![]() But to this author’s ears, the Black Crowes were as influenced by GFR as the Stones. The Crowes get compared to The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers and Mick Taylor period. The best comparison is The Black Crowes first two records. The end product, Phoenix, is a straight-up classic of boogie rock. Don Brewer’s drumming on Rock and Roll Soul is as exciting as the instrument gets. And what made them great before: a great rhythm section, terrific singing and guitar parts was as good as ever. Their sound became larger and more colorful. Right from the first cut, Flight of the Phoenix, the band takes their boogie full tilt and Frost is the vehicle. The one that stands out most is the addition of keyboardist, Craig Frost. Without Knight, the band still had a few tricks in their bag. That’s the apparent result of GFR very next record, Phoenix(1972)-their sixth album of original songs. So what does a very successful band do when their supposed Svengali moves on? They better write some songs, get into the studio and play their asses off. Though Knight had much to do with their success to this point, they parted ways. It was at this time the band had a falling out with their manager, Terry Knight who they contended had taken advantage of them contractually. None are particularly expensive in this format. All the aforementioned records have their pleasures and are well worth obtaining in the original vinyl pressings. See what I’m saying? The critical pans at the time were mostly going after low hanging fruit. There is some weaker material too, conspicuous somewhat by simple lyrics. Some of the group’s best songs including “I’m Your Captain” are contained here. Regarding their first few records, On Time (1969), Grand Funk(1970), Closer to Home(1970), Survival(1971), E Pluribus Funk(1971), there’s a similarity in terms of songwriting and quality there. Don Brewer was a good songwriter and with Craig Frost wrote the band’s biggest hit “We’re an American Band”, produced by Todd Rundgren. His songs for the band are mostly spot on for their sound and some of the band’s best. It’s not worth repeating the reviews because in retrospect we know now that what was being slighted was overall very good.įarner is a great singer and performer. It was the lyrics on a few songs that rock journalists of the day criticized for being simplistic. This is probably where critics were able to find some softness and, after sharpening their penknives, whittle down a few songs on every album. ![]() His rhythm partner, Mel Schacher, put the bottom on Don’s beats and pushed the funk into places where more conventional bands of the era preferred to space out or noodle.įrontman Mark Farner wrote most of the music and played the guitar parts, which are mostly great. He went on to tour with another Detroit legend Bob Seger, but his work with Grand Funk speaks best to his prowess and claim to a seat among rock’s greatest drummers. Drummer Don Brewer, like every great power trio, was the anchor and engine. The rhythm section could lock in like no other. Formed as a trio, the band’s musicianship was formidable. So the band was well positioned.īut for all theIr mass appeal and the marketing sweet spot they hit in the bullseye, GFR was an artistic anomaly. The group’s audience were largely white teenagers, which is to say, the largest share of the record buying public in those years. It’s this inequity that begs some reassessment of the group who achieved mass success during one of the most fertile periods in American popular music. Outside of Detroit and their hometown Flint, they were dismissed as insubstantial and strictly for the masses.įortunately, time and nostalgia have a way of catching up to a momentary lapse of taste. Even tho GFR sold out stadia around the world and recorded six top ten albums in a row between 19, critics went out of their way to pan the group. ![]()
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