MARK FARNER on SPUN.COM Reviews by Joe Viglione

Live NRG
http://www.spun.com/music/product-detail.jsp?id=2310428


Label:
Lismark
Genre:
Detroit Rock , Hard Rock
Reviews:
Mark Farner does something extraordinary on his 2003 in-concert album, Live! N'rG, named after his N'rG band. Recorded on March 8, 2003, at Chicago's DuPage University and March 9, 2003, at the Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, songs from the two shows are combined onto one disc, starting with Footstompin' Music from 1971's E Pluribus Funk album and lasting through to the closer, Closer to Home, from the 1970 album of the same name. And what a powerful set of recordings this is. As producer Steve Lisuk, Farner's partner in Lismark Entertainment, told AMG in August of 2003, this was a special weekend when Grand Funk Railroad's lead singer went out with a three-piece unit performing classics by the influential 1970s hard rock group. This is not your regular five- or six-piece Mark Farner Band live, it is the vocalist with a solid rhythm section reworking Grand Funk classics, and sometimes surpassing the originals in power and translation. It is Grand Funk all grown up, the clarity of Time Machine and Paranoid proving that the songs were much more than they appeared to be, immersed in the grunge and hype that made them so very popular when they first appeared. Live! N'rG is an important document on many levels. First, it captures the musicianship of bassist Lawrence Buckner and drummer Hubert Crawford wonderfully, their precision giving a classic like Heartbreaker definition that was missing in the popular original. Secondly, it shows what a great and underrated songwriter Mark Farner is; the material not only survives, but without the trappings of the "amps on 11" onslaught of Don Brewer and Mel Schacher, everything shines like a beacon. Farner plays keyboards on the opener, Footstompin' Music, the band's second Top 30 hit from early 1972, and belts it out with sheer joy. Re-recorded over 30 years later it has new authority, the singer switching from keys to guitar, blasting the leads. With the huge fan base up in arms over the lead singer from .38 Special touring with the Schacher/Brewer Grand Funk, it is essential that the man who wrote and sang the songs originally make a statement. Live! N'rG is, in fact, quite a statement. Aimless Lady has an entirely new perspective, with Farner's voice out in front of the solid and slick bass and drums. It's Carole King's The Loco-Motion that Farner topped the charts with in early 1974 and Some Kind of Wonderful -- not the tune by Goffin and King, but the John Ellison & the Soul Brothers Six composition -- which went Top Three for Grand Funk that same year, brought to life again with love and care by this on-fire trio. Missing from the set are George Harrison's Taxman and a title from the second Grand Funk LP, Mr. Limousine Driver, as this live album clocks in at 77 and a half minutes. Bad Time and We're an American Band weren't even considered for this release, though a companion DVD from another series of concerts is also available with some different tunes. A vital addition to the collection for any serious fan of this artist. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide


COMPLETE ATLANTIC SESSIONS
http://www.spun.com/music/product-detail.jsp?id=2310446


Label:
Lismark
Genre:
Detroit Rock , Hard Rock
Reviews:
In the new millennium, artists who own record labels are licensing their material once available on major labels and re-releasing it, often with new liner notes and bonus tracks. Grand Funk Railroad's Mark Farner and his partner in Lismark Entertainment, Steve Lisuk, have done just that with Grand Funk's two Warner Bros. releases, What's Funk? and Grand Funk Lives, now adding this combination to the solo music from the group leader, the Mark Farner and No Frills albums that were originally released on Atlantic. Having the 19 songs on compact disc is the first part of the treat. The other surprise is the generous 14-page booklet chock-full of photographs and commentary by Kristopher Engelhardt, the author of {-From Grand Funk to Grace}, Mark Farner's authorized biography. Having the biographer put the music in perspective is a rare thing, and it makes for a great read while listening to this material all over again. Farner does a great job on Engelhardt's good friend Doris Troy's song, Just One Look, as he does with the Percy Sledge classic When a Man Loves a Woman. The other 17 tracks are fine Mark Farner originals from the Dick Wagner-produced, self-titled first solo album No Frills, the disc produced by Jimmy Iovine. The mastering is excellent, with titles like All the Love You Give Me and Cool Water translating very well to the world of digital. For those who have played the vinyl into the ground, the Dave Schultz and Bill Inglot mastering will surprise, enhancing the original sound. This is a re-release of the limited-edition 2000 release Heirlooms: The Complete Atlantic Sessions, 1977-1978 with expanded liner notes. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide