Boogie On

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Special release to commemorate the life of one of Britain's best loved singer/songwriters whose tragic death 25 years ago left a void in the music industry that has never been replaced. Numbered limited edition (3000 copies) of rare cuts & interviews. Rare versions of all the early T. Rex top 5 hits such as 'Ride a White Swan', 'Hot Love', 'Get It On' & 'Jeepster'. Disc two features a rare interview with Marc Bolan, 1971. NMC Music. 2002. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Running Like The Wind
Last Of The Singing Cowboy
It Takes Time
Cattle Drive
See You One More Time
Sing My Blues
Take The Highway
Heard It In A Love Song
Ramblin

Tracks:

Fire On The Mountain
In My Own Way
Desert Skies
24 Hours At A Time
Cant You See
Searchin For A Rainbow
This Ol Cowboy

Album Description

The 2-CD set Live On Long Island 4-18-80 was recorded at Nassau Coliseum, the last stop on their 1980 tour, just days before bass player Tommy Caldwell died in a tragic car accident, making it the last performance featuring all of the original members of the Marshall Tucker Band.

On this historic recording, MTB delve into old favorites from their hit-heavy catalog, such as "Heard It In A Love Song," "Can't You See," and "Fire On The Mountain," making it a vital document of a powerful live act, and a must-have purchase for fans.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing To Say The Least.......2007-06-02

Being a long-time fan of the ORIGINAL (and ONLY) MTB, this recording (I believe done for a radio program) is not of good quality and the band is, well, not in good form. We have the Tucker Boys of later years when Doug Gray is mouthing & over-singing the songs. And, unfortunately the late, great Toy Caldwell plays guitar with little or no passion. His voice on Can't You See is also very hoarse. Trust me, the finest the band was recorded was in Milwaukeee in 1974, then the British recordings are pretty good as well, especially Blue Ridge Mountain Sky. This recording fails miserably compared to those. Stick with the earlier live recordings if you want to hear genuine "fire" from the band. These CDs were not worth it.

The Bottom Line..........2007-04-01

The Original Marshall Tucker Band captured in a quality live recording and wonderfully packaged with coinciding notes and photos... the last concert with original bassist/founding member Tommy Caldwell, no less, thus marking the end of an era.

This is an instant classic and a wonderful keepsake toward the memory of the Caldwell brothers and the original Marshall Tucker Band.

I was originally at this show!!!!!!!.......2007-02-17

This album is truly a must have and for all you Tucker fans it will remind you of the first time you saw them!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank God for these lost and found treasures!!!
Dr John

Brings Back Memories.......2007-01-10

I was a huge Tucker fan back in the 70's and 80's and this CD brings back some great memories of how great they were. Toy Caldwell (who passed away in 1993)was the driving force musically behind the band and his guitar work is in fine form on this disc. Anyone who was a fan should have this CD in their collection.

The original band. .......2007-01-10

Thank goodness that they had the tapes running to capture the original lineup just weeks before Tommy Caldwell's death in a car accident.
This release was a dream come true for me as I had seen them at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center a few times and they put on a good show.
I always knew that there must have been more "recent" live recordings out there, but wondered why they didn't make them available to the fans.

Average customer rating:

Mike McDonald Doobies
GREAT ALBUM, BUT YOU'RE BUYING THE WRONG VERSION!
Soulful Gem
Michael McDonald showcased
WOW

Livin' on the Fault Line
The Doobie Brothers
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Takin' It to the Streets
Minute by Minute
Stampede
One Step Closer
Toulouse Street

ASIN: B000002KGX
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

You're Made That Way
Echoes Of Love
Little Darling (I Need You)
You Belong To Me
Livin' On The Fault Line
Nothin' But A Heartache
Chinatown
There's A Light
Need A Lady
Larry The Logger Two-Step

Customer Reviews:

Mike McDonald Doobies.......2007-05-16

While this piece did not rate the critical acclaim that was accorded Minute By Minute, in many ways it is a better expression of The Doobie Brothers with McDonald as the front man for the band. His soulfull vocals coupled with Snake Baxter's guitar licks and the dual drummers layering the back beat make this an intriguing listen throughout. Besides, how many knew this is where Carly Simon got her hit "You Belong To Me" from?

GREAT ALBUM, BUT YOU'RE BUYING THE WRONG VERSION!.......2006-07-17

The Japanese imports of the Doobie catalog are remastered.

Warner Brothers here in the U.S. is still selling the old LP-EQ'd, terrible-sounding masters they released on CD in 1990.

If you love these albums, get a set of the Japanese editions. They cost more, but they're worth it.

Here is the link to the Japanese remaster of Livin' on the Fault Line.

Soulful Gem.......2006-06-24

A personal favorite of mine. Very tight, very smooth and very soulful. This album really brings out the best in McDonald's 'blue-eyed soul.' Great vocals and very tight production with beautiful guitar riffs, and subtle horns. You Belong To Me, You're Made That Way and Nothin' But A Heartache stand out and they're the type of songs that you need to listen to a few times to pick up the raw emotions, desperate lyrics and beautiful melodies. Top notch production and except for Larry the Logger Two Step, each song is solid. Some people may think this a bit too slick of an album, but it's always had a way of getting to me. An essential.

Michael McDonald showcased.......2006-03-05

This is not my favorite Doobies album but it is still very good and is another example of how versatile the group really was in their '70s heyday. It is much more laid back than any of the other albums they did with it's R&B, jazz and softer rock riffs. Michael McDonald shines. Highlights include 'Echoes of Love', 'Little Darling (I Need You)' and 'You Belong To Me'.

WOW.......2006-01-30

This is a FANTASTIC cd. A must have for anyone that is a true Doobie Brothers fan. I recommend it highly.

Average customer rating:

Definitely NOT Down and Definitely ON THE FARM...
For completists only
An Often Underrated Album!
Only for the greatest of Feat enthusiasts
Some gems with a couple of misfires... but what gems!

Down on the Farm
Little Feat
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Time Loves a Hero
The Last Record Album
Sailin' Shoes
Dixie Chicken
Little Feat

ASIN: B000002KK9
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Down On The Farm
Six Feet Of Snow
Perfect Imperfection
Kokomo
Be One Now
Straight From The Heart
Front Page News
Wake Up Dreaming
Feel The Groove

Customer Reviews:

Definitely NOT Down and Definitely ON THE FARM..........2006-06-24

Little Feat is such an unusually talented and funky band - probably one of the best American bands of all time. And I think that this is their strongest CD. Many Litte Feat songs have such incredibly complex rythmns and beats; they almost seem to not follow a steady beat, yet the songs are very tight and in their own way, are never off beat. Very unique songs! This CD, from 1979, was Lowell George's last, as he died right after the production. It has 4 very solid tunes - Perfect Imperfection, Front Page News, Straight From The Heart, and Wake Up Dreaming. I remember buying this album right after it came out and I played it to several friends - withing a month or so, all of them bought the album. Very high praise indeed - this a wonderful CD. You can't go wrong.

For completists only.......2006-05-25

Down On the Farm would be Little Feat's final studio album to feature their leader Lowell George as the band would complete the release soon after his untimely death. While their previous release, Time Loves a Hero, showed an exciting new direction in fusion, Down on the Farm sounds like the band phoned it in. The great songs as well as their strong musical interplay were gone and a very glossy production didn't help matters.

The title track is the best song here and remains a staple of their live show. "Six Feet of Snow", which the band still performs in a much stronger bluegrass version, and "Kokomo" are the only other tracks you could all decent and would have been better if they weren't so overproduced. The rest of the album comes off sounding way too professional, kind of like when the Allman Brothers Band went adult contemporary in the early-80's. In fact, Lowell George's vocals sound very similar to Dickey Betts at times. The performances have very little passion and the album gets progressively worse from "Be One Now" to the end. Based on the fact that George's death was a severe blow to the band, you can forgive them for this release and the band would put out several strong albums after they regrouped in the late-80's. However, I would recommend this only to a diehard fan who wants to have their entire catalog.

An Often Underrated Album!.......2005-05-12

"Down on the Farm" was the last album to feature leadsinger, guitarist and songwriter Lowell George. Actually George had left the band before the album was finished, and sadly during a solo tour in 1979 he died from a heart-attack. George had always been the driving force in the band, but due to healthproblems ( drugs/alcohol) his position in the band had diminished after "Feats Don't Fail Me Now".

The previous album "Time Loves a Hero" had very little input from George and their musical style had become much more slick and and funky.

After George's death the other bandmembers decided to finish the album they had been working on before George left. Fortunately George had recorded vocals for most of the tracks, and he wrote 5 of the songs on the album. The album is often referred to as one of the weaker albums from the George era, a fact I never understood. It's no exaggeration that it's one my personal favourites.

George's vocals were never better and his songs are oustanding. "Be One Now" is simply heartbreaking. "Kokomo" and "Six Feet of Snow" are as good as anything on "Dixie Chicken" or "Feats". The title track written by Barrere is catchy and funky and featuring one his strongest vocal performances - I used to believe it was George singing.

Among the rest of the album's tracks "Straight From the Heart", written by George and Payne also deserves to be brought out.

The final two tracks could be the reason that the album as a whole is often underrated. They nice tracks; a little too polished for my taste, with very litle, if any, input from George. Still a great album.

Only for the greatest of Feat enthusiasts.......2004-08-02

This album was created using bits and pieces of an unfinished album found in Lowell's studio after his death. Be warned that Lowell never heard anything close to the final version of these songs. To credit him with co-production of "Down on the Farm" was a compliment to him at best and a commericial-backed white lie at worst. The truth is somewhere in between.

Having said the above, I'm still glad his buddies released it because it gave the world a few more nuggets of his slide work and amazing voice to hold onto in his absence.

Some gems with a couple of misfires... but what gems!.......2004-01-17

Many people are bit hard on this album, Lowell George's last with the group before his untimely death. While it may not be as brilliant as "Dixie Chicken" or "Feats Don't Fail Me Now," it is a definite improvement over "Time Loves A Hero." This is largely because Lowell contributions to this album are much greater than the previous one. And the songs he has written or co-written are great. "Kokomo" and "Be One Now" are the George standouts and Barrere contributes one of his best songs, "Perfect Imperfection." "Six Feet of Snow" is the band's one foray into Zydeco and is pretty good, too. The only real misfires on this album are the overlong closer, "Feel the Groove," and "Wake Up Dreaming." "Front Page News" is alright and the title track is solid. This is maybe not the best Feat album but it ranks pretty closely with "Last Record Album" and even the weaker tracks are quite listenable. And, as always, Lowell's voice and slide guitar playing are gorgeous and the entire band plays brilliantly.

Average customer rating:

A Timeless Classic
Live Dates
Live Dates: Great Live CD that deserved a bigger audience
Great music. Not so-great sound.
Emphasis on English...

Live Dates
Wishbone Ash
Manufacturer: Bgo - Beat Goes on
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Argus (Remastered & Revisited)
Wishbone Ash
Pilgrimage
Clan Destiny
Wishbone Four

ASIN: B000024JCA
Release Date: 2003-03-03

Tracks:

King Will Come
Warrior
Throw Down the Sword
Rock 'N' Roll Widow
Ballad of the Beacon
Baby, What You Want Me to Do
Pilgrim
Blowin' Free
Jail Bait
Lady Whiskey
Phoenix

Customer Reviews:

A Timeless Classic.......2006-11-25

My brother surprised me with this album for Christmas back in 1973.I was 16 at the time. Though I had seen the band's records in stores I had never heard them.Of course this album became an instant favorite(and Larry I am forever grateful).The best thing is that after all this time this record is still a major source of inspiration.I especially love firing up one of my 2 Flying V's and blasting along with Andy's killer lead on Warrior. Damn, what a way to kick off a song. Other faves are Blowin' Free, Ballad Of The Beacon and Throw Down The Sword. Great stuff.

Live Dates.......2006-08-21

This is by far the best CD of wishbone ash I have come accross.
the version of the King will come is by far the best. I cannot get enough of this CD the guitar work and drumming are out of the top draw.

Live Dates: Great Live CD that deserved a bigger audience .......2006-05-22

Wishbone Ash deserved better, I thought this album would be there breakout in America and make them a superstar band. I rate this CD 4 1/2 stars. A great live collection that ranks up their with Humble Pie/Rockin the Fillmore, and the Allman Brothers Band at the Fillmore East. Live Dates holds it's own with the above mentioned bands.

This was recorded over June 1973 during their tour of England and featured their best lineup- Andy Powell, Steve Upton, and the Turners. Live Dates features the songs from their creative peak, and the audience is vocal throughout the duo guitar assault, responding to the incredible harmonics, interplay, melodies woven around each epic song.

I can only describe Wishbone Ash as being similar to progressive rock group Yes, subtracting the keyboards and then adding another lead guitarist. Martin Turner's vocals remind me a little of Jon Andersons' singing for Yes. This is a vague comparison for those who have never listened to Wishbone Ash.
The songs Phoenix and The Pilgrim are numbers that are paced like Yes tracks, layered with great guitar work, interwoven, with Andy Powell and David "Ted" Turner working together and not fighting against each other. Their improvisation on these tracks are tremendous, with Phoenix lasting 17 minutes, and The Pilgrim lasting just over 9 minutes long.

Disc One is centered around British mythology, legend of King Arthur themes, Lord of the Rings, it seems to me. The first 3 songs fit well together- The King Will Come, Warrior, and Throw Down The Sword, telling a story of battle in ancient England.

Rock n Roll Widow is the most commercial track on Disc One. I didn't care too much for the Everly Brothers' remake- Baby What You Want Me To Do. The most commercial tracks on Disc Two are- Jail Bait and Blowin' Free. The Pilgrim and Phoenix songs were previously mentioned above.

Had the original lineup stayed together, maybe they would have eventually taken America by storm. I could have pictured the Live Dates lineup recording songs for The Lord Of The Rings and Harry Potter soundtracks.

Great music. Not so-great sound........2005-12-29

I love this live set but just wish the CD sounded brighter and richer. Still highly recommended, but the mastering makes the recording sound a bit dated.

Emphasis on English..........2005-04-17

Wishbone Ash have often been called the English Allman Brothers and there are quite a few outward similarities. Two great live bands each with two superb guitarists and a tight, driving rhythm section cranking out music that acknowledges it's roots while constantly going beyond them. But while the roots of the early Allmans(before the untimely death of brother Duane)were firmly in Southern blues, Wishbone Ash finds their inspiration in the pre-Christian mysticism and eerie melodies found in English folk music. But make no mistake about it, this is tight, driving rock n' roll delivered by one of the best live bands of the 70's. If you go for guitar driven rock with a distinctly English flavor Live Dates will become one of your all time favorites.

Average customer rating:

Mostly Majestic
An excellent olio of music styles
This movie is a slam dunk
Boogie Majestic
An answer for a question from Texas

The Majestic
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Hollywood Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Majestic
Boogie Woogie Man
Blues 88's: Boogie Woogie Instrumentals
Boogie Woogie Giants
Boogie Woogie Stomp

ASIN: B00005TQ52
Release Date: 2001-12-11

Tracks:

Blue Note Boogie - The Spencer Wyatt Big Band
Orange Colored Sky - Nat King Cole
Begin The Beguine - The Spencer Wyatt Big Band
Stranger On The Shore - The Spencer Wyatt Big Band
Boogie Woogie Stomp - Jim Cox
Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers
Dizzy (Piano Version) - Jim Cox
Blues In The Bucket - The Spencer Wyatt Big Band
Aunt Hagar's Blues - Jim Cox
Over The Rainbow - Chet Baker
I Remember You - Nat King Cole
The Bridge - Mark Isham
Luke And Adele - Mark Isham
The Majestic - And The Magic - Mark Isham

Customer Reviews:

Mostly Majestic.......2007-05-17

Most of the tracks were excellent but some were a bit long winded.Tracks by Spencer Wyatt best on the disc and made it all worth while.

An excellent olio of music styles.......2007-02-23

Do you like ethereal New Age? Gotcha covered. Does Boogie piano get your toes a-tappin'? Check. Is Swing more your thing? It's here. All fine reasons to add this sound track to your music collection. As for the movie, I like to think it Carrey's best work. The man has the most expressive face in Moviedom. Regarding the story, it's set in the early Fifties during the rabid Communist scaremongering headed by Senator Joseph McCarthy. One result was the blacklisting of suspected Communists and sympathizers in liberal Hollywood, of which our protagonist Peter Appleton became a victim.

This movie is a slam dunk.......2006-10-29

To hear the roar of the crowd as the player goes in to slam dunk the basketball in the professional sports arenas,this film equals those thrills for the audience as Jim Carrey (Luke Trimble)takes us through the mind of someone that has amnesia and unwittingly becomes the hometown war hero set in 1945 period. Stars abound in this film like character actors Martin Landau and James Wittemore.Boy meets girl,they fall in love,then a twist in the plot as Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) is accused of being a communist,similar to the Army McCarthy hearings for those old enough to remember.It all turns out like everyone wants.....Ed Lynch 10/29/06

Boogie Majestic.......2003-08-07

This soundtrack is the best soundtrack I have heard in a long time. Bringing the swing big band music was fantastic.I wish they would have included Pennsylvania 6-5000 in the soundtrack though. This by far is the best movie soundtrack next to Swing Kids. So buy this soundtrack. This is real music.

An answer for a question from Texas.......2003-02-15

Music fan from Texas, Yes both songs are there and as strange as it may sound, those where the two songs that cought my attention when I saw the movie. The one with the clarinet is called "Stranger on the shore" while the one with the piano is called "Boogie Woogie Stomp" I believe. The soundtrack as a whole is flawless and I strongly reccomend it.

Average customer rating:

Brought rock back to its roots
Raw
True, pure, Thorogood blues.

Move It on Over
George Thorogood & the Destroyers
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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George Thorogood & the Destroyers
Bad to the Bone
Maverick
I'm Wanted
Born to Be Bad

ASIN: B00000031X
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Move It On Over
Who Do You Love
The Sky Is Crying
Cocaine Blues
It Wasn't Me
That Same Thing
So Much Trouble
I'm Just Your Good Thing
Baby Please Set A Date
New Hawaiian Boogie

Customer Reviews:

Brought rock back to its roots.......2003-05-01

This is the Classic Thorogood release that brought rock back to its roots when it was so sorely needed! Raw energy and an unabashed singing style that is just so fun to sing along with.

Turn it up and enjoy!

Raw.......1999-10-27

Thorogoods raw guitar sound and ample emotion on this CD make it one worth buying. It sets the tone for things that should have come but never seemed to break out on later albums. If you buy one Thorogood album, this should be the one. A staple of any blues or rock collection. Bouncing back and forth between the hard rocking (Move it on Over/who do you love) to the mournfull (The Sky is Crying) to the emotional (I'm Just Your Good Thing). This album runs the ladder of emotions up and down.

True, pure, Thorogood blues........1999-03-16

This is the kind of strait hard blues that started it all. "so much trouble" and "cocaine blues" are awesome tracks, so if you like ol' lonesome george you'll love this cd. peace.

Average customer rating:

Good follow up to 'We're an American Band'
Was this album intended to sound like a bootleg?
It could have been better.
excellent!
Mostly great songs, spacey production

Shinin' On
Grand Funk Railroad
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Phoenix
All the Girls in the World Beware!!
Born to Die
Survival
We're an American Band

ASIN: B00008BLAS
Release Date: 2003-02-25

Tracks:

Shinin' On
To Get Back In
The Loco-Motion
Carry Me Through
Please Me
Mr. Pretty Boy
Gettin' Over You
Little Johnny Hooker
Destitute And Losin'
Shinin' On (2002 Remix)

Album Description

The #5 chart topper from 1973 featuring 'The Loco-Motion', here reissued and 24-bit digitally remastered with the b-side 'Destitute and 'Losin' and a 2002 remix of 'Shinin'. Capitol Records. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Good follow up to 'We're an American Band'.......2007-01-12

I've come to appreciate more then ever the post-Terry Knight era of Grand Funk Railroad (in particular their 'Good Singing Good Playing' album) and 'Shinin' On' is nearly as good as its predecesor 'We're an American Band'. Having Todd Rundgren produce was a genius move, since GFR by 1973 could have used some better production and overall help in bringing out the best in what they could do. Standout tracks for me are the title track, "Carry Me Through" and "Destitute adn Losin'" Of this period of GFR I would also recommend the very underrated and overlooked Born to Die album.

Was this album intended to sound like a bootleg?.......2004-06-03

Many tracks here sound like they were recorded in an empty club with house mikes instead of any line outs on the amps. Like when you're watching the news and there's a story about a festival and the reporter's on camera with the band booming and echoing in the background? Well, some of these tracks sound like footage shot by the cameraman without the reporter. There's fairly decent bottom, but that can be boosted in the final mixdown. One point of interest is that there are three tracks Mark Farner didn't participate in the writing of. The most obvious is the single release "Loco-Motion" (written by Carole King when she was a teenager). But "Carry Me Through" and "Gettin' Over You" are written by drummer Don Brewer and keyboardist Craig Frost. I think it's Brewer singing lead on these--he's soloed before, beginning back in the "Closer To Home" days when he swapped lines with Farner in the bridge section of "Hooked On Love". I thought "Little Johnny Hooker" would turn out to be some sort of nod to blues legend John Lee Hooker, which would be the first time this blues-influenced band has done that, but instead it deals with a kid bullied in school and getting sent up the river because he replied with a switchblade. If there's a message here about there being a certain injustice in getting busted for a fight you didn't start, it's too elusive to hang your hat on. Maybe the 3-D cover art, plus the presence of an early-1960s classic, was a warning that this album would have a cheesy retro 1950s/ 1960s blare in the recording quality, I don't know.

It could have been better........2003-09-27

First off, I just want to say that I'm glad they included 3D Glasses with the Trunk of Funk. This is a band that does outstanding things with cover designs, and although the CD is smaller than the original vinyl, people have the opportunity to view the cover the way it was originally intended. I must say that, all in all, Capitol Records has done an outstanding job with the remasters, as far as nostalgia is concerned.

While I'm on the subject of remastering, this is the fourth album I've purchased since the albums were reissued. The other three were The Red Album, Survival, and E Pluribus Funk. I've posted reviews for all of them, and on each, I felt that Capitol has also done an outstanding job going back and enhancing the old master tapes to the point where the audio was crystal clear and really gave the listener a feel for the brilliant, and much underrated musicianship of the band. I'm not sure if this is indicative of the differences in engineering styles between Ken Hamann and Todd Rundgren, but I felt that the audio on this one was not as clear as it could have been. Several songs, such as "Please Me," "Little Johnny Hooker," and their cover of "Locomotion" sound like every instument is swimming in feedback, and even Don Brewer's vocals in "Please Me" seem garbled. This is a shame, because there are instances where the music is multilayered, with several different things going on. It's good, but it would have sounded better if it were clearer. Mark Farner dusts off his harmonica for one of the songs, and the group brings back a small group of backup soul singers. Unfortunately, there's so much feedback in both instances that everything sounds like noise.

As far as the music is concerned, the group moved farther away from the hard rock they started with, though they still managed to balance both it and their newer pop sound at certain points in the album. "Shinin' On," the title track, is probably one of the best Mark Farner/Don Brewer collaborations I've heard (with the exception of "I Can Feel Him In The Morning," off of Survival), with solid rhythm from Brewer and bassist Mel Schacher, fiery vocals ( also from Brewer, that sound clearer than any other song on the album), and a lengthy Farner guitar solo with all the right twists and turns. Keyboardist Craig Frost also has his turn at soloing, and the way he and Farner feed off of each other is magic. In addition to playing longer and better organ solos, Frost also tries his hand at songwriting on this one. His best effort is "Getting Over You," a collaboration with Don Brewer, that has all the energy of the title track, plus a solo on the moog synthesizer that complements the fast pace and energy of the track magnificently. "The Locomotion" is a classic cover, which the band always does in style, remaining true to the form of the original while putting their own unique stamp on it that says: "Hi, we're Grand Funk Railroad!" One of my favorite songs on here, though, and one that sadly suffers from the feedback problem, is "Little Johnny Hooker," one of Mark Farner's famous songs with morals. Each of the band members is in top form on it, and it transitions about halfway into a lengthy instrumental with a soul choir that provides a nice finish to a partially decent record.

However, this album did have a few unfortunate trends that started to rear their heads in Grand Funk's repertoire: it contained tracks that you can skip over! "Carry Me Through," for some reason, didn't sit right with me. I don't know if it was the excessive stereo fading (which I normally like, but in this case, everything was too echoey), or the fact that the producer was invited into the recording booth to play guitar for it. This was another unfortunate trend in the bands devolution, and that was way too many cooks. Finally, there's the second track on the album. "To Get Back In" is a fun pop song, with classic down-on-your-luck lyrics courtesy of Mark Farner, but it also contains horns, which complement the instrumentation of this song nicely, but were used too excessively on later albums.

I don't know, maybe the reason for the feedback is because the band intended this record to be played in a room with the curtains drawn, incense burning, and a joint being passed between friends. Or maybe I just got the one defective copy. But even without the remastering issues I have to say that as a pop album, this does very well. But as a Grand Funk Railroad album, you're better off starting with something like On Time or Closer to Home, and then coming back to check this one out.

excellent!.......2003-04-12

Shinin' On was the second album that studio wizard (and a true star) Todd Rundgren produced. Sound quality is excellent throughout--much better than the worn out vinyl copy I've been listening to for years. The disc includes two bonus tracks, the bluesy "Destitute and Losin'" (originally released as the b-side to "The Loco-Motion" and later available on the Thirty Years of Funk compilation) and an alternate version of the title track with a different vocal arrangement. The only thing missing is the 3D glasses that came with the original album. With songs like the title track, "Gettin' Over You" and "Little Johnny Hooker," Shinin' On is one of the band's best albums.

Mostly great songs, spacey production.......2003-03-15

This was Grand Funk's second album with producer extraordinaire Todd Rungren. He puts some spacey moments in (check out 'Carry Me Through) and lots of echo, but it doesn't detract from what is, with one exception, a very strong set of rock songs.

I'd buy this album for the title track alone. Drummer/vocalist Don Brewer proves his singing talents, belting this out like it's the last song he'll ever get to sing. And check out the R&B influence - complete with horns - on Mark Farner's To Get Back In. GFR was always influenced by the Motown sound, though that might have been hard to discern on their earlier efforts.

Of course, this was the breaking point for some fans, who simply couldn't stand how much the band had departed from it's loud 'n' proud garage rock roots. And, if you listen to its take on the old pop classic The LocoMotion, I suppose you couldn't blame them. This is a straight throwaway ditty, in my books. (But I still like it better than Farner's Mr. Pretty Boy, a dirge every bit as underwhelming as Mean Mistreater.)

One of the best things about this reissue is the inclusion of Destitute & Losin', a stretched out rocker with plenty of power. It showed the band was still capable of flexing plenty of muscle.