Best of "The American Band"

In 1968, two members of "Terry Knight & The Pack", and bassist Mel Schacher found in Flint (Michigan) with guitarist Mark Farner and drummer Don Brewer (EX Questionmark & ​​The Mysterians) to a power trio together. Terry Knight was manager of the new group, which he, inspired by North America's railroad "The Great Trunk Railroad" in "Grand Funk Railroad" renamed .....

...... After a sensational performance at the Atlanta International Pop Festival on July 4, 1969, when American independence (exactly 40 years ago today), came up with "On Time", the first album in the charts that make up the electrical, harmonica accompanied Blues "Time Machine" (Track 2) and the faster blues rock number "Heartbreaker" (6) originate. Despite the bad reviews of the Music Magazine "Cream", "Rolling Stone", "Melody Maker" and the "New York Times" to a broad audience of the album was delighted that finally should even reach Gold status.

From 1969 second album comes a powerful, dominated by electric guitar passages cover version of Eric Burdon's "Inside Looking Out" (14), which was released three years earlier of "The Animals" as a single. While the GFR version in Canada Place 21, in England even could climb 12, it was enough in the US only for 34th with two other albums in the following year the full throttle the group was unstoppable. From the third studio album, "Closer to Home" comes the epic (10 minutes long) "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" (13). The next one acoustic guitar part in his long chorus of an orchestra accompanied song, describes the unpleasantness of a voyage and enjoys today great popularity among veterans of the Vietnam War. From the same LP comes also the first with Keyboard behavior beginning, then walking in Power Jazz Rock "Mean Mistreater" (10). For "Greatest Hits" version of the live album was selected. Can be found after the release of the album "Survivel" of which unfortunately no track on "Greatest Hits", GFR coated on 9 July 1971 under their concert at New York's Shea Stadium with a six-year-old taking record of "Beatles" is equal. However, this year should not end before with "E Pluribus Funk" still came out the fifth studio album with the single "Footstompin 'Music" (9).

In September 1972, the sixth studio album was released with "Phoenix", which clearly made with "Rock & Roll Soul" (7), which style, the group has embarked on. Its zenith, the group with the album should be "We're an American Band" reach. Meantime John Eastman, the father Paul McCartney, took over the management of the group. The keyboard player Craig Frost was the band that should now call "Grand Funk" is grown to a quartet. As producers they had to win the all-rounder Todd Rundgren. "We're An American Band" (1) should not only be the hallmark of the group, but in July 1973 as well as achieve "Walk Like a Man" (3) number one on the Billboard charts. Let the published In March 1974, her album "Shinin 'On" with the extracted same single (5) and a repeat of 1962 by Gerry Goffin & Carol King for her nanny "Little Eva" written RnB hit "The Loco-Motion" (8) continue the flight of the group. The then missing on any party distorted Kracher also reached the top chart.

The published nor the December 1974 album "All the Girls in the World Beware !!!" brought John Ellis "Some Kind Of Wonderful", which had been taken up by "Soul Brothers Six" in 1967, (4) a more RnB-cover and a top 3 listing. That in his vocal and instrument playing "to" Humble Pie "and Peter Frampton reminiscent" Bad Time "(12) was able to reach # 4 on the US charts and should by Axl Rose as a capella intro of" Sweet Child O'Mine be re-heard "of" Guns N 'Roses "during the" Use Your Illusion World Tour "(1992). The album cover showed the heads of band members Farmer, Schacher, Brewer and Frost that the body of former top bodybuilders Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu were modulated. From the album "Born to Die", which published the group in January 1976 again with the addition Railroad, comes "Take me". After their final 1970 album "Good Singin ', Good Playin'" which was produced by Frank Zappa, the band split in 1977 .....

..... To 1980 - 1983 and 1996 with numerous lineups tours in two Reunions to this day as a sextet. The between 1969 - 1974 published albums reached 2 times Multiplatin-, 4 times platinum, and 4 times gold status. With their mix of rock, blues and RnB plus a slight pinch of funk and soul were Grand Funk Railroad as one of the greatest American bands a real alternative British groups like Black Sabbath or Deep Purple.

5 stars Amazon.