Grand Funk Railroad

Survival

Career high finally available again!

Review Score:

(10/10)
It's good to see this finally getting a much-deserved stateside release on CD. This album was a definite career high for Grand Funk (E. Pluribus Funk, Closer To Home, the underrated Phoenix, and their posthumously released 1976 album Good Singin', Good Playin' were almost as good).

Survival was a big leap ahead to a more sophisticated sound for Grand Funk Railroad. It's more mellow and melodic than their other albums had been up to this point, and more spiritual. In fact if you're wondering about Mark Farner's conversion to born-again Christianity during the 1980s, you need look no further than here for the roots of that, in the songs "Comfort Me", "I Want Freedom", and especially "I Can Feel Him in the Morning". Those last two songs both start with some interesting spoken-word parts which were out of character for Grand Funk. In this context they work. Another thing that works wonderfully for a concept album like this was the inclusion of two covers: "Feelin' Alright" and "Gimme Shelter". "Feelin' Alright" came right after "Comfort Me", and "Gimme Shelter" right after "I Can Feel Him in the Morning", and they function as answer songs to the preceding songs.

If Grand Funk sounds dated and primitive to today's ears and takes some getting used to, that is because they were the genuine article. Grand Funk didn't get much respect from the music critics during their heyday, but the fans knew something the critics didn't. In the past few years Grand Funk has undergone something of a critical re-analysis in hindsight, and the hip music critics are now starting to admit Grand Funk's importance in the history of grassroots American rock, and populist trends in popular music. Johnny Cash or Bob Dylan they ain't, but they are worth exploring anyhow. I'm glad to finally have added this CD to my collection.

More Reviews: