Grand Funk
We're An American Band

THE REVIEW

We're an American band…

We're an American band…

We're coming to your town, we'll help you party it down.

We're an American band…

Simple and direct words, a poor and essential cover. This is how one of the best albums ever made under the USA brand presents itself, from one of the last bands that filled American stadiums in the '80s. Grand Funk was born as a hard-blues group under the name "Grand Funk Railroad," thanks to the lead singer and guitarist Mark Farner, bassist Mel Schacher, and drummer Don Brewer, three excellent musicians who are all too often forgotten. Later, keyboardist/singer Craig Frost also joined them, bringing a hard rock vibe to the group.

The band is famous more than anything for its spectacular live performances, to the extent that critics granted them the title of "loudest band in the world". “We're An American Band” is an album easy to listen to, direct, and immediate, talking about parties, women, alcohol, and life "on the road," opening with the title-track, a fantastic self-celebration of a kick-ass band, whose rhythm has the power to engage us from the first notes. The track, written and sung by the drummer, quickly becomes one of the cornerstones of the band, essential in the subsequent concert setlists. The compelling rhythm is also present in " Stop Lookin' Back,” where the guitar and bass phrases intertwine in an alternation of melodic lines, colored by organ accents and cymbals, with a small final drum solo, a pearl set in the song's gold.

After the questionable episode of "Creepin,” it arrives at the stunning "Black Licorice,” one of the most overwhelming tracks on the album, which can be listened to at the highest levels, where Frost gives vocalizations worthy of Ian Gillan in his golden days, and a keyboard solo that has nothing to envy from John Lord in sound and ability; at the end of the track, comparable to a collective explosion, the band lets us breathe again, with a slow but intense piece, "The Railroad,” where the voice of the great Mark Farner is finally recognized, with his American accent and warm timbre, sealed by the choral part. For every lover of the electric bass, played rhythmically and syncopatedly, "Ain't Got Nobody” is a real gem, one of those songs I would listen to endlessly, without ever getting tired... "Walk Like A Man” is a nice track, surpassed only by "Loneliest Rider,” the most moving track on the album. Mark Farner, whose grandmother was Indian, wrote this song as a dedication to the ethnicity that had always been a victim of persecution by white settlers.

Among the bonus tracks, the songs "Hooray” and "The End” (where a Deep-Purple-like influence is perceivable) are of excellent level; they should have been part of the original album. The All American Band par excellence released this album in 1973, and it remains one of the most beautiful in their entire discography, unfortunately little known.