Good Singin', Good Playin' Grand Funk Railroad Artist

After the surprisingly dark and subdued {|Born to Die|}, {|Grand Funk Railroad|}'s original lineup rallied to record one more album in 1976. Also onboard was an unlikely choice of producer, {|avant-garde|} {|rock|} king {|Frank Zappa|}. As odd as thi... Read more

After the surprisingly dark and subdued {|Born to Die|}, {|Grand Funk Railroad|}'s original lineup rallied to record one more album in 1976. Also onboard was an unlikely choice of producer, {|avant-garde|} {|rock|} king {|Frank Zappa|}. As odd as this marriage may seem, the end result is one of the best albums in the {|Grand Funk Railroad|} canon. {|Zappa|}'s production forsakes the high-gloss style that dominated the rest of their mid-'70s output, instead opting for a live-in-the-studio approach with minimal overdubs. This style works well, allowing the group to funnel the solid songcraft they had developed during their hitmaking years into a loose, energetic soundscape that harkens back to the finest moments of their early power-trio output. Indeed, songs like {|Can You Do It|} and {|Out to Get You|} (featuring a guest guitar solo from {|Zappa|}) crackle with the kind of {|hard rock|} energy that had been lost on {|All The Girls in the World Beware|} and {|Born to Die|}. However, the songs do not get buried under the power-trio theatrics: {|Just Couldn't Wait|} is a dynamic fusion of {|pop|} hooks and {|rock|} firepower that highlights the group's oft-underrated harmonies and {|Release Your Love|} injects catchy singalong choruses to a {|country|}-inflected slice of {|rock|}. Another highlight is {|Miss My Baby,|} an anguished, epic {|power ballad|} that shows off the group's sound at its most subtle and atmospheric. To sum up, {|Good Singin' Good Playin'|} is an album that will please the group's fans and may even win over other {|classic rock|} enthusiasts with its combination of well-crafted songs and gutsy, no-frills production. ~ Donald A. Guarisco Less