Hidden Treasures - Mark, Don and Mel (and Craig if you wanna get technical)

[Scott]

Time to take a break from the chaos of the May challenge... You know, step back, collect your thoughts and then go back in for the next leg of the race. So I offer you up 4 tracks from a band that doesnt get much attention on this site...

Grand Funk Railroad A.K.A. Grand Funk

More influencial music from my brothers collection really. He is still a huge Funking fan. While he loves the early stuff, and who can blame him, I'm going to focus in on the 4 albums released from '73 to '76. These are more my style, with all the benefits of the technology of the times. Hey nobody could ever pass up a Quadrophonic 8-track!  Besides analog recording in the mid to late 70's still beats all this digital stuff of today! ... But I digress ... This band is top to bottom killer! Your colleciton is missing out if your missing any one of these.

PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/avul780l

	Grand Funk We're An American Band 1973 1 - Creepin' We're an American Band was the group's first collaboration with producer/engineer Todd Rundgren. Rundgren and the band recorded the album at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida on June 13–15, 1973. Rundgren would go on to produce the band's next album, Shinin' On, before the band switched to Jimmy Ienner. The album's original issue, as well as of the "We're an American Band" single, was on translucent yellow vinyl, symbolic of a "Gold record." The album labels, above the side numbers, instructed listeners to play "at full volume." It included four stickers (two blue, and two red) with the Grand Funk "Pointing Finger" logo. Emphasizing the shortening of the group's name, the word "Railroad" does not appear anywhere on the album sleeve, liner, or vinyl record, except as the title of the first song on side two of the album.
	Grand Funk Shinin' On 1974 2 - Little Johnny Hooker Although not as successful as its predecessor, We're an American Band, it peaked at #5 in the US and was certified gold, and its first single, a cover of "The Loco-Motion" topped the U.S. charts. The original cover was done in bi-visual 3-D and included the required blue and red lensed glasses to view it. The title song was featured in The Simpsons' 7th season episode "Homerpalooza".  A Quadraphonic mix of the album was available in the Quadraphonic 8-Track cartridge format.
	Grand Funk All The Girls In The World Beware!!! 1974 3- Good & Evil The recording engineer on the sessions was Shelly Yakus with assistance by Kevin Ayers and Rod O'Brien. The album's producer was Jimmy Ienner. Ienner worked with many pop and rock musicians including Three Dog Night, the Raspberries, and the Bay City Rollers, among others. The album's artwork originated from a concept by Lynn Goldsmith and Andrew Cavaliere, which included taking the faces of the band members and manipulating them onto the bodies of famous body builders Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu. The body builder photos were used on the front and back of the vinyl sleeve cover, and were printed on the disc labels. The inside sleeve included an illustrated poster of the body builders surrounded by a crowd of females.
	Grand Funk Railroad Born To Die 1976 4 - I Fell For Your Love The album's title is considered to be one of the group's more somber, straying away from the upbeat and cocky attitude that was so prevalent on previous albums, such as All the Girls in the World Beware and focusing on darker musical and lyrical content concerning death, politics, and personal relationships. The more upbeat pop single, "Sally", released on 3 April, was written by Mark Farner for his then love interest, the actress/singer Sally Kellerman.

[Jon]

Overrated, generic band. No thanks.

[Scott]

[Jon]

[Scott]

Don't forget...

[Jon]

[RJhog (Admin)]

I shall write words, not post endless pics.

Looks interesting to me.  I have two of their earlier albums, but nothing else to go by:

• Creepin' is a cool song.  
• Little Jonny Stephenson sounds like a Little River Band song.  
• Good & Evil is quite psychedelic. Kinda sounds Floyd"ish".
• I Fell For Your Love sounds like it would fit right in with Player/Ambrosia/LRB and that type stuff.
• The bass player is really good.
• Nice geetar as well.

Cool post.  Musically informative.  Nice job.

[Jon]

Wait. What?

[Gordon Williams]

I'm only familiar with "Creepin" on this list. I think I sort of tuned out GFR after "American Band". Although the other covers all look familiar, I can't recall if I got any of those in my collection. I do have the "gold" vinyl of "American Band". I'll have to go find it sometime soon and see if any of those stickers are still in the album.

Grand Funk's red album is still an all-time classic for me. Still listen to it these days, as well. Top 100 rock albums of all time, maybe even top 50.

[Scott]

I don't get Jon...  He resides in Michigan yet hates the music that some from that state...  hmmmm...

[Jon]

GFR were the Nickelback of the 70's.

[Scott]

A fine response boss!!  Nothing like good ol' American music from a good ol' American band!

[Jon]

So, you took the time to copy & paste from your favorite site for "facts" yet you do not mention any reason why "Railroad' was added back to the name in '76. Did that site not mention this? I demand more research on this matter because I want to know!

I remember seeing that album cover for ATGITWB at a record store in our town, and it just looked silly. Still does. Don't know what they were trying to prove with that cover, but I find it quite sexist. 

• Little Johnny Hooker sounds nothing like LRB
• Good & Evil sounds nothing like Pink Floyd. It sounds more like "Sex Machine" from Sly & The Family Stone.
• Born To Die sounds like an early 70's song, they were obviously late to THAT party. But there's COWBELL!

Meat & potatoes band. Decent stuff, but nothing really awe-inspiring. Plus the music does sound quite old, maybe it's the organ. Hey, will my Kiss 3d glasses work on that album cover?????

They rhymed "ass" with "class". That's, like, brilliant.

Interesting songs, but I shall stick to my two greatest hits discs. Kudos for trying, I guess?