Good Singin', Good Playin'

by Grand Funk Railroad

Overview

After the surprisingly dark and subdued Born to Die, Grand Funk Railroad's original lineup rallied to record one more album in 1976. Also onboard was an unlikely choice of producer, avant-garde rock king Frank Zappa. As odd as this marriage may seem, the end result is one of the best albums in the Grand Funk Railroad canon. Zappa's production forsakes the high-gloss style that dominated the rest of their mid-'70s output, instead opting for a live-in-the-studio approach with minimal overdubs. This style works well, allowing the group to funnel the solid songcraft they had developed during their hitmaking years into a loose, energetic soundscape that harkens back to the finest moments of their early power-trio output. Indeed, songs like "Can You Do It" and "Out to Get You" (featuring a guest guitar solo from Zappa) crackle with the kind of hard rock energy that had been lost on All The Girls in the World Beware and Born to Die. However, the songs do not get buried under the power-trio theatrics: "Just Couldn't Wait" is a dynamic fusion of pop hooks and rock firepower that highlights the group's oft-underrated harmonies and "Release Your Love" injects catchy singalong choruses to a country-inflected slice of rock. Another highlight is "Miss My Baby," an anguished, epic power ballad that shows off the group's sound at its most subtle and atmospheric. To sum up, Good Singin' Good Playin' is an album that will please the group's fans and may even win over other classic rock enthusiasts with its combination of well-crafted songs and gutsy, no-frills production. ~ Donald A. Guarisco

Product Details

Release Date:	01/12/1999
Label:	Hip-O
UPC:	0076744014429
Rank:	34636

Tracks

1. Just Couldn't Wait
2. Can You Do It
3. Pass It Around
4. Don't Let 'Em Take Your Gun
5. Miss My Baby
6. Big Buns
7. Out to Get You
8. Crossfire
9. 1976
10. Release Your Love
11. Goin' for the Pastor
12. Rubberneck

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Grand Funk Railroad   Primary Artist
Frank Zappa   Guest Artist,Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Mark Farner   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica,Keyboards
Craig Frost   Vocals (Background),Keyboards
Don Brewer   Percussion,Vocals,Drums
Mel Schacher   Vocals (Background),Bass

Technical Credits

Frank Zappa   Engineer,Producer
Mark Farner   Composer
Richard Street   Composer
Craig Frost   Composer
Richard Allen Street   Composer
Thelma Gordy   Composer
John A. Austin   Reissue Producer,Art Direction
George Osaki   Art Direction
Norman Seeff   Photography,Design
Gary Heery   Photography
Michael Braunstein   Engineer
Don Brewer   Composer
Paul Santos   Art Direction