This is the inside cover photo of course. It is an totally awesome live concert photo. I could not tell in the album credits who took the photo. But - I am honored to own this record. It is Grand Funk Railroad's Closer to Home. Containing the uber classic, I'm Your Captian - the last song on side two, coming in at a whopping 9 min. and 47 seconds. Closer to Home is their third studio album, and was released in July 1970 on Capitol Records. It was produced by Terry Knight. This album reached gold status. In 2002 "Closer To Home" was remastered on compact disc with bonus tracks and also released in a limited edition box set "Trunk of Funk" that contained the bands first four albums. The "trunk" has slots for twelve CD's to house the future release of the remaining eight albums that were released by Capitol records. Also included is a pair of "Shinin' On" 3-D glasses, guitar pick and a reproduction copy of a concert ticket. We know that they also did the 1973 hit, "We're an American Band." The band's name is a play on words of the Grand Trunk Railroad, a railroad line that ran through the band's home town of Flint, Michigan.
My older bro, Scott, had an 8-track tape of "We're an American Band". He hooked up a portable 8-track player to our living room Zenith stereo console. Often, when our parents were both gone, we'd stuff that tape in and crank it loud. The way the windows rattled, I was surprised we didn't blow out any windows while playing "We're an American Band"!
ReplyDeleteSpencer
Great stuff Spence - thanks a bunch for being such a loyal reader and frquent commenter...!!
ReplyDelete"We're an American Band" is to Grand Funk what "Dance With Me" was to Orleans (Orleans' earlier work was awesome -- saw them in a club venue, just fantastic). Mean Mistreater, Aimless Lady, and I'm Your Captain -- THESE are definitive works, forget the top-40 hits...
ReplyDeleteOn my road trip to southern California last week, I played some Grand Funk Railroad and relayed the story Spencer mentioned above to my kids. Great band, great tunes. "I'm Your Captain" is a very good tune.
ReplyDeleteAndy.
Any idea who might have taken this picture of GFR? It would be a great piece to have a copy of! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOops, just noticed you had said that you couldn't tell from the album credits.
ReplyDelete