Search - Grand Funk Railroad :: Closer to Home

GFR Brings it Home

03/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

""This CD is one of their best. Besides containing the FM classic, "I'm Your Captain", There a few great tunes that you'll never hear on the radio.But then again thats always been the case for GFR. Classic rock stations will play Led Zeppelin 'til the cows come home, but will only occassionally play the same two or three Grand Funk songs. The boy's from Flint have a lot more to offer. "Sin's a Good mans Brother", is about as hard rockin as you can get, borderlining on heavy metal-[a genre that has always been credited to being pioneered by Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Critcs should have been paying attention to what was happening state-side in the mid West.]The song "Nothing is the Same" is a great "coming of age" diddy on which Mel Schacher lays down one hell of a bass line. "Aimless Lady", an instructional on how to pick up zoned out groupies, is another good one. The keyboard driven blues-ballad, "Mean Mistreater", is touching if not depressing."I Don't Have to Sing The Blues" is bit chauvinistic, while "Hooked on Love" brings out the bands' naivete. This CD is a must for any ones rock collection, Especially if your a Grand Funk fan."

An All Time Classic!

Richard D. Cappetto | Moodus, CT United States | 08/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Grand Funk Railroad was a band that constantly reinvented themselves, almost with each album. At the beginning there were considered a Heavy Metal band (White Noise) of course even that part of there career has been reclassified as classic hard rock because of what Metal music has advanced too, but it cannot be said that GFR is at least not a grandfather of Heavy Metal. GFR's first two albums On Time and Grand Funk (what we GFR Fanatics call The Red Album) were extremely heavy and somewhat simplistic (also GREAT). So when Closer To Home Came out it singled a change. Now this "heavy Metal Band" is showing the ability to change and showing versatility and more sophisticated lyrics. Closer to home is more of a blues based album there GFRs pervious efforts and It also contains GFR magus Opus (Best song) in my opinion I'm Your Captain Closer To Home. Its wonderful song and singer Songwriter Mark Farner said it came to him in a dream and that he believe God gave him this song to be meaningful to people. It has been meaningful to me for over 30 years now and to millions of others as well. The song is just a beautiful blend of melodic Guitar chords (Mark Farner) a great lead bass line (Mel Schacher) and wonderful drumming along (Don Brewer) with great lead vocals by Mark and wonderful Harmonies between Mark and Don, take all that and include a great orchestra blended and you have an all time rock classic. Closer to Home is worth the price just for I'm Your Captain Closer To Home alone, but that is not all. This album is great from start to finish. Sin's a Good Man's Brother is a hard rocker with an infectious groove. Aimless Lady a cool Bluesy rocker. Nothing is the same showed more sophistication in lyric writing for the young band and it rocks as well. Mean Mistreater and is slow down for the band a bluesy song crying out for lost love. Get it together is a fun (mostly) instrumental a nice grove provided by the rhythm section (Don & Mel) and some nice guitar chops at the end. Hooked On Love has that Gospel feel that influences much rock n roll from the 60s and early 70s, a typical we got to have Love song and a very good one. And I'm Your Captian/Closer to home which is GFRs magus opus as I said previously. IYC/CTH is one of rock n rolls classic songs and its simply a beautiful songs. Coming form GFR such a heavy band at the time it was a big surprise. This CD also includes shortened Am radio Versions of I'm Your Captian and Sin's A Good Man's Brother and both of these versions are very rear. This album shows GFR still with gritty power, but also shows striking maturity for the three young man, Mel, Don and Mark. This is one of Rock N Roll's classic hard rock album by one of Classic Rock's best bands. I would recommend this album to any hard rock/rock fan and any metal fan who wants to see the beginnings of modern hard rock and metal."