Entertainment For Lively Minds
What happened to Grand Funk railroad?
Posted by timjulian on 13 December 2009 - 11:25pm.
I'm currently reading "The Sound and the Fury" , Barney Hoskyns compilation of classic rock articles several times rightly praised here, and I've just got to Lenny Kaye's article on GFR. Who were apparently huge in 1971. Well, I've heard of them, of course, but I have to say I've never heard anything by them. Am I alone in this? How come they've completely passed me by? (I'm pushing 50 by the way). According to the article they were the biggest band in America at the time, sold out Shea Stadium in 72 hours etc. Yet I've never seen a Q/Mojo retrospective or similar. Which seems a little odd. Justifiably forgotten or worth checking out?
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The British press..
..hated them.
They WERE pretty awful, but probably not much worse than Iron Butterfly, or Frijid Pink or any of those "acid rock" bands of the era.
A cursory Youtube trawl should sort you out.
back in their heyday,
the seventies, many people , australians that is, belonged to the Australian record club. Each month you got an album sent to you,unless you said you didn't want it and then had to send it back within a time limit. Classic inertia selling. These heterogeneous records formed the basis of many an odd record collection.
Grand Funk were one of those bands you got delivered by default. Can't recall anyone liking them even after getting the record and playing it - even fans of overblown histrionics .
Can't forget the "Bong rattling bass"
Homer Simpson described them as "Mark Farner's wild, shirtless lyrics, the bong-rattling bass of Mel Schacher and the competent drum work of Don Brewer"
Darn Brewer
They had one of those unfeasibly long 70's drum solos on a live album, at the end of which the MC drawled "Don Brewer!". As a result, for years a friend and I would say "darn brewer" as if it were "darn good" or "damn good", but only ironically.
..and here they are..
..in all their ahem..glory, re-imagining Eric Burden.
You're a better man than me..
..if you get through to the end.
tried
failed
Believe it or not...
...they came over and played a free concert in Hyde Park in July 1971. This is despite the fact that there was no interest whatsoever in them over here. They were supported by Heads, Hands & Feet, Stoneground (I think) and Humble Pie, who stole the show, as they did with everyone in those days.
I think I was there. (Nanny must have been wheeling me towards the Serpentine.)