Grand Funk Railroad’s gross sales in America of their first 5 years of success make for awe-inspiring studying. Throughout that interval, from their 1969 debut with On Time to the All The Ladies In The World Beware!!! launch of late 1974, they launched 11 albums, each one among which went at the least gold within the US, six of them platinum, and two of these double platinum. It’s one of many nice certification sequences in rock historical past, and on October 14, 1972, they have been including to it, as their sixth album, Phoenix, debuted on the Billboard 200.
Phoenix was the primary GFR album to not be produced by Terry Knight, because the band took over studio duties themselves. It was additionally their final with the total band title earlier than they abbreviated it to Grand Funk. The calling card was the one “Rock ‘n’ Roll Soul,” which entered the Scorching 100 three weeks earlier and climbed to No.29. The album reached No.7 and went gold.
The brand new LP featured a visitor look by Louisiana-born fiddle participant Doug Kershaw, who would later play with the Rolling Stones on their Some Ladies tour of 1978. The album additionally marked the debut as a Grand Funk member of keyboard participant Craig Frost, who went on to affix Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band.
‘Legions of devoted, ready followers’
Billboard, reviewing Phoenix within the week earlier than it charted, alongside Humble Pie’s Misplaced and Discovered and the Sure album Shut To The Edge, noticed: “Grand Funk have by now attained an virtually everlasting place in rock’s hierarchy. They’ve legions of devoted, prepared followers at each efficiency and lining as much as purchase their each album.
Take heed to uDiscover Music’s official Grand Funk Railroad Greatest Of playlist.
“Disappointing no one and perhaps surprising a few is the musical intelligence is the actual musical intelligence that is apparent on most of this album. Utilization of the wizardry of Doug Kershaw is an unexpected delight. Single ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Soul’ included.”
Purchase or stream Phoenix.
