He was also in Pat Travers' band circa Hot Shot!
I look at the list of artists from Michigan and I understand that many are influential and important but none of them do much for me either. I'm not going to include Motown, because that's R & B. Ted, GFR, Seger, Iggy...none of them do a thing for me. Not that North Carolina has much going for it either in the world of great rock bands either. We might actually have less going for it, as far as rock goes, than Michigan.
Bill
She'll be standing on the bar soon
With a fish head and a harpoon
and a fake beard plastered on her brow.
That's an understatement, to say the least. (Not any kind of slight intended here- there are things over here that people in the US had the sense to steer clear from!)
My limited exposure to these guys suggests a band heavy on hollering and volume, but light on tunes. The best thing I've heard of them by miles is 'I'm Your Captain'/'Closer To Home'.
The impression I get about them is that they meant a lot to a particular demographic but not much outside of that. They don't appear to have lasted down the years, but again that may be my UK perspective.
Aging well-known musicians who are full of themselves. well ain't that rare. paging Gene Simmons, David Lee Roth. Steven Tyler...
Quote Originally Posted by UnephenStephen View Post
their early albums as a trio were really good to my ears. i lost interest once they added the keyboard guy. not the same band.
I liked their cover of Locomotion. I dd Not like 'Bad Time" and still don't. American Band has some really good stuff on it, but my favorite GFR albums are 'On Time' through "Phoenix." I've heard most of the albums after WAAB and found 1 or 2 songs I liked on each, but nothing worth buying. I'm sure they picked up a lot more fans with SKoW and Bad Time because they ditched the heaviness for more commercial material. boo. ssss.
"Tell everyone you know you got some rock and roll soul"
Enjoyed the interview. GFR had some great tunes.
Just remembered I had the 45rpm of GFR's cover of Gimme Shelter when I was a kid. I heard it long before I ever heard the original. Love that cover version. I'd crank it up and the neighbors would bang on the wall to shut it off. Hilarious, and true.....
I don't know which song you have that confused with, but it's not on any GFR album, live or studio. maybe 'We've Got to Get Out of This Place." btw, I love the Animals' original 'Inside Looking Out' but I think GFR's tour de force version is an improvement on it. both seriously rock though.
Last edited by davis; 02-10-2015 at 10:18 AM.
Aimless Lady, yes, one of their best. "Nothing is the same" too. For me GFR is the band of certain good songs, not the albums..There's no album they made that I like from the start to finish. Always some crap in every album..As for Zeppelin stage comparison, I'd say Farner is a better showman than both Robert and Jimmy.
Besides the tracks I mentioned previously, you've got to add "Into the Sun", "We're an American Band" and "Footstompin' Music" to the list of GFR's great songs. Even though Farner was by no means an accomplished player, he did have a unique sound with that wierd guitar of his. Mel Schacher was a badass bass player, too! Rock music is supposed to be fun and visceral. GFR definitely delivered on that score!
The White Stripes used to play Club Soda here in Kalamazoo all the time when they were starting out. They may have played Bell’s Brewery as well. I always just wrote them off as a gimmick band, but have admitted that Jack White has grown on me a lot over the years.
Yea, I decided to just leave Madonna and Eminem out of it, but of course they are both Michigan natives as well.
I saw GFR many times in the early 70's - loved them big time. Actually skipped the warm up band (Yes) at the Yale Bowl in 1971 to tailgate before the GFR show . . . LOL !!!
Brewer was the shining beacon of talent for this outfit if you ask me - a powerhouse.
To each their own . . .
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