Closer To Home

I grew up listening to this masterpiece and it will always resonate with the utmost integrity, passion, truth and not to mention a deep rumbling bass you'll ever hear from a Fender Jazz bass that vibrates your bowels. Here you have three musicians that matured and grew tight as a three piece unit and produced this highly acclaimed 3rd LP "Closer To Home" in 1970. The lyrical content is at it's core, masculine and displays truth, hope and love to our fellow man and woman. Every song on Closer To Home is excellent and essentially it's the most perfect album they recorded (Survival being 2nd and Phoenix 3rd in my opinion). Don and Mel's solid driving rhythm section with Mark Farner's articulate and dynamic vocals delivering mature lyrics, his trademark guitar sound and blusey riffs is most evident here and what put Closer To Home on the map with a lightning bolt. Don Brewer is an amazing drummer with near flawless execution. Had his drums been better sonically produced in the studio like say, John Bonham or Carmine Appice for example, he would have been more readily recognizable in that same league of great rock drummers when in fact he surely IS. Mel, well Mel is "The Man"! It also sickens me that those good for nothin' critics of the day panned Grand Funk as a no talent in the beginning. These are the same idiots that panned Led Zeppelin's debut album when that came out in early 69', so go figure. The only panning going on here my friends is the guitar from the right and left channels. This music was and is made for the people and Grand Funk Railroad always had the highest regard for their fans. This album bestows knowledge and wisdom delivered in a special sauce of addictive, hook laden riffs and melodies. It is hard to pick a favorite off this album, but I'd have to say "Nothing Is The Same" puts me to tears it's so f**king heavy! "Mean Mistreater" is beautiful and sad at the same time: I've tried hard to live w/o you in so many ways, I can't help myself I'm thinking you, for the rest of my days. "I Don't Have To Sing The Blues" is a wonderful, assuring tune with addictive melodies: Please don't tell me that's the way that is goes cause I tried hard and I know, I ain't been playin' in your backyard cause I got my baby and she loves me so.... The 2002 remasters edition restores this particular album to how it should have sounded. The past Capitol/Cema CD releases in the 80's and 90's were thin and dry as a bone sounding and needed tweeking (yes, the original album itself sounded better). We've waited a long time for Closer to Home to be reissued in it's full domestic glory (not including those imports with misinterpreted lyrics) with improved sonic quality. Closer To Home was and still is a special gift from Mark, Don and Mel to us. Enjoy!

About "Closer to Home": Vintage Grand Funk Railroad sound! Holds its own when compared to GFR's invincible "Red Album." "Closer to Home" is superior in variety of sound and composition, however. This record has Grand Funk's original lineup-Mark, Don, Mel, AND Terry Knight. All of the other GFR groups pale in comparison, and that's saying quite a bit, because the other group manifestations aren't bad. The songs on "Closer to Home" cover everything from simple love and attraction to the Viet Nam war. Now, I own all of GFR's albums, but compared to this era, the Terry Knight era, the other records are just plain weak. Grand Funk Railroad's peak did not occur during their Rundgren-Pop Billboard-Zappa-Christian-Rock phase; it took place throughout the "On Time" to "E Pluribus Funk" period, and "Closer to Home" is right in the middle of this era. (Not counting the "Live" album, this consists of live versions of previously released material.) FYI: The only CD that's a must-buy outside of the Terry Knight productions, is the Zappa produced, "Good Singin', Good Playin',"-because, well, it's Zappa! About the "Grand Funk Remasters": First of all, what took so freakin' long to release these records in this format? Why do we have to listen to crappy sounding CDs in this day and age? As Nathan (William Snape) says in "The Full Monty" during one of his dad's (Robert Carlyle) clumsy dance rehearsals--"that were crap!" Even the Beatles catalog is taking forever to get released on quality CDs! ("The Capital Albums Vol. 1") Oh well, better late than never, I guess! I just have one last thing to say to the record companies, et al involved concerning this faux pas; guess which finger I'm holding up! There's a world of difference between the sound of these CDs and the sterile sounding earlier digital releases of the same material; that fact alone justifies buying the remasters. However, the bonus music on these CDs makes them a must-buy for anyone who likes Grand Funk.

Grand Funk Closer to Home a.k.a. I'm Your Captain, is one of my favorite songs. I used to listen to it quite often when I was stationed in Berlin back in the 70s. I'm rather partial to Led Zeppelin, but Mark and the boys nailed it with this tune. Just my opinion, but headphones give you the best listening experience with this one.

I just love GFR " Grand Funk Railroad " Had to try the Cassette version. There are just too few around these days.

"Sin's a Good man's Brother" is worth the price of this CD, this is their third outing and really put them on the map and Times Square in NYC. I like this Album/CD, they were getting better and Farner was writing songs at a pace that has God sent. Again like any GFR music play it Loud! It's 70's Rock and Roll.......Again Buy the First Grand Funk Live Album, if you have never heard it..........That will be all it will take to get you hooked, "In to the Sun" the encore will blow you away, as well as "In Need" I enjoy GFR because when I was a teen in the 70's they blew away Led Zep, Sabbath and others for me, until I heard the YES Album......Bravo the 70's. When I want to Rock I put on GFR, when I want to listen to great music I put on any one of the YES albums from the 1970's.

good quality

On ne parle pas assez de Grand Funk Railroad, c'est un fait. On se pâme des triomphes de Cream, de l'Experience de Jimi Hendrix voire des proto-metalleux de Blue Cheer et oublie trop souvent qu'aux Etats-Unis, à Flint, dans la banlieue du bastion de l'industrie automobile étatsunienne qu'est Detroit, trois mecs bourrés de talent font aussi bien et aident à imposer durablement le Power Trio comme une formation incontournable du rock de ces débutantes 70s. Notez que l'évocation de leur origine n'est pas tout à fait innocent. Si beaucoup de groupes choisissent de se détacher de leur origines populaires pour faire rêver un public en mal de dépaysement, Grand Funk Railroad est et restera le groupe "blue collar" par excellence, arborant même un logo cerclé de la mention "The American Band" et de la Star-Spangled Banner où est sur-imprimé le doigt accusateur d'une working class fière de ses origines mais pas pour autant prête à courber l'échine. Mais revenons à la musique et à ce Closer to Home, leur troisième galette, qui voit le groupe non seulement confirmer tout le bien qu'on pensait de lui sur ses deux précédentes créations ( On time et Grand Funk ) mais surtout élargir notablement le propos sur un opus toujours aussi énergique mais nettement plus diversifié. Parce qu'il y a des cordes sur Sin's a Good Man's Brother, une approche plus légère et pop-friendly sur Miss Mistreater, d'évidentes influences soul sur Get It Together, ou un blues plus cool et détendu sur I Don't Have to Sing the Blues tout simplement parce que l'écriture de Mark Farmer, le compositeur du trio, a des envies d'ailleurs et a acquis une nouvelle plénitude compositionnelle qui lui permet de céder à ce genre d'excentricités, parce que pour un groupe qui a tout basé sur la scène et une saine simplicité rock'n'blues sur-vitaminée, c'en sont. Le reste de la galette est d'une égale qualité les surprises en moins, il poursuit l'approche qui a vu Grand Funk Railroad s'imposer dans des salles de plus en plus imposantes devant un public de plus en plus nombreux et fervent pour qui se blues électrique et puissant, boosté par l'implacabilité d'une section rythmique bulldozer (Don Brewer à la batterie, l'ex- ? and the Mysterians Mel Schacher à la basse), d'un chanteur/guitariste plein de morgue et de feeling également capable d'effrénés soli sur sa six-cordes violentée et compatissante. Du coup, les trois bonus live de la présente réédition, un domaine ou la formation excelle, deux de titres présents sur l'album, un troisième de leur précédente galette, sont carrément les bienvenus poursuivant aptement l'expérience d'une œuvre simple, efficace et brillamment troussée, toujours sous le patronage productif de Terry Knight également manager du tricéphale combo. De Grand Funk Railroad on conseille souvent le Live Album qui suivra quelques mois plus tard, c'est pourtant celui-ci, ce Closer to Home si décisivement fomenté, qui devrait avoir l'insigne honneur du galop introductif de tout auditeur quand il s'agit des petits gars de Flint qui y sont, c'est le mot, resplendissants. 1. Sin's a Good Man's Brother 4:35 2. Aimless Lady 3:25 3. Nothing Is the Same 5:10 4. Mean Mistreater 4:25 5. Get It Together 5:07 6. I Don't Have to Sing the Blues 4:35 7. Hooked On Love 7:10 8. I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home) 10:09 Bonus 9. Mean Mistreater [Alternate Mix] 4:33 10. In Need [Live] 11:30 11. Heartbreaker [Live] 7:17 12. Mean Mistreater [Live] 5:22 Mark Farner - guitar, keyboards, vocals Mel Schacher - bass guitar Don Brewer - drums, vocals

商品、配送ともに🚚良かった。陳腐な表現かもしれないが、60年代後半、時代がロックしていた。甲高いマークのボーカル、これでもかというヘヴィーなこけおどし的ベース、ドラムはやはりいいねえ。

Geil funkige Mucke Lohnt sich

Good cd great service and prompt delivery many thanks