Grand Funk Were Great. So Fuck Off.

I do not care what the critics over the years have written or said about Grand Funk Railroad. That band were great and highly entertaining to listen to (I have the unfortunate place of having never seen them live...[Thanks Dad]). When the Hard Blues/Rock void was created in the late 1960s by the demise of England's CREAM, out of Grand Rapids, Michigan came America's answer to Blues infused Hard Rock. But, Grand Funk Railroad offered up something the Brits could not. GFR had all the influences of the North from Black inspired Blues, R&B and even Gospel. The combination was deadly. Sure they had some duff songs on just about every album, but when one takes the opportunity to actually LISTEN to their canon of work, it is not repetitious or mediocre as critics in the past have lamented. The soul of the region is in every song, the lyrics are passionate and the riffs and hooks were just as memorable as anything by Led Zeppelin, Sir Lord Baltimore, Deep Purple, Juicy Lucy, Blue Cheer, CCR or any other contemporaries they had at the time. Sure their style shifted from album to album in varying degrees and, yes it sometimes left their fans wondering, but overall it reflected a growing band, not one of strained talent. While most may think the albums Closer To Home or Grand Funk are the epitome of their best material and albums from Shinin' On onwards are reflective of their decline. I say differently. The 2 albums produced by Todd Rundgren - We're An American Band and Shinin' On - gave the band the hits they truely deserved but not without a sacrifice. The production differed, so too, did the music and the arrangements (It was produced by Todd, so what would you expect?). Then during their time with Jimmy Ienner on the next couple of albums, brought them close to their original sound but with a much more polished production & mainstream appeal, evidenced by songs like "Some Kinda Wonderful" (Ienner would go on to produce Tom Petty's Damn The Torpedoes). Then their 2nd last album in 1976 Good Singin, Good Playin', produced by Frank Zappa has all the marks of a great album with quality songs, solid production and arrangements. It was just released too late in their career, because the sounds of Rock had changed around them with Punk and New Wave. Even the "comeback" album from 1981, Grand Funk Lives, showed they had not lost any of its' edge, despite not having original bass player Mel Schacher.

Do not be to quick dismiss the 'Funk. After all, they were the first American rock group to sell out Shea Stadium over consecutive nights. Yes, they were that popular and they were that good. You may have a much stronger opinion of opposite belief. So be it. To each their own. To all the nay-sayers I say, "Grand Funk Were Great, So Fuck Off!"