I received A Tribute to: GRAND FUNK RAILROAD...an American Band today special delivery from Sweden....
The Tribute has nice packaging, the cover, I'm sure most of you have
seen is an Eagle soaring over an American Flag with purple Mountains majesty in the background and a beautiful sky. In side are list of each band, including members a photo of each group and some include statements of why they did the song they did, or a statement about being GFR Fans. Very cool, nice job.CD song list
1. 2001 (complied by Thomas Roos from a GFR Japan Show).
2. Some Kind Of Wonderful (Manny Charlton Band).
This is a slow bluesy version, sounds like southern rock crossed with Robert
Palmer.It has a distorted guitar playing chords through the song, Horns or keyboard simulated Horns, and a cool slow slide Guitar lick, Nice Job.3. We're An American Band (Keecane).
Totally made it there own, change the drum intro and the Guitar lick at the beginning, slow it down, Lots of Ecco on the Vocals. Reminds me of the Band collision who did a cover of Creepin. Good version, not harder not softer, just a bit different, more Guitar runs in it, and in the lead lick some hammer and pulls, etc.,4. Mean Mistreater (Kelly Keeling).
Slow Bluesy version with Acoustic sounding Guitar playing along with Hammond Organ, real cool. Lots of Ecco on Vocals in style of Euro heavy metal. Nice Harmonies. Great Job on the bass, it cooks. The Singer reminds me of A cross between Rod Evens and David Coverdale. Nice Guitar run during the speed up part, sweet. And a final touch of a little harmonic toward the end.
Very cool.5. In Need (Spurgo).
WOW - Starts very heavy like a heavy metal sounding Led Zeppelin at the beginning, Real Modern sounding, Its a sped up version. Nice Guitar lick, but shortened the song down allot. Spurgo made In Need their own hear, its not a copy at all. Excellent.6. Sin's A Good Mans Brother (Bozemans Simplex).
Heavy distorted Guitar and bass wakes you in the head as this one starts.
I love this version its heavy metal GFR. Nice Guitar lick, the bass player rules. Real Modern sounding.7. People Let's Stop The War (Moterload).
Interesting beginning, different Guitar tone from Mark yet rendered correctly.
A little slower than GFRs version, real Metal sounding in the vocals Maybe a bit harder than GFRs original but not much nice intensity; Nice Job, I love hear these bands covering GFR.8. Stop looking Back (Grandbrothers).
Rendered Pretty closely musically, but a bit different sound especially in the keyboards Sound and the Guitar player does his own lead lick and chops up the ending part in a Farner like fashion. The vocals are a Duel lead, two track's of the lead singer. Nice clear vocals. Good Guitar and bass work. What an excellent Chorus Stop Looking Back contains.9. Shinin On (Vick LeCar's Blue Moon).
Very Interesting intro part, different from GFR no Shinin On Effect.RealGood Lead Player he rocks. Vocals are good, hard rock metal sounding. Very Hard rocking version, and cool Guitaring I love it. It is better musically then The supershine version but not better vocally. Vick made shinin On his own, but it still has a GFR feel to it. Very good.10. Upsetter (Co-Stars).
Very Funky, nice bass work, modern sounding Guitar work-theres a lead part that carries on much of the song and at parts of the song you can hear three tracks of Guitaring. Good Vocals. the Co Starts rock.11. Time Machine (Tony Krantz Band).
Nice Guitar intro, real Bluesy Version, Dick Drott a Roadkiller appears on this track. Song has a real 60s feel. Nice Guitar hook, and some heavy chords laid in. Maintains that get up and boogie feel. Good Job.12. Rock N Roll Soul (Bocca Bandet).
Lots Of effects in his one, on vocals and on the Guitar real eccoy. Its the Caught In the Act Version. The Vocals are Metal sounding, as well as the lick. And they harden it up a bit. Good Harmonies. Nice Job.13. Foot Stompin Music (Good Clean Fun).
Nice Job on the Bass the keys are a bit off, Singing is standard metalsounding singer and is pretty good. Nice Guitar work, a cross between the Farner sound and a shredder, Should be louder in the mix though. Good job on the Drums.14. Queen Bee (Kelly Steverns and Nu-Damage).
Great Version of Queen Bee, I had already heard this version many time and Kelly and his band really catch the musical sound of GFR, The Guitar work hits Mark tight on the nose; The Singing is more standard Heavy rock and adds some edge to the song, also NICE bee effect at the end. Great Job. Kelly Is Brother Kelly he has been a roadkill from the beginning.15. I'm Your Captain (Funkman & Friends).
Starts with wave sounds and then goes into Caught in the act intro but in a shorten form. Song is over 8 minutes though. Music sound's real good, the singer is not great. The WA WA sounds a bit different then Marks, sounds like these distortion (or more like reverbe on it) on it as well, gives the electric guitar a 60s feel, the acoustic is staying right on how Mark plays it. Real Good Bass and Drum Work. They use Keys for the orchestra part. The Lead part is played with that reverbe on it, real interesting, a nice version.In closing I think everyone should get the tribute it is fun to hear all these other bands interpret GFRs music, How very cool.
Rick Funk Cappetto
A Tribute To: Grand Funk Railroad….An American Band
Micke Wosslert Review follows:Considering the fact that GFR must be one of the few mega-selling bands from the seventies that to this day still not have a "tribute"-album to their name and music , this album is long overdue.From the start it was supposed to be a "amatuerbands from Sweden"-type of album but things mushroomed and now , here it is with bands and performers from all over the globe.
What's it like then?Well, it starts out with pretty standard version of "SKOW" from Manny Charlton Band (of Nazareth-fame ) , which we all know was a cover in the first place.
My feelings for the next track is basically the same ,Keecane with "WAAMB" is adequate but nothing special, no ,things start to heaten up with Kelly Keeling's lovely version of "Mean Mistreater" full of passion and real feeling.Then it's of on a rocking and original take on
"In Need" , good singing good playing from Spurgo!
Next up is Bozemans Simplex with their rendition of "Sin's a good man's brother" which kinda reminds me of Monster Magnet's cover of the very same song (from their "Spine of God"- album, highly recommended ,by the way).
Motherlode are up next to pay hommage with "People let's stop the war" , which in MHO is only acceptable when played by you know who and this version does nothing to change that.But things do get better, in storms Grandbrothers (from Russia ) and knocks the shit out of "Stop looking back". A note-perfect take , great guitar, bass ,organ and drums and what vocals!!!Has Don heard this?
Vick LeCar's Blue Moon is next with "Shinin' On" , a bit 80-ish sounding which is I suppose quite in order when a 80s-revival is just around the corner.
No my freinds , the party REALLY starts with The Co-Stars and I'm not saying it because I as well them are swedish. (I hope…) but just listen what buttkickin' out'n' out rocker they make of "Upsetter" .Clas Yngström , Conny Bloom two very prominent guitarplayers together with Anders Festader(What the hey , 3 guitars can never hurt)….. and Matti Alfonzetti on vocals and assorted backvocalists , it actually makes the price of admission itself.Search it out !
Next up is none other than Brother Dick Drott (Arch-Druid of the Roadkillers of Sweden) with Tony Krantz Band .Together they belt out a version of "Time Machine" which is a good version although in my opinion , it leans a bit to close to ZZ Top-country.Still you can hear them really enjoying themselves and thats whats counts.
Bocca-bandet does a version of "Rock n' Roll Soul" , and the leadguitarist do give Mark a run for his money , boy , can he play!
I think one of the best things that happened during the making of this album was the idea of involving Good Clean Fun.The band's been active on the Swedish scene quite a few years and I've seen them on numerous occasions and they always play at least one Funk-song .
I remember the last time I saw them, when Mia Kempf (the girliebassplayer) leapt from the P.A. and when she hit the floor (barefooted!), she started up the funkiest bassline in history , namely the intro to "Footstompin' Music".Goosebumps.Their version here lacks nothing of that excitement.Mark , Don & Mia ….Whoa …..!
Kelly Stevens with band lays down "Qeen Bee" and in all honesty it does nothing för me and thats not Kellys fault it's simply because I never liked the song. Nice phasing-fx in the middle section , though.
All good things must pass and we've come to the end of our journey and we say farethee well with Funkman And Freinds who has the courage to have a go at "I'm Your Captain".
I think he/they got it down to a tee , a nice laid-back feeling although it adds no new dim- ension to the song.But this is a cover-album, right?
Micheal "Spice" Wosslert / Feedback Click here:
SWEDEN`s #1 Lemmy Fan.Buy the record at:
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