 

R. J Schaick "minstrel75" (Fredericksburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: E Pluribus Funk (Audio CD)

Most people would argue that Grand Funk Railroad never sold out. However, I noticed that shortly after Craig Frost joined them, there was a bit of a decline in the quality of their music. The bombastic rhythms, over-amped bass, and monstrous thrashing power-chords and riffs so prevalent in their ealier music began to disappear.

E Pluribus Funk, the last album Grand Funk Railroad recorded as a trio (Mark Farner, Mel Schacher, and Don Brewer) is chock-full of all of these fine things. The maturity shown on albums like Closer to Home, as well as the brash, unrefined blues and hard rock of albums like On Time, came together perfectly on E Pluribus Funk. This was their fifth album, and I usually find myself placing their first two albums under one column, and their next two in another column. This one, however, falls right in the middle.

The first track, "Footstompin' Music," is little more than a jam session with some words placed at the beginning. I think the last time the band would do that really well is on this album. It starts simply, but Don Brewer has barely hit two notes on his drum when Mel Schacher starts up on the bass in earnest, and doesn't let up. What happens next is a furious kaliedoscope of rhythm, as Mark Farner switches back and forth between the organ and the electric guitar. It's ballsy, with just the right splash of laid-back blues twang. The band then plays something a little more mature, an anti-Vietnam song ("People, Let's Stop the War") that might remind one a song from the album Closer to Home. From there, we go to "Upsetter," a classic Farner song about a lecherous woman. This, and the two songs that come after it ("I Come Tumblin'" and "Save the Land") move at a hectic pace. Farner writes some outstanding lyrics about peace, love and understanding, and at the same time writes some incredible music to go with it. The stamina of Don Brewer is awesome; I don't think he played the drums this well on any album that came later. Meanwhile, Farner is his usual nasty self on the guitar, exploding with rhythm one moment, tearing it up in a solo the next. His guitar playing here hearkens back to the days of Terry Knight and the Pack, but there's a gracefulness to his savagery, reflective of the years that have gone by. There's even a Schacher bass solo in the very long-winded (and scorchingly hot) jam session that "I Come Tumblin'" wraps up with.

Finally, after they're assaulted our eardums to the point where they might explode, the band finishes with "Loneliness," a very touching melody that's melancholy in the same vein as "I'm Your Captain," but with a slight edge to it. However, I enjoy the fact that the remastered version wraps up with some live tracks that were rejected from Live: The 1971 Tour. These, more than anything, really help to sum up why this band is so underrated, and why it's a shame that most people only know them for radio tracks like "We're an American Band." All in all, this was, in my opinion, a very fitting swan song to the glory days of Grand Funk Railroad. It is a testament to their outstanding musicianship. The songs are full of energy, passion, joy, sadness, everything that their music began to lose in the later years.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Rock Histories Greastest Hard Rock Albums., November 19, 2002

By 

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: E Pluribus Funk (Audio CD)

E Pluribus Funk Is one of Rock Histories Greastest Hard Rock Albums. It is also probably the beast played Bass Album in Rock History. Mel Schacher GFR's Bass god is just phenomenal from start to finish on this one; but he is on every GFR album as well; Mel really sets the litmus test for all bass players on I Come Tumblin,' it is lead bass playing personified. E Pluribus Funk Just Rocks from cover to cover with one exception of a slower, mellower, fully orchestrated, colossal work called Loneliness a great song, that never fully got the run it deserved. The Rocking songs are Footstompin' Music, People Lets Stop The War, Upsetter, I Come Tumblin,' Save The Land, and No Lies. This CD is also 24 Bit remasterred, with Bonus tracks and new liner notes, and cool pictures. The Bonus tracks are all Live songs from the 1971 Tour including the Closer To Home Medley (I'm Your Captian/Hooked On Love/Got To Get It Together and the total Jam Mark Says Alright. This is a must get for every GFR fan and every fan of Good Hard Rock.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FOOTSTOMPIN' MUSIC!!, May 8, 2006

By 

Baddstuff "music junkie" (astoria, ny United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: E Pluribus Funk (Audio CD)

I remember when Grand Funk was to play Shea Stadium in New York City back in the day and when I got off the train to get a ticket, I took one look at the huge line and turned back. The critics never much cared for this band but I have no use for critics. Their opinions don't run my life. Grand Funk was an underrated band and I was a huge fan. I still remember my band at the time playing 'Aimless Lady' and a few other GF nuggets.

The rhythm section of Don Brewer and Mel Schacher was damn good. I never hear drummers mention Don Brewer as an influence but I loved the guy's playing. Sure, he was no Mike Portnoy but so what. I have not heard this remastered CD, I still have it on vinyl and I think it kicks butt! 'Footstompin' Music' is a song I used to blast, great way to start things off. 'I Come Tumblin', 'Upsetter', 'People Let's Stop The War' are great rock tunes and the band jams their butts off. The bass guitar sound on the vinyl recording is fantastic. I will gladly take Grand Funk over a lot of the crap that is out their today. These guys knew how to rock. And for the critics who had didn't have a kind word to say about GF, I didn't care then and I care even less now!!

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