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Grand Funk Railroad is one of my favorite classic rock groups of all time. I know most people either love them or hate them, and I a proud member one of the former. They have such a huge sound for a group consisting of three white guys. The late 60s and early 70s had so many good musical trios but this one stands out to me as being one of the best. Not only do they mesh elements of hard rock, funk, blues, soul and folk music, but they fit so much soul and emotion into all of their songs. I wish I could have seen them live on stage in their prime.
Closer to Home was the first Grand Funk record I purchased and one of the first records I ever sampled. It was first issued in 1970 and contains some of my favorite riffs and change ups in any hard (now deemed 'classic') rock record. The intro track 'Sin is a good man's brother' is nothing short of epic. The strain and emotion in lead singer Mark Farner's voice and the sheer amount of tempo changes and breakdowns really set the listener up for a wild ride. 'Nothing is the same' has one of the hardest bass and drum intros of that era and is one of the catchier rock riffs you'll ever hear. On 'Get it together' the band shows their versatility with downtempo rhodes organ licks that slowly pick up the pace to become full fledged in your face rock. The guitar solo and change up midway through the song are face-melting. Then they throw you into a soul choir extravaganza that screams for a Who-style rock opera. 'I don't have to sing the blues' also comes with an amazing guitar intro and a drum/bass break that would make the Creedence Clearwater Revival jealous. 'Hooked on love' once again starts with such a furious riff that begs to be looped over and over, and has some serious blues influence. You can see a theme here...the riffs are spectacular on this record. Finally we have 'I'm your captain' - probably their most famous song - is just an amazing amalgam of soul, rock and blues. It comes in at just over 10 minutes and the breakdown around 4:30 with the bass, flute and ocean sounds coupled with Farner's croon are the stuff of legend. It's musical storytelling 101. Then they come back with an instrumental section that brings it all 'Home.'
Do yourself a favor and check this record. You'll find one at just about any record shop in the greater Seattle area for under 4 bucks...hell maybe even in the dollar bin. Don't let that fool you though, this LP has some serious cuts and will take you back to a time when people made ALBUMS.