Live Album (Grand Funk Railroad album)

Last updated

Live Album
Live album cover.jpg
Live album by
Grand Funk Railroad
ReleasedNovember 16, 1970 (1970-11-16) [1]
RecordedJune 23–25, 1970
Venue Florida
Genre Hard rock [2]
Length76:42
Label Capitol
Producer Terry Knight
Grand Funk Railroad chronology
Closer to Home
(1970)		Live Album
(1970)		 Survival
(1971)
Singles from Live Album
  1. "Mean Mistreater"/"Mark Say's Alright"
    Released: November 23, 1970
  2. "Inside-Looking Out"/"Paranoid"
    Released: January 1971
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide C− [3]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Live Album is the first live album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad, originally released by Capitol Records on November 16, 1970. [1] 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.

Contents

The album was originally released as a double album on the LP format. Subsequent reissues of the album on the compact disc format have been both double and single disc sets.

Recording, production, and artwork

The album's gatefold cover depicts a photograph of the band at the Atlanta International Pop Festival during the weekend of the 4th of July 1970, but none of the music was actually recorded there. According to the liner notes on the 2002 CD reissue, the album was recorded at the Jacksonville Coliseum on June 23, 1970 with the exception of "Paranoid" and "Inside Looking Out" which were recorded at the West Palm Beach Civic Auditorium on June 24, 1970. "Heartbreaker" is listed as being recorded at 'either Jacksonville or West Palm Beach'. The album also included a promotional poster. A further three tracks ("In Need", "Heartbreaker" and "Mean Mistreater") from The Orlando Sports Center on June 25, 1970 are included as bonus tracks on the Closer to Home 2002 CD.

Reception

Upon the album's release, Live Album was panned by the critics, while becoming commercially successful.

Critical

The reception of Live Album by music critics upon the album's release were unfavorable. A modern review of the album by James Chrispell for AllMusic stated the opinion that people either loved or hated the album. Chrispell also gave the opinion that Grand Funk Railroad were the most popular live act of their time and said that the concerts were powerful. [2]

Commercial and sales

Despite the massive dislike of the album by music critics, Live Album became very successful in the United States, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and crossed over to the R&B Albums chart at No. 17—the band's only album to do so. [5] The album was so successful that it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America a week after its release and was eventually certified 2x multi-platinum in 1991. [1] Live Album also became the group's first and only release to make the top 40 on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 29. [6] Side two, in particular, featured their two strongest airplay cuts "Heartbreaker" and "Inside-Looking Out". The barely hidden drug references on "Inside-Looking Out" may have not won them favor at Top 40, but it proved perfect for the new burgeoning FM band where the group also probably benefited from, oddly enough, R&B play taking the album to a prideful No. 17 on that chart.

Track listing

"Introduction" and "Words of Wisdom" are spoken-word tracks; consequently, original pressings of Live Album did not list author credits for these tracks. All other tracks are by Mark Farner, except where noted.

LP Version

Side 1

  1. "Introduction" – 2:30
  2. "Are You Ready?" (from On Time ) – 3:34
  3. "Paranoid" (from Grand Funk ) – 6:20
  4. "In Need" (from Grand Funk ) – 9:50

Side 2

  1. "Heartbreaker" (from On Time ) – 6:58
  2. "Inside Looking Out" (from Grand Funk ) (John Lomax, Alan Lomax, Eric Burdon, Bryan "Chas" Chandler) – 12:22

Side 3

  1. "Words of Wisdom" – 0:55
  2. "Mean Mistreater" (from Closer to Home ) – 4:40
  3. "Mark Says Alright" (Farner, Don Brewer, Mel Schacher) – 5:10
  4. "T.N.U.C." (from On Time ) – 11:45

Side 4

  1. "Into the Sun" (from On Time ) – 12:10

CD reissue

On the CD reissue, the order of the songs has been re-sequenced to reflect the order of performance used in the band's 1970 concerts: [7]

  1. "Introduction" – 2:27
  2. "Are You Ready?" – 3:39
  3. "Paranoid" – 7:20
  4. "In Need" – 10:58
  5. "Heartbreaker" – 7:10
  6. "Words of Wisdom" – 0:52
  7. "Mean Mistreater" – 4:53
  8. "Mark Says Alright" – 5:14
  9. "T.N.U.C." – 10:54
  10. "Inside Looking Out" – 13:43
  11. "Into the Sun" – 11:24

Charts

Chart (1970)Peak
position
Canadian Top Albums [8] 5
US Billboard 200 [5] 5
Chart (1971)Peak
position
Australian Top 20 Albums [9] 15
UK Albums Chart [6] 29
US R&B Albums [5] 17

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Funk Railroad</span> American rock 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 singer and guitarist

Mark Fredrick Farner is an American musician, best known as the original lead singer and lead guitarist for the hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad, which he co-founded in 1969, and later as a contemporary Christian musician.

<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. The album was released on August 25, 1969, by Capitol Records. Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. "Time Machine", the band's first single release, just 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 remains a staple of the band's setlist during live concerts.

<i>Closer to Home</i> 1970 studio album by Grand Funk Railroad

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.

<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 motto of the United States of America, E pluribus unum, and in latin means '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>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 on July 15, 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 on this release - Craig Frost - who plays the organ, clavinet and Moog. Prior to We're an American Band being released Grand Funk Railroad had been a 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>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>Bosnia</i> (album) 1997 live album by Grand Funk Railroad

Bosnia is a live recording by the American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The concert was a benefit performance for the nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was recorded live 20 April 1997 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

<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>Thirty Years of Funk: 1969–1999</i> 1999 box set by Grand Funk Railroad

Thirty Years of Funk: 1969–1999 is a 1999 box set by Grand Funk Railroad, containing three new songs and several previously unreleased songs.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Grand Funk Railroad album) 2006 greatest hits album by Grand Funk Railroad

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by Grand Funk Railroad, released in 2006.

<i>Live: The 1971 Tour</i> 2002 live album by Grand Funk Railroad

Live: The 1971 Tour is a live album from Grand Funk Railroad which was recorded over several performances in 1971 but not released until 2002.

<i>Double Live</i> (Butthole Surfers album) 1989 live album by Butthole Surfers

Double Live is a live double album by American punk band Butthole Surfers, released on vinyl and cassette tape in 1989. An expanded CD edition followed in 1990. All songs were written by Butthole Surfers, except: "The One I Love," written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe of R.E.M.; "Paranoid," written by Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad; "No Rule," written by Jonas Almqvist of Leather Nun; and "Kuntz," a distorted version of "The Fear (กลัวดวง)" ( written by Kong Katkamngae and performed by Phloen Phromdade, two Thai artists.

<i>Capitol Collectors Series</i> (Grand Funk Railroad album) 1991 compilation album by Grand Funk Railroad

Capitol Collector Series is a compilation album from Grand Funk Railroad released in 1991. In January 2002, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA.

"Inside-Looking Out", often written "Inside Looking Out", is a 1966 single by the Animals, and their first for Decca Records. It was a moderate hit, reaching number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, number 23 in Canada, and number 34 in the United States on the U.S. pop singles chart. It was the group's final single with drummer John Steel, who left shortly after its release. He was replaced by Barry Jenkins, who would go on to play with Eric Burdon and the Animals.

<i>Mark, Don & Mel: 1969–71</i> 1972 compilation album by Grand Funk Railroad

Mark, Don & Mel: 1969–71 is a rock album by Grand Funk Railroad that was released in 1972. It is a compilation of early highlights from both studio and live performances while the band was managed by Terry Knight. It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified gold by the RIAA.

<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 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 3 "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database" (PHP). Recording Industry Association of America .
  2. 1 2 3 Chrispell, James. "Review: Live Album by Grand Funk Railroad". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  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. ↑ "Grand Funk Railroad: Live Album : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Grand Funk Railroad: Charts & Awards – Billboard Albums". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Artist Chart History: Grand Funk". The Official Charts Company . Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  7. ↑ Roeser, Steve (2002). Live Album (liner notes) (CD booklet). Grand Funk Railroad. Capitol Records, Inc. p. 9.
  8. ↑ "100 Albums". RPM . 14 (19). December 26, 1970. ISSN   0315-5994. Archived from the original (PHP) on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ Nimmervoll, Ed (October 2, 1971). "Top 20 Albums". Go-Set . 6 (39). Archived from the original on March 29, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.