Grand Funk Live: On Tour 1971 is a trip in the way-back machine to the very beginnings of arena rock, and it functions best if you keep that in mind. On Tour 1971 captures these prosaic rockers at the height of their powers, when they matched the record set by the Beatles by becoming the second rock band to sell out New York's Shea Stadium. Their artless, hard-charging playing and unfaltering energy--especially essential during those extended drum solos on "Inside Looking Out" and "T.N.U.C. "--capture the spirit of a generation in transition by shrugging off the baroque, meandering psychedelia and socially conscious trappings of '60s music and stripping it down to its bare, unvarnished, and unpretentious surfaces. Grand Funk Railroad were considered by fans to be a breath of fresh air--much like the Ramones would be later in the decade. But not everyone was a fan. After manager Terry Knight paid $100,000 for a huge billboard in Times Square in 1970 to promote their album Closer to Home, the backlash from critics and DJs caught fire, even before the band got off the ground. But GFR's popularity rose on the backs of fans. This mighty power trio toured the country relentlessly, bringing their artless brand of hard, blues-based rock to the masses time and time again. These 11 songs represent the band's swing through Chicago, Detroit, and finally Shea Stadium during a week in 1971, and they showcase the band in all their sweaty glory. Mark Farner tears into a song with the ferocity of a starved beast, his voice like Jack Bruce on steroids. Don Brewer, who began life as a jazz drummer, abandons all his high-brow leanings and thrashes out erratic, heart-topping beats, while former Question Mark and the Mysterians bassist Mel Schacher lays down a mighty foundation with his throbbing bass. This is head-banging at its finest, 15 years before the term was coined. While rather lacking in imagination, Grand Funk Railroad make up for it in sheer power. A raucous trip back in time, with the exception of their rather lackluster cover of the Stones’ "Gimme Shelter." --Jaan Uhelszki
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