There is something mildly intriguing about an album no one likes. Take this self-titled debut album from what was once three quarters of Grand Funk Railroad, for example. After that Michigan-based quartet split in 1977, guitarist Mark Farner signed a two-record deal with Atlantic, while his former band mates—drummer Don Brewer, bassist Mel Schacher and keyboardist Craig Frost—signed on for what turned out to be a one-off studio project for Columbia. Joe Viglione at http://www.allmusic.com/ calls portions of the album “faceless,” “calculated” and “diluted,” while Martin Popoff, in his The Collector’s Guide to Heavy Metal, Volume I: The Seventies, deems the entire affair “awful.” Based on these less than glowing recommendations, Flint is something The I-Own-Every-Record-You’d-Never-Buy CD Consumer’s Guide just had to get its hands on. The album starts off well enough, the group’s cover of the Supremes' “Back in My Arms Again” proving an effective introduction to the band’s brand of soul-based funk rock. The rest of the album finds the group trading in its hard rock credentials for a stab at blue-eyed easy listening. “Keep Me Warm,” with its female backing vocals and saxophone fills, typifies the trio’s Motown-influenced approach, while “You Got it All Wrong” straddles a dangerously thin line between pop and disco. I'm not sure this record qualifies as "awful," but even guest appearances from Todd Rundgren, Frank Zappa and Wet Willie’s Jimmy Hall can't hide the obvious: The best thing about Flint is the haircuts.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Flint
There is something mildly intriguing about an album no one likes. Take this self-titled debut album from what was once three quarters of Grand Funk Railroad, for example. After that Michigan-based quartet split in 1977, guitarist Mark Farner signed a two-record deal with Atlantic, while his former band mates—drummer Don Brewer, bassist Mel Schacher and keyboardist Craig Frost—signed on for what turned out to be a one-off studio project for Columbia. Joe Viglione at http://www.allmusic.com/ calls portions of the album “faceless,” “calculated” and “diluted,” while Martin Popoff, in his The Collector’s Guide to Heavy Metal, Volume I: The Seventies, deems the entire affair “awful.” Based on these less than glowing recommendations, Flint is something The I-Own-Every-Record-You’d-Never-Buy CD Consumer’s Guide just had to get its hands on. The album starts off well enough, the group’s cover of the Supremes' “Back in My Arms Again” proving an effective introduction to the band’s brand of soul-based funk rock. The rest of the album finds the group trading in its hard rock credentials for a stab at blue-eyed easy listening. “Keep Me Warm,” with its female backing vocals and saxophone fills, typifies the trio’s Motown-influenced approach, while “You Got it All Wrong” straddles a dangerously thin line between pop and disco. I'm not sure this record qualifies as "awful," but even guest appearances from Todd Rundgren, Frank Zappa and Wet Willie’s Jimmy Hall can't hide the obvious: The best thing about Flint is the haircuts.
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