Grand Funk - Shinin' On

Hot on the heels of We're an American Band, Grand Fund teamed up again with producer Todd Rundgren and released Shinin' On in March of 1974.  The album is probably best remembered for the band's cover of "The Loco-motion" that took the Eva King classic written by Gerald Goffin and Carole King and turned it to eleven and delivered one of the greatest distorted guitar solos of all time.

The album is short, just a little over half an hour and contained eight songs. Depending on how you look at it the album is pretty uneven and somewhat generic. However, then they were good, they were next level. The album opens with the title track, and that one is pretty great. The previously mentioned "Loco-motion" was the reason I picked up the album - well, that's not entirely true, it was in the dollar bin and in pretty decent shape - I would have picked it up regardless, but I was stoked to get the choo choo song.

What I wasn't expecting was how unbelievably cool the closing track on side one was. "Carry Me Through" was sung by Don Brewer, and I couldn't help but wonder if Henley and Frey borrowed some of the feel and groove for "King of Hollywood" from Eagles '79 release The Long Run. The two songs aren't really all that similar, and Mark Farner killed it on guitar.

Like I said, when they were good they were really good. It makes some of the other songs palatable in the context of the entire album. Oddly it was the songs sung by Mark Farner this time out that felt more like filler, whereas Don seemed to be driven. While Mark's scorcher "Gettin' Over You" was delivered with gusto, it was a pretty standard Grand Funk effort. It was a good old foot stompin' rocker, but it wasn't a song that would stand on its own legs outside the context of the album.

I suppose it really comes down to where you find happiness. For me, I love a good riff and Grand Funk was a riff factory in the early '70s, and if this was what made you happy then there was more than an even chance Shinin' On would made you happy. There were more than enough moments here to make this worthwhile. The first side in particular stands out, those songs were so strong. The second side was enjoyable, but man side one killed.

Heck, I have to admit that after spending some time with the album, even the songs I was more dismissive of have gotten under my skin. A grower, not a shower.

My old dollar bin copy was in better than fair shape. and while it didn't have the 3D glasses necessary to make the album cover pop it did have the original insert that listed the itinerary for Grand Funks 1974 tour. Pretty cool.

Also for you comicbook fans, the cover Art was by Neil Adams and Walt Simonson for Shorewood Graphics. Yeah, that Neil Adams and that Walter Simonson. Although I'd have never guessed they were behind the cover. Frankly it isn't really a masterpiece in graphic arts - it was an interesting concept, and the artists were a big deal (in the comic world they were gods) and seeing their names here was a cool surprise. It didn't help that I couldn't find an old pair of 3D glasses lying around the house.

This was Grand Funk and when they were good they were amazing.