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Grand Funk Railroad - Shinin' On Audio CD

A fair review of the Grand Funk Railroad "Shinin' On" 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.

Grand Funk Railroad Band: Grand Funk Railroad
Title: Shinin' On
Rating:
Release Date: 2006-05-27
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Shinin' On 2: To Get Back In 3: Loco-Motion 4: Carry Me Through 5: Please Me 6: Mr. Pretty Boy 7: Gettin' Over You 8: Little Johnny Hooker 9: Destitute and Losin' [*] 10: Shinin' On [2003 Remix][*]

a change, but not a weak effort


While nothing from the Shinin' On album comes close to the incredible power and rocking energy of the title song with its fantastic rhythm beats, I can't find anything to complain about either. Grand Funk wasn't showing any signs of falling apart just yet- that would happen with their next album, All the Girls in the World Beware.

Hearing this album for the first time after hearing all the other Grand Funk albums released before this one, you'll probably be shocked by the way the album sounds and the direction Grand Funk chose to take their music. This is pretty much an obvious attempt to go commercial, though not really a necessary one since they WERE pretty popular before this after all, and the band also probably wanted to fit in with the times.

Whatever the reason might be, this is a pretty good album. Don't expect a whole lot in the way of excellent guitar solos, but expect a decent songwriting effort. .


Keep on Shinin' On
These guys are gutsy and project such intensity and oomph. I bought the original vinyl of this on the back of my enthusiasm for 'We're An American Band' and was absolutely not disappointed. Along with many great tracks, their 'gotta join in at a fuelled up party' rendition of "Loco-motion" absolutely leaves Kylie's later 'boopy-doop' version for dead - hands down! "Carry Me Through"'s almost ethereal (for its time) style puts you in another place, on another plane, and I defy anyone to not find themselves toe tapping away happily with "Little Johnny Hooker"!.


Not as good as previous GF albums... But it still ROCKS HARD!

"Shinin' On" is not as good as previous G. Certainly, even when Todd Rundgren tried to repeat the success Grand Funk reached with "We're An American Band", he couldn't hit the target the same way. F. albums, but even though it is a good album!
Best songs: "Shinin' On", "To Get Back In", "Getting Over You", and a funny remake of "The Loco-Motion".


Good follow up to 'We're an American Band'
Having Todd Rundgren produce was a genius move, since GFR by 1973 could have used some better production and overall help in bringing out the best in what they could do. I've come to appreciate more then ever the post-Terry Knight era of Grand Funk Railroad (in particular their 'Good Singing Good Playing' album) and 'Shinin' On' is nearly as good as its predecesor 'We're an American Band'. Standout tracks for me are the title track, "Carry Me Through" and "Destitute adn Losin'" Of this period of GFR I would also recommend the very underrated and overlooked Born to Die album.


Was this album intended to sound like a bootleg?
Like when you're watching the news and there's a story about a festival and the reporter's on camera with the band booming and echoing in the background? Well, some of these tracks sound like footage shot by the cameraman without the reporter. Many tracks here sound like they were recorded in an empty club with house mikes instead of any line outs on the amps. There's fairly decent bottom, but that can be boosted in the final mixdown. One point of interest is that there are three tracks Mark Farner didn't participate in the writing of. The most obvious is the single release "Loco-Motion" (written by Carole King when she was a teenager). But "Carry Me Through" and "Gettin' Over You" are written by drummer Don Brewer and keyboardist Craig Frost. I think it's Brewer singing lead on these--he's soloed before, beginning back in the "Closer To Home" days when he swapped lines with Farner in the bridge section of "Hooked On Love". I thought "Little Johnny Hooker" would turn out to be some sort of nod to blues legend John Lee Hooker, which would be the first time this blues-influenced band has done that, but instead it deals with a kid bullied in school and getting sent up the river because he replied with a switchblade. If there's a message here about there being a certain injustice in getting busted for a fight you didn't start, it's too elusive to hang your hat on. Maybe the 3-D cover art, plus the presence of an early-1960s classic, was a warning that this album would have a cheesy retro 1950s/ 1960s blare in the recording quality, I don't know.


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.

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