My First High School Band Song and How the Original Artists Sunk Themselves.

By the time I was in 11th grade Mark Farner and Grand Funk Railroad had made an indelible mark on the underground rock market. Their first album was a huge hit. Being that I was a drummer I was fascinated with their drummer Kyle Brewer. His solo on the first album was very mechanical and it would take me years to figure it out though I was talented and had little teaching. Most of what I learned was by listening closely to the records! 

Though I had many more influences like Ringo of the Beatles, Clive Bunker of Jethro Tull, Michael Giles of the early incarnation of King Crimson, and even Ginger Baker of Cream, still I was learning all I could from trial and error while buying my drums off my yard mowing salary of $14.00 a week until I finally got a proper double tom tom set like Ringo had during the album "Let it Be".

What I find difficult to deal with is the drug induced decline of many bands of this era. I was a kid looking up to them but not really seeing the toll that drug abuse was having on these great talents!  Grand Funk Railroad was one such band. Having strong healthy southern boys who loved dirt biking, sports, and hunting as they grew up suddenly they were radicalized, hated the police, and became rock legends!  I watched as they declined into a band totally addicted to cocaine, they were self deluded into thinking they had captivated a visual art form by filming things they thought were great while under the influence but as these clips were played during road trip concerts it was apparent something was wrong! Cocaine had captured their minds, their bodies, and their music! The rapid fire distortion of images did not necessarily equate with talent or artistic expression, but it was symptomatic of drug induced delusion.

They managed two great hits during this time before collapsing under the weight of drug abuse and self destruction. "American band" hit the big time as well as the orchestrated master work of " I'm Your Captain" but the weight of drug abuse and touring did the band in! The break up of a brilliant band was inescapable. Kyle Brewer ended up playing for Bob Seeger who never allowed the elite drumming style of this wild man get unleashed. While Mark Farner became a born again Christian still plying his trade as a guitarist, vocalist, and song writer, but never again would the music industry allow him to rise to the top as he had once done! 

In my first official rock band my buddies and I analyzed Grand Fund Railroad and we effectively captured most of the song surprisingly, but few lead guitarists as well as lead vocalists could pull off what Mark Farner was doing then much less some 17 year old kids who where doing their best to copy and master a song for birthday parties and small time performances. We were proud to play as much as we could and the high school girls cheered us on but such limited success is usually short lived as it was with us! Our parents weren't necessarily bastions of encouragement or talent scouts either. As the years rolled by and I joined other bands we ran into 2 consistent obstructions that were actual killers of up and coming bands. "Old ladies" wives or girl friends as we called them, or bills! So many talented guitarists sold their amplifiers to pay bills once their overbearing girl friends convince them they just couldn't succeed. Why? Because it jeopardized the relationship! What a joke! 

https://youtu.be/-b5yF2dFplg?t=260

  

Views: 60

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

Comment by steve on April 1, 2020 at 7:05pm

Here it is ,shown is the same clear gold vinyl 45 I still have nearly 45 years later.

Steve

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTVMqRp9l5Y

Comment by steve on April 1, 2020 at 6:59pm

Hey Doc, One of the first 45s (way back then)I bought was "We're an American band on the b side was a song called "Creepin" what a tune played it more than the a side.It was one of the best jams GFR did in my opinion.

Steve

Comment by Doc Vega on March 30, 2020 at 12:05pm

Mr. Sizzle, that was a remake from the early sixties and sounds a lot like the original with the exception of Farner's guitar solo! My favorite is his guitar work on We're an American Band! He kicks ass on that song!

Comment by Mr. Sizzle on March 29, 2020 at 11:25pm

Being a guitar player, when I hear GFR play Locomotion I wait for the guitar solo. It’s so raw and pentatonic. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FULmAxNS4hk

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted blog posts
24 minutes ago
rlionhearted_3 posted photos
1 hour ago
rlionhearted_3 favorited Doc Vega's photo
1 hour ago
tjdavis posted a video

Alabama’s Biggest Secret - Operation Paperclip 🇺🇸

In the north of Alabama is the city of Huntsville. It's here where German scientists built NASA in secrecy after World War II. Operation Paperclip is still s...
5 hours ago
tjdavis posted a photo
6 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Americans You’re Being Squeezed Out!
"Cheeki kea always nice to her you chime in and you're damn right! "
21 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Americans You’re Being Squeezed Out!
"Les Prone thanks for your support Dude! "
21 hours ago
Doc Vega posted a photo

The inconvenient truth

Trump spells it out!
yesterday
Sandy posted a photo
yesterday
Less Prone favorited Doc Vega's blog post What Made the Founding Fathers of America so Brilliant?
yesterday
Less Prone commented on Doc Vega's blog post Why didn't the Archeological World Announce Proof that Jesus Lived?
"Motives of Joe, to shit in the well by showing totally irrelevant proof?"
yesterday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Why didn't the Archeological World Announce Proof that Jesus Lived?
"Less, Motives of Wyatt or Joe? What archeologist wouldn't want proof of Jesus as part of his…"
yesterday
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post Why didn't the Archeological World Announce Proof that Jesus Lived?
"Less Prone, Considering Joe Rogan to be the gatekeeper of anything is just short of ridiculous the…"
yesterday
Doc Vega posted a blog post
yesterday
MAC posted a video

Don't Go To Hong Kong Now (Even on Connecting Flights)

Secure your privacy with Surfshark! Enter coupon code laowhy86 for an extra 3 months free at https://Surfshark.deals/laowhy86Article 23 in Hong Kong is real,...
Tuesday
cheeki kea commented on cheeki kea's video
Thumbnail

Terrorist Attack on Moscow - Ukraine Committing Suicide? | Larry C. Johnson

"...And I guess I'll just park this you tube here also for something to ponder from last year.…"
Tuesday
tjdavis posted photos
Tuesday
Less Prone posted a video

Climate: The Movie (The Cold Truth) NL

Deze nieuwe documentaire van de Britse filmmaker Martin Durkin toont aan dat klimaatalarm een verzonnen doembeeld is zonder enige wetenschappelijke basis. He...
Monday
Less Prone commented on Doc Vega's blog post Why didn't the Archeological World Announce Proof that Jesus Lived?
"It can be true, but why isn't he offering real evidence? What are his motives?"
Monday
Less Prone favorited Doc Vega's blog post Americans You’re Being Squeezed Out!
Monday

© 2024   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted