Grand Funk Railroad-Grand Funk

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The band was formed in 1969 by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (vocals, drums) from Terry Knight and the Pack, and Mel Schacher (bass) from Question Mark & the Mysterians in Flint, Michigan. Former bandmate Terry Knight soon became their manager and named the band after the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, a well-known rail line in Michigan. First achieving recognition at the 1969 Atlanta Pop Festival, the band was signed by Capitol Records. Patterned after Cream, but developing their own populist style, in 1970 they had sold more albums than any other American band and had become a major concert attraction. In that same year they earned their second gold record award for the album "Grand Funk" (aka the Red Album) and a hit single, "Closer To Home" (aka "I'm Your Captain") from the album Closer to Home, which was stylistically close to the old Terry Knight and the Pack. A year later, they broke the attendance record set by The Beatles' at Shea Stadium, selling out in just 72 hours.

Despite critical pans and lack of radio airplay, the group's first eight albums, released in three years, were successful. Knight launched an intensive advertising campaign to promote the album Closer To Home, reportedly paying $100,000 for a huge billboard in New York City's Times Square. That album was certified multi-platinum despite the lack of critical success. In 1972 Grand Funk Railroad fired Knight; Knight sued for breach of contract, resulting in a protracted legal battle.

In 1972 Grand Funk Railroad added a fourth band member, Craig Frost. They first had requested Peter Frampton to join them, but he wasn't available, due to a just-signed solo-record deal, so they asked Craig Frost (keyboards), whom they knew from their time in the Pack (1968). This brought on a stylistic shift from their original raw rock & roll roots to a more rhythm & blues oriented style that was not universally accepted by their fan base. Grand Funk released its sixth album Phoenix.

The band hired musician Todd Rundgren as a producer to refine their sound. Two successful albums and two hit singles resulted, "We're an American Band" (from We're An American Band) and "The Loco-Motion" (from Shinin' On, written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin for Little Eva).

They switched to Jimmy Ienner as producer in 1975, reverted back to "Grand Funk Railroad", and released the album, All the Girls in the World Beware!!! which showed the band's pictures on top of the bodies of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu and spawned the top ten hits "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "Bad Time". A major tour and a live album, Caught in the Act, followed. Pressures between the band members mounted and they made what they thought was a final album, Born to Die.

In 1976 they had the opportunity to join forces with musician Frank Zappa, which renewed the band's spirits. This was, however, short-lived. After finishing Good Singin', Good Playin' (1976) Grand Funk Railroad disbanded.

Farner began a solo career, while Brewer, Schacher and Frost formed the band "Flint" with the addition of Billy Ellworthy. Grand Funk Railroad reunited in 1980 without Frost and with Dennis Bellinger replacing Schacher on bass, and released two albums on the Warner Bros. Records label Full Moon. Neither album achieved much success. After disbanding a second time, Farner continued as a solo performer, becoming a Christian recording artist, while Brewer joined former Grand Funk bandmate Frost in Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band.

In 1996, Grand Funk Railroad (including Schacher) reunited once more, playing to 250,000 people in 14 shows during a three month period. In 1997, the band did three sold out Bosnian benefit concerts with a full symphony orchestra and released a live two disc benefit CD called Bosnia. In Auburn Hills and on the CD, Peter Frampton joined them on stage. In 1999, after three years of touring, Farner left the band to continue his solo career

Grand Funk is Grand Funk Railroad's second studio album, and was released in December 1969 by Capitol Records. It was produced by Terry Knight and engineered by Ken Hamann. This release (aka "The Red Album") was certifed by RIAA with a gold record award, the first for the group. It includes a cover of The Animals "Inside Looking Out" which is still a cornerstone of the band's live concerts today. Other key tracks include: "Got This Thing On The Move", "In Need", and "Paranoid" (which is not the Black Sabbath song). The inside spread photograph of the trio, for the original album release, was used for the now infamous, $100,000, block-long and several stories high, New York City's Times Square billboard ad for the album "Closer To Home" (1970). The producers sought to achieve a concentration on Mark Farner's guitar, in response to the imbalance the band achieved in On Time with the prominence of Don Brewer's drums.

Grand Funk Railroad-Grand Funk @320
1. Got This Thing On The Move
2. Please Don't Worry
3. High Falootin' Woman
4. Mr. Limousine Driver
5. In Need
6. Winter And My Soul
7. Paranoid
8. Inside Looking Out
9. Nothing Is The Same Demo
10. Mr. Limousine Driver extended version

pt1:www.zshare.net/download/16414986bd3db983/
pt2:www.zshare.net/download/164133992dfebecb
ps:echoesof-the-past.blogspot.com