Closer to Home

Last updated
Closer to Home
Closer to Home.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 15, 1970
RecordedMarch 1970
Studio Cleveland Recording Company, Cleveland
Genre Hard rock [1]
Length44:27
Label Capitol
Producer Terry Knight
Grand Funk Railroad chronology
Grand Funk
(1969)
Closer to Home
(1970)
Live Album
(1970)
Singles from Closer to Home
  1. "Sin's a Good Man's Brother"/"Nothing Is the Same"
    Released: June 1970
  2. "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)"/"Aimless Lady"
    Released: July 1970
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [3]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Village Voice B [1]

Closer to Home is the third studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released on June 15, 1970, by Capitol Records. Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. This album reached RIAA gold record status in 1970, making it the group's third gold record in one year. The album's inside artwork shows a live photo of the band performing at Madison Square Garden in February 1970.

Contents

In 2002 Closer to Home was remastered on compact disc with bonus tracks and also released in a limited-edition box set Trunk of Funk that contained the band's first four albums. The "trunk" has slots for twelve CDs to house the future release of the remaining eight albums that were released by Capitol. Also included is a pair of "Shinin' On" 3-D glasses, guitar pick and a sticker reproducing a concert ticket.

Track listing

All songs written by Mark Farner.

Side one
No.TitleLength
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
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."I Don't Have to Sing the Blues"4:35
2."Hooked on Love"7:10
3."I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)"10:09
2002 bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
9."Mean Mistreater (Alternate)"4:33
10."In Need (Live)"11:30
11."Heartbreaker (Live)"7:17
12."Mean Mistreater (Live)"5:22

Personnel

2002 Remaster

Charts

Album

YearChartPeak Position
1970 Billboard 200 [5] 6
Australia [6] 9
Canada [7] 6

Singles

YearSingleChartPosition
1970"Closer to Home" Billboard Hot 100 [8] 22
Canada21

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Funk Railroad</span> American band

Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band formed in Flint, Michigan, in 1969 by Mark Farner, Don Brewer and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and success during the 1970s with hit songs such as "We're an American Band", "I'm Your Captain ", "Some Kind of Wonderful", "Walk Like a Man", "The Loco-Motion", "Bad Time" and "Inside Looking Out". Grand Funk released six platinum and seven gold-certified albums between their recording debut in 1969 and their first disbandment in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Farner</span> American musician (born 1948)

Mark Fredrick Farner is an American musician. He was the original singer and guitarist of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad, which he co-founded in 1969, and later as a contemporary Christian musician.

Terry Knight was an American rock and roll music producer, promoter, singer, songwriter and radio personality, who enjoyed some success in radio, modest success as a singer, but considerable success as the original manager-producer for Grand Funk Railroad and the producer for Bloodrock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Brewer</span> American drummer and singer (born 1948)

Donald George Brewer is an American drummer and singer who is a founding member and longtime original drummer of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad.

<i>On Time</i> 1969 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

On Time is the debut studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad, released on August 25, 1969, by Capitol Records. It was recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. "Time Machine", the band's debut single release, made it into the top 50 in the singles charts, reaching #48.

<i>Grand Funk</i> (album) 1969 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

Grand Funk is the second studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. It was released on December 29, 1969, by Capitol Records, just four months after their debut album On Time. Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight and engineered by Ken Hamann. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, the first for the group. It includes a cover of the Animals' 1966 song "Inside Looking Out", which is still a staple of the band's live concerts.

<i>Survival</i> (Grand Funk Railroad album) 1971 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

Survival is the fourth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad, released in April 1971 by Capitol Records. Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. Drummer Don Brewer was not happy with the drum sound on the album, due to Knight's insistence of having Brewer cover his drum heads with tea-towels, after seeing Ringo Starr use the technique in the Beatles' film Let It Be (1970).

<i>E Pluribus Funk</i> 1971 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

E Pluribus Funk is the fifth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released on November 15, 1971, by Capitol Records. Like previous Grand Funk Railroad albums, it was recorded at Cleveland Recording Company and is the final album produced by Terry Knight. The title is a play on the Latin motto of the United States of America, E pluribus unum and translates as "Out of many, Funk". The original release cover was completely round and covered with a silver-like film to resemble a large coin. The back side of the cover of this album included a die cast picture of Shea Stadium to celebrate Grand Funk beating The Beatles' Shea Stadium attendance record by selling out in just 72 hours.

<i>Phoenix</i> (Grand Funk Railroad album) 1972 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

Phoenix is the sixth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad, released on September 15, 1972, by Capitol Records. The album was produced by the band and marks their first album without producer by Terry Knight. "Rock & Roll Soul" was released as a single and peaked at #29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.

<i>Were an American Band</i> 1973 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

We're an American Band is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad, credited as Grand Funk. The album was released by Capitol Records in July 1973, and was certified gold by the RIAA a little over a month after its release. Two singles were released from the album. The title track was the first single from the album released on July 2, 1973 and the second, "Walk Like a Man", was released on October 29, 1973. Both were sung by drummer Don Brewer. There was also an addition to the band's membership with this release - Craig Frost - who played the organ, clavinet and Moog. Prior to We're an American Band being released, Grand Funk Railroad had been a power trio. Craig was credited as an additional musician on Phoenix, which was released the previous year.

<i>Caught in the Act</i> (Grand Funk Railroad album) 1975 live album by Grand Funk Railroad

Caught in the Act is Grand Funk Railroad's second live album and was released in August 1975 by Capitol Records as a double album. It was recorded live on tour in 1975 and features "The Funkettes" – Lorraine Feather and Jana Giglio.

<i>Live Album</i> (Grand Funk Railroad album) 1970 live album by Grand Funk Railroad

Live Album is the first live album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad, originally released by Capitol Records on November 16, 1970. The first single released from the album, "Mean Mistreater", was released on November 23 and the second, "Inside Looking Out", was released in January 1971.

<i>Home</i> (Procol Harum album) 1970 studio album by Procol Harum

Home is Procol Harum's fourth album, released in 1970. With the departure of organist Matthew Fisher and bassist David Knights, and the addition of bassist/organist Chris Copping to the remaining core roster of players, Procol Harum became, to all intents and purposes, the Paramounts again in all but name. The purpose of bringing in Copping was to return some of the R&B sound to the band that they had had with their previous incarnation.

Terry Knight and the Pack was an American garage rock band formed in Flint, Michigan in 1965. The band was signed to the Lucky Eleven label through most of its brief recording career. They produced one national hit with their cover version of the song, "I ". Despite their inability to replicate their success, the band was a frequent attraction in the Michigan rock scene. The Pack was fronted by singer Terry Knight. In 1969 the group disbanded but two members, drummer/vocalist Don Brewer and guitarist Mark Farner, would go on to form another band, Grand Funk Railroad.

<i>Classic Masters</i> (Grand Funk Railroad album) 2002 greatest hits album by Grand Funk Railroad

Classic Masters is a compilation album from Grand Funk Railroad. Released in 2002, it is one in a series by Capitol Records.

<i>Born to Die</i> (Grand Funk Railroad album) 1976 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

Born to Die is the tenth studio album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad, released in January 1976.

<i>All the Girls in the World Beware!!!</i> 1974 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

All the Girls in the World Beware!!! is the ninth studio album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released by Capitol Records in December 1974 and was the group's second album released that year. The first single from the album, "Some Kind of Wonderful", was released on December 16, 1974, and its follow-up, "Bad Time", was released on March 24, 1975. A Quadraphonic mix of the album was available on the Quadraphonic 8-Track cartridge format.

<i>Shinin On</i> 1974 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

Shinin' On is the eighth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released in March 1974, by Capitol Records. Although not as successful as its predecessor, We're an American Band (1973), it peaked at #5 in the US and was certified gold, and its first single, a cover of "The Loco-Motion" topped the U.S. charts. The original cover was done in bi-visual 3-D and included the required blue and red lense glasses to view it. The 3D art was done by renowned graphics artist Neal Adams, based on an idea by Lynn Goldsmith and Funk's manager Andrew Cavaliere. Goldsmith worked not only as the band’s photographer, but had also directed the 1973 promotional film for We’re An American Band and created a number of other Grand Funk covers. A Quadraphonic mix of the album was available in the Quadraphonic 8-Track cartridge format. The title song was featured in The Simpsons' 7th season episode "Homerpalooza" on May 19, 1996.

<i>Grand Funk Hits</i> 1976 greatest hits album by Grand Funk Railroad

Grand Funk Hits is a greatest hits compilation by Grand Funk Railroad originally released in 1976 on Capitol Records (LP-ST-11579). It peaked at number 126 on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)</span> 1970 single by Grand Funk Railroad

"I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" is a 1970 song written by American musician Mark Farner and recorded by Grand Funk Railroad as the closing track to their 1970 album Closer to Home. Ten minutes in duration, it is the band's longest studio recording. One of the group's best-known songs, it is composed as two distinct but closely related movements. Its title has been rendered in various ways across many different Grand Funk albums, including "I'm Your Captain", "I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home", "Closer to Home/I'm Your Captain", "Closer to Home (I'm Your Captain)", and "Closer to Home".

References

  1. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (July 30, 1970). "Consumer Guide (12)". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  2. Lindsay Planer. "Closer to Home - Grand Funk Railroad". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved February 24, 2019 via robertchristgau.com.
  4. David Fricke (2003-03-11). "Grand Funk Railroad: Closer to Home". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-21. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  5. Grand Funk Railroad, Closer to Home US Chart Position Retrieved March 23, 2015
  6. Grand Funk Railroad, Closer to Home Australian Chart Position Archived 2013-02-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 23, 2015
  7. Grand Funk Railroad, Closer to Home Canadian Chart Position Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 23, 2015
  8. Grand Funk Railroad, "Close to Home" Chart Position Retrieved March 23, 2015