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On Time

Grand Funk Railroad - On Time Audio CD

A fair review of the Grand Funk Railroad "On Time" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Grand Funk Railroad reviews here, or go back to the Grand Funk Railroad tabs.

Band: Grand Funk Railroad
Title: On Time
Rating:

Release Date: 1997-07-29
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Are You Ready 2: Anybody's Answer 3: Time Machine 4: High on a Horse 5: T.N.U.C. 6: Into the Sun 7: Heartbreaker 8: Call Yourself a Man 9: Can't Be Too Long 10: Ups and Downs

it's grand, it's funky, but it's not really a railroad
Oh well, it doesn't matter because what truly matters are what the fans think, and believe me, many Grand Funk fans admire these guys, which is why they became fans in the first place. Wow, what a great album! I can't believe critics used to bash Grand Funk back in the day. They admire the bands songwriting talents and their creative abilities.

You can define the sound of this album in one word- RAW! I love the recording technology used back in the day because it made rock music sound so intense, so believable, and so overwhelming. What a great time period it must have been. I especially love "Time Machine". It's a blues song that's really pretty cool. The guitar riff that opens the song is spectacular. "Into the Sun" has some brilliant drumming and guitar playing that's out of this world, with a memorable funky vocal melody to back it up. "Heartbreaker" was the semi-big hit. At least, it was a popular favorite among the fans. What a perfect album. . .

Young enthusiasm works wonders
In their earlier albums this trio played arguably the most energetic and raw hard-rock of the time. Grand Funk Railroad aren't as well-remembered as their contemporaries like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple or Jimi Hendrix, and this is a big injustice. Perhaps their records lack finesse, but their passion is hard to surpass. GFR were more successful as a live band than studio workers.

The album in question is the band's debut. Having obvious blues-rock roots, the band also demonstrates jazz influence, and presents it all in 10 groovy hard-rocking songs (and I mean hard!), which are equally strong.
- "Are You Ready" is a good album opener, hard and speedy (for a hard-rock, that is), and comfortably short and to the point.
- "Anybody's Answer" begins with guitar and bass intro, then quickly changes into a faster chord progression, very reminiscent of what contemporary bands like Nirvana were often using. Later half slows down a lot, to demonstrate some impressive dual vocals and groovy rhythm-section.
- "Time Machine" is a strong blues-rocker with a groovy instrumental part and short lead-guitar licks, that is normally expected from this type of songs. This is the 1st song to show Mark Farner's harmonica skills.
- "High on a Horse" is another blues-rocker, this benefits from another dual-vocals work by Mark and Don, and an energetic piano solo in the middle, which interchanges with lead-guitar perfectly.
- "T. N. U. C. " is perhaps the only dog of this CD. Very long, this 8+ minute song has an unbearably pointless and unnecessary 5 minute long drum solo in the middle. I understand that this is an attribute of that time, and many 60-70s bands included drum solos in their records, but it doesn't make this solo one bit more tolerable. The last minute or so is a pretty good hard-rock jam where all the musicians prove their strength.
- "Into the Sun" starts with an inventive and developing instrumental intro, and turns out into a vocally and rhythmically strong song, with the guitar mainly giving way to other instruments.
- "Heartbreaker" is the first GFR attempt at writing a sad bluesy song. Not that it completely failed, but the song defenitely fails to use its full potential. It is actually a good song, but it could have been much better, had the band spent more time on composing and lyrics. But the solo part is actually well-placed and good.
- "Call Yourself a Man" is a fairly generic hard-rocker with a peculiar rhythm-guitar work and nothing much else.
- "Can't Be Too Long" is the most standing out track. Unlike others, it's a fairly slow number with some excellent singing and some heavy guitar stereo effects thrown here and there, and a pounding big drum.
- "Ups and Downs" is another generic hard-rocker, very typical of Grand Funk Railroad. Again, it's quite good, but with more effort could be much better.

This was my 1st acquaintance to GFR, and I felt the need to hear more music from them, as I was naturally overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and passion. It's true that some instrumental parts here sound more like a live or studio jam, not like carefully written music. But that's what GFR were about, and I like them for that.

Apart from the boring drum solo the only major annoyance here is retro-style mixing. You have instruments thrown apart in different channels, so that the drums and solo-guitar are playing precisely in your left speaker, rhythm-guitar, harmonica and piano are to your right, and bass and voice are in the middle. Such mixing is very hard to listen to, and if there exists a remastered edition, I would definitely recommend to prefer it to the original.

I love Grand funk, this cd is great.
The cd was sent very
quickly and in good condition. Thank you for sending the cd of Grand Funk Railroad
(ON TIME). It is one of my favorit
Grand Funk albums. Thank's again.

A Debut Full Of "Funk", Spunk & Fire!
Mark Farner, Don Brewer and Mel Schacher really turned a lot of heads, including those of the naysayers, who doubted "The Funk"'s abilty to deliver the goods musically. Grand Funk Railroad burst onto the music scene with their debut 1969 release "On Time". Mark, Don & Mel each contribute equally here, and don't miss a beat throughout the entire album. Perhaps Mark Farner was speaking on behalf of the youth of the late '60's/early '70's, with his display of angst and budding rebellion present in many of the selections featured on "On Time". For instance, Farner offers a display of defiance in the standoffish "Call Yourself A Man", as noted in the lyrics: "I'm not looking for somebody to defend my case. I've been scorned by more than one, so stop this paper chase. " This kind of (pent-up) angst is also felt in Farner's guitar playing, as is the case in many of the selections here as well. Don Brewer's drumming is in fine, upstanding form, too. One listen to his drum solo in "T. N. U. C. " will confirm that fact. The guys mix a little rhythm and blues into their "heavy-metal" odyssies as well, as in such standouts including "Time Machine" and "Heartbreaker". There's a bit of a passage of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" featured in the closer "Ups And Downs", which is somewhat of a minor embarrassment, but is workable, nonetheless. All of the selections here are "timeless", and thus, speak volumes of "Grand (Funk Railroad)" proportions. Grand Funk Railroad would continue down this musical path over the course of the next few albums, until "We're An American Band" came out in 1973. It was also by this time that the group dropped "Railroad" from their name and became "Grand Funk". Mark, Don & Mel also added a fourth member to their lineup by this same later time period as well - keyboardist Craig Frost. With this addition, "The Funk" began losing its hard-edged sound, and adopted a bluesier, more radio-friendly aura, thus going commercial. This change may have alienated some of GFR's longtime fans, but on "On Time", this band showed their hard-core fans that they do what they do best - delivering a unique brand of in-your-face, Midwestern-styled rock 'n roll, a path other Midwestern acts would soon follow, with the likes of such bands as Head East, Styx and REO Speedwagon, to name a few. Grand Funk Railroad was also the first "heavy-metal" band, although their early musical stylings are considered tame by today's standards. "On Time" definitely has a lot to offer for any serious hard rock fan, and is perhaps the best of GFR's early catalog, bar none. But, be warned - "On Time" is not recommeneded for those with weak hearts, or for the high falootin' crowd, for that matter. So, by all means, be at your local music retailer "On Time", or else they'll be fresh out of copies. Then where will you be?.

A Great Debut Album Definitely On Time
This is a Great debut Album and ranks out there with the great's of the 70s like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. This was THE GRAND FUNK RAILROAD in all their raw, nasty, sexual, high energy, Live sounding Power Trio madness. This album was recorded live and one the only overdubs are putting some rhythm guitar where the leads are. It was recorded in one week and that shows, and yet adds to the charm of this sledge hammer album. This was what GFR was all about, Mel Schacher Playing his BOOMING BASS behind the note. Don Brewer Playing his POUNDING DRUMS ahead of the Note and Mark Farner playing his wild rhythms and screeching leads on GUITAR anywhere; before, after, or in the middle of the note. Don and Mark do great Harmonies and both are excellent lead singers. That magic gave GFR a special sound all to there own, It can't be faked or copied, its something natural to the three musicians. This album along with Live, Red Album (Grand Funk), and Closer To Home, captured millions of fans for GFR who still reminisce about these albums to this day. Are you ready, yes we were and are.

You can see a complete list of all Grand Funk Railroad discography, or go back to the Grand Funk Railroad tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.