Grand Funk Railroad

The title says it all: Although not steeped in heavy metal riffs or gothic sound effects, this 1976 effort from Grand Funk Railroad creates a mood gloomy enough to rival the darkest moments of Black Sabbath. By this point in their career, the band was feeling run into the ground and this is reflected in the mood of the lyrics: the title track is mournful rumination on the inevitability of death and "I Feel for Your Love" explores the depression created by the end of a relationship. The result is an album that feels like an anomaly in the Grand Funk Railroad catalog: the album's dark mood sits at odds with the group's normally energetic style and, thus, robs it of a lot of its punch.

Millennium Collection: 20th Century Masters spotlights Grand Funk Railroad's early- to mid-'70s radio hits including "We're an American Band," "Some Kind of Wonderful," and "Bad Time."

Grand Funk Railroad took their veiled Motown/Stax influences and grafted them onto a fuzz-drenched hard blues-rock template, and muffler dragging roared out of Flint, Michigan like the little engine that could, confounding the critics and building an impressive record sales portfolio in the 1970s by giving their ardent, blue-collar fans no more and no less than what was expected of them…

There is a clear-cut divide in Grand Funk Railroad's material; this chronicles the band's early period under flamboyant manager Terry Knight, who was bound and determined to prove that Grand Funk wa the biggest thing in rock and roll. This collection is a great overview of this period and is suggested for those who don't want to wade through the chaff in order to get the gems…

Either you love or you hate it. Live Album by Grand Funk Railroad was a smash when released and those who loved it played it to death. A hard rock phenomenon of the waning days of the Sixties, Grand Funk proved over and over that they were the live performing act of the time, and this album is a testament to their in-concert power.

E Pluribus Funk is Grand Funk Railroad's fifth studio album and was released in November 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 former motto of the US government, E pluribus unum. The original release cover (designed by Ernie Cefalu) 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.

One of the 1970s' most successful hard rock bands in spite of critical pans and somewhat reluctant radio airplay (at first), Grand Funk Railroad built a devoted fan base with constant touring, a loud, simple take on the blues-rock power trio sound, and strong working-class appeal…