Showing posts with label Grand Funk Railroad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grand Funk Railroad. Show all posts

April 28, 2026

Bob Seeger ~ Still the Same

  ~     
     
     
In April of 1978 Bob Seeger released one of my favorite songs by him, Still the Same. Another favorite by him is, Turn the Page; more on that song another time.    
     
Still the Same hit No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and was an international hit. The song was covered by Bonnie Guitar on her 1987 album What Can I Say, a country version hit in 1989, reaching No. 79 on the Billboard US Country chart.     
 
Still the Same has been praised for the sensational piano work by Seeger but for me, the sublime vocal harmonies by Venetta Fields, Clydie King and Sherlie Matthews are what takes it completely to the moon! There is a great video of a performance in 1978 with lyrics (link below).   
 
Still the Same was produced by Punch Andrews who produced many albums by Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band and served as his manager for over fifty years. Andrews also managed Grand Funk Railroad during the mid-1990s.     
 
Seger told Bob Costas about the type of person in this song: "They're just very charismatic, but they have tremendous faults, but part of the appeal is the charisma. You overlook everything because of the charisma. That's a gift and a curse." He framed the lyrics as an honest appraisal of a person who kept “being the same”; about someone who is probably a little egotistical, a little egocentric, a little aloof and a living-on-the-edge kind of person but definitely lovable.         
     
     
Still the Same Lyrics

[Verse 1]
You always won every time you placed a bet
You're still damn good, no one's gotten to you yet
Every time they were sure they had you caught
You were quicker than they thought
You'd just turn your back and walk

[Verse 2]
You always said the cards would never do you wrong
The trick, you said, was never play the game too long
A gambler's share, the only risk that you would take
The only loss you could forsake
The only bluff you couldn't fake

[Chorus]
And you're still the same
I caught up with you yesterday
(Still the same, still the same)
Moving game to game
No one standing in your way
Turning on the charm
Long enough to get you by
(Still the same, still the same)
You're still the same
You still aim high
You might also like

[Verse 3]
(Still the same, still the same)
(Still the same, still the same)
There you stood, everybody watched you play
I just turned and walked away   a
I had nothing left to say

[Outro]
'Cause you're still the same (Still the same)
(Baby, babe, you're still the same)
You're still the same (Still the same)
(Baby, babe, you're still the same)
Moving game to game (Still the same)
(Baby, babe, you're still the same)
Some things never change (Still the same)
(Baby, babe, you're still the same)
Oh, you're still the same (Still the same)
(Baby, babe, you're still the same)
Still the same (Still the same)
(Baby, babe, you're still the same)

     
     
Viewfinder links:       
        
Bonnie Guitar        
Venetta Fields        
Grand Funk Railroad        
Clydie King      
Sherlie Matthews          
Bob Seeger         
      
Net links:       
        
American Song Writer ~ Meaning Behind Bob Seger’s Still The Same     
SongFacts ~ Still the Same         
Ultimate Classic Rock ~ Still the Same         
      
YouTube links:       
        
Bonnie Guitar ~ Still the Same        
Bob Seeger ~ 
       Still the Same         
       Still the Same (live)        
        
        
         
Dedicated to Tom
         
        
        
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, April 28, 2026         
        


















June 2, 2025

Orchestral Manouvers In the Dark (OMD) – Maid Of Orleans stained glass window cover

 ~  
45 RPM single front cover 
Cover Design [Stained Glass] by Anton Wolff 
photo of cover by Styrous® 

I published an article about the OMD Maid Of Orleans album earlier with the music and history behind it (link below). This entry focuses only on the cover of the album, so it belongs in the “Just the cover, ma’am” articles (link below).         
 
The cover for Maid Of Orleans is a brilliant graphics design by German graphic designer & painter Anton Wolff. It was printed on shiny mylar (polyester) which gave it the appearance of a stained glass window seen in cathedrals and churches.          
 
 
 
 
Both the front and the back of the album is covered in mylar so the back is like a mirror which captured my reflection when I photographed it; there was no way to avoid that.      
 
 
45 RPM single back cover 
Cover Design by Anton Wolff 
photo of back cover by Styrous® 
 
 
There are three albums in my collection that also used mylar, The Andromeda Strain soundtrack album cover, the Grand Funk Railroad ~ E Pluribus Funk album in the shape of a coin and The Monkees ~ Head soundtrack cover which was even shinier (links below).          

         
Viewfinder links:        
         
Grand Funk Railroad ~ E Pluribus Funk            
 The Monkees ~ Head         
Orchestral Manouvers In the Dark (OMD) – Maid Of Orleans        
        
Net links:        
         
Inspired Pencil ~ Stained Glass Joan         
        
YouTube link:        
        
OMD ~ Maid Of Orleans (live)                          
        
        
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Monday, June 2, 2025        
       
 
 















November 15, 2020

20,000 vinyl LPs 252: Grand Funk Railroad ~ E Pluribus Funk

~        

 
GRAND FUNK Craig Frost, Mel Schacher, Don Brewer & Mark Farner - 1970
photo: RB/Redferns/Getty

 
On this date, in 1971, Grand Funk Railroad released their fifth studio album, E Pluribus Funk; that was almost fifty years ago. Again, it's time to say, WOW! With most albums, I have favorite songs, I don't with this one; each and every cut is a gem!       
 
This entry is part of my “Just the cover, ma’am” series (link below), which is a subsection of my "20,000 vinyl LPs" section, because the album cover IS the story; not a lot of words necessary. More info on the Net links below.       
 
The title is a play on the motto of the United States of America, E pluribus unum, and in latin means 'Out of Many, Funk'. The original release cover (designed by Ernie Cefalu) was completely round and covered with a silver-like film to resemble a large coin.
 

 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP front cover
photo of album cover by Styrous®


 
 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP front cover detail
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
 
 
The back side of the cover of this album included a die cast picture of Shea Stadium to celebrate Grand Funk beating The Beatles' Shea Stadium attendance record by selling out in just 72 hours.          
 

 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP back cover
photo of album cover by Styrous®

 
 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
 
 

Even the record sleeve is round . . .


 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP record sleeve
photo of album cover by Styrous®


 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP record sleeve detail
detail photo by Styrous®


 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP record sleeve detail
detail photo by Styrous®




 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP record, side 1
photo by Styrous®


 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP record label, side 1
photo by Styrous®





 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP record, side 2
photo by Styrous®


 cover design by Ernie Cefalu  
vinyl LP record label, side 2
photo by Styrous®

   
Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Footstompin' Music - 3:45
A2 - People, Let's Stop The War - 5:13
A3 - Upsetter - 4:09
A4 - I Come Tumblin' - 5:42

Side 2:

B1 - Save The Land - 4:12
B2 - No Lies - 3:55
B3 - Loneliness, Arranged By, Conductor – Tom Baker* - 8:38

Companies, etc.

    Copyright (c) – Terry Knight Enterprises, Ltd.
    Published By – Storybook Music
    Engineered At – Cleveland Recording
    Manufactured By – Capitol Records, Inc.
    Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Winchester

Credits:

    Bass – Mel Schacher
    Design – CraigBraunInc.*
    Design Concept [Cover Concept], Producer [Recording Produced By] – Terry Knight
    Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Don Brewer
    Engineer [Cleveland Recording Co.] – Kenneth Hamann*
    Written-By, Guitar, Organ, Harmonica, Vocals – Mark Farner

Notes:

Circular jacket embossed cover in silver finish, with circular inner pictures record sleeve with lyrics.
RIAA-logo on lyrics sheet.

Printed in U.S.A.
Mfg. by Capitol Records, Inc.

All selections [...] © 1971 Storybook Music, BMI
Cover copyright © 1971 by Terry Knight Enterprises, Ltd.
 
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Rights Society: BMI
    Pressing Plant ID (In runouts): ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 1): SW-1-853-F37 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 1): SW-2-853-F27 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 2): SW-1-853-F23 #2 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 2): SW-2-853-F27 #5 ----◀︎
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 3): SW-1-853-F22 2 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 3): SW-1-853-F23 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 4): SW-1-853-F33 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 4): SW-1-853-F22 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 5): SW-1-853-F23 ----◀︎
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 5): SW-2-853-F-22 ----◀︎
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 6): SW-1-853-F22 #3 ----◀︎
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 6): SW-2-853-F23 2 ----◀︎
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 7): SW-1-853-F22 #2 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 7): SW-2-853-F27 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 8): SW-1-853-F32 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 8): SW-2-853-F22 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 9): SW-1-853-F23 #2 ----◄
    Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 9): SW-2-853-F23 ----◀︎   
         
Grand Funk Railroad ‎– E Pluribus Funk
Label: Capitol Records ‎– SW-853, Capitol Records ‎– SW 853
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Winchester Pressing
Country: US
Released: 17 Nov 1971
Genre: Rock
Style: Hard Rock, Funk
 
 
 
Viewfinder links:        
         
all things Beatles        
Grand Funk Railroad        
        
Net links:        
        
Grand Funk website        
        
YouTube links:        

E PLURIBUS FUNK  (Complete Album)       
Mark Farner - The Breakup of Grand Funk        
Worst Gig ~ "Nobody knows the band Grand Funk?"        
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Sunday, November 15, 2020       
       
















Grand Funk Railroad articles/mentions

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E Pluribus Funk     
Survival     
     
mentions:     
     
     
     
     
     
      
     
      
 
     
     
     
     
photographer unknown
     
      
      
      
      
      
      
     
      
      
      
      

MAIN MENU - Blog Articles
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March 9, 2015

101 Reel-to-Reel Tapes 98: Grand Funk Railroad ~ Survival

Grand Funk Railroad ~ Survival
reel-to-reel tape box cover
cover concept by Terry Knight
photo of cover by Styrous®



In addition to my 20,000 Vinyl LP collection I'm selling, I have reel-to-reel, pre-recorded tapes for sale. If interested, contact me by email please, not by a comment. 

The Grand Funk Railroad, Survival, reel-to-reel tape, was for sale on eBay. I have others for sale on eBay now (see links below).    

~ ~ ~

Grand Funk Railroad (also known as Grand Funk) is an American blues rock band that was popular during the 1970s, touring extensively and playing to packed arenas worldwide. David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine once said, "You cannot talk about rock in the 1970s without talking about Grand Funk Railroad!". Known for their crowd-pleasing arena rock style, the band was well-regarded by audiences despite a relative lack of critical acclaim.   - from Wikipedia


Grand Funk Railroad ~ Survival
reel-to-reel tape box cover
cover concept by Terry Knight
photo of cover by Styrous®


Of course, there is one song on an album that is my favorite; Country Road holds that distinction for this one. It is classic rock at its best with the vocal by Mark Farner soaring over the instruments. At 7.5 minutes it has time to sonically roam around.  

Comfort Me is next on my list. It is a moderately slow, rock song that nicely showcases the vocal beauty of Farner's voice. The lyrics are not earth-shaking but the music is. Link to both songs on YouTube at the bottom of the page.  



Grand Funk Railroad ~ Survival
reel-to-reel tape box cover back
photo by Styrous®



Originally a trio, the band was formed in 1969 by Mark Farner (guitar, vocals) and Don Brewer (drums, vocals) from Terry Knight and the Pack, and Mel Schacher (bass) from Question Mark & the Mysterians; Knight soon became the band's manager, as well as naming the band with a play on words for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, a well-known rail line in Flint, Michigan.   




Grand Funk Railroad ~ Survival
reel-to-reel tape box cover back detail
detail photo by Styrous®


Survival and E Pluribus Funk were both released in 1971 but by late 1971, the band was concerned with Knight's managerial style and fiscal responsibility. This growing dissatisfaction led Grand Funk Railroad to fire Knight in early 1972. Knight sued for breach of contract, which resulted in a protracted legal battle. At one point, Knight repossessed the band's gear before a gig at Madison Square Garden. In VH1's Behind the Music Grand Funk Railroad episode, Knight stated that the original contract would have run out in about three months, and that the smart decision for the band would have been to just wait out the time. However, the band felt they had no choice but to continue and fight for the rights to their career and name.  



Grand Funk Railroad ~ Survival
reel-to-reel tape box spine
photo by Styrous®


Through the years, the group has worked with top artists in music: Craig Frost, keyboards; Todd Rundgren and Jimmy Ienner as producers.   



Grand Funk Railroad ~ Survival
reel-to-reel tape box spine details
detail photos by Styrous®



Don Brewer penned We're an American Band (from We're an American Band) and The Loco-Motion (from Shinin' On, written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin and originally recorded by Little Eva in 1974. The Loco-Motion was Grand Funk's second chart topping single, followed by Brewer's #11 hit Shinin' On.

The album We're an American Band topped out at No. 2 on the charts. "We're an American Band" was Grand Funk's first No. 1 hit, followed by Brewer's #19 hit "Walk Like a Man".   



 
Grand Funk Railroad ~ Survival
reel-to-reel tape
photo by Styrous®

Track listing:

All songs by Mark Farner unless otherwise noted.

Side 1: 
  1. "Country Road" - 4:22 
  2. "All You've Got Is Money" - 5:16 
  3. "Comfort Me" - 6:48  
  4. "Feelin' Alright" (Dave Mason) - 4:27 
Side 2:  
  1. "I Want Freedom" - 6:19
  2. "I Can Feel Him In The Morning" (Don Brewer, Farner) - 7:15
  3. "Gimme Shelter" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 6:29

Personnel: 

  • Mark Farner - vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards
  • Mel Schacher - bass
  • Don Brewer - vocals, drums



The Grand Funk Railroad songs on YouTube:
    
Country Road   
Comfort Me    
All You've Got Is Money    



Interview of Mark Farner by Mark Voger | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com   



The Grand Funk Railroad ~ Survival, reel-to-reel tape, was for sale on eBay 
  

Other reel-to-reel tapes now for sale on eBay