Rock of Ages

The original "garage band", Grand Funk Railroad, has finally been honored with the box set it so richly deserves. Now, I realize that there are many out there who cringe at the band's name...but, as it's been said, "the times, they are a-changin'." Not only is this a collection of the Funk's most well-known early offerings, but it clearly illustrates how their sound changed - not only with musical maturity, but also with the atmosphere of the times. The set include such early classics as "Closer To Home" and "Paranoid", and continues on to include their later offerings such as tracks off their "Good Singin Good Playin" LP, produced by the late great Frank Zappa ("Pass It Around" is a pleasant surprise from this era). Listening to these tracks in chronological order made me realize that adding the tremendously talented keyboardist Craig Frost (now in Seger's Silver Bullet Band, and co-author of the classic "Like A Rock") to the band was a stroke of near-genius. The songwriting duo of Frost and drummer Don Brewer gave the band a more intelligent feel and approach when compared to the earlier offerings of guitarist Farner, whose lyrics and songwriting was far too simplified for most discriminating rock fans. In other words, it's all here, folks - and you won't believe how the band matured through the years.

For those fans of the Funk, this set makes it easy to trace the band's meteoric rise, their heyday, and the later years - all of which were defined both by negative press and ecstatic fans. For those hard-core Funk fans, some of the lesser-known classics are included for your nostalgic pleasure. The only real downside is that we can't do as Cheech and Chong suggested in their immortal words "Man, last night I played Grand Funk on 78 rpm and I saw God" - not for lack of trying, but only because the drug culture has gone the way of the 78 rpm record player.

To sum, the collection is well worth the price, both for Funk fans and fans of classic rock. Not only are listeners likely to rediscover lost gems, but the critics may well discover that the band aged very nicely indeed.