Plodding, in a good way

While most people have only a dim memory of Grand Funk Railroad based on their hits "We're An American Band" or "The Loco-motion," for those old enough to remember the early 70's rock scene remember they were an enormously popular touring act, generally reviled by critics and adored by a scary looking group of fans.

"Thirty Years Of Funk" stirs up the old grey matter for this Michigan native. When I was an impressionable youth, I was introduced to GFR through their "Live Album," which for me remains the apex of their career. This is utterly heartfelt blues sludge as played by a group of guys with far more energy than talent. Grand Funk don't really get a groove going, they sort of work themselves into a plodding stomp which serves their intentions perfectly.

Grand Funk were one of the first rock bands to develop the idea of the power ballad. "I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home" foretold of many epics to come, from Aerosmith's "Season Of Wither" to Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." A troublesome legacy, perhaps, but a legacy nonetheless.

This three CD set is attractively assembled. Early recordings by precursor 'The Pack' start things off, and the rest of Disc One surveys their career up to the "Live Album," which contains the bulk of their originality.

Once GFR achieved world domination and attained some level of musicianship, they set about a long series of moves to retain their popularity, enlisting celebrity producers like Todd Rundgren and Frank Zappa. They also hit it big with cover songs, recycling "The Loco-motion" and "Some Kind Of Wonderful" to late 70's audiences whose memory of those early 60's classics may have been somewhat hazy. Amidst these developments, they were still capable of cranking out a classic tune or two, like "We're an American Band" and "Walk Like A Man," which highlight disc two of the collection.

Disc three contains their later recordings in their initial configuration, as well as three tracks from 1997 sessions from a reformed trio. Unfortunately, as of this writing, Mark Farner has once again gone solo, and Don Brewer and Mel Schacher are touring as Grand Funk with a new singer. One can only hope that this rift will end and the original trio will reclaim their legacy.

This collection is not for everyone, but if you have a taste for music so heavy it almost topples over on itself, you can't do much better than "Thirty Years Of Funk."