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Mark Farner Biography
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Mark Farner
Jump to: Discography * Biography * Member Of * Related Styles *

Photo: Capitol
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Discography
Album
Closer to Home
Wake Up
2003
Live! N'rG
1991
Some Kind of Wonderful
1988
Just Another Injustice
1979
No Frills
1978
Mark Farner
1974
Monumental Funk
Box Set/Compilation
2003
Just Another Injustice/Some Kind of Wonderful
2003
The Complete Atlantic Sessions
2003
Wake Up/Closer to Home
2000
Heirlooms: The Complete Atlantic Sessions, 1977-1978
Single/EP
2002
Red White and Blue Forever
Video
2004
And Grand Funk Railroad
Also Appears On
2004
Twenty Years After: The Woodstock Reunion Concert
2003
Pop Hits: Christian Music's #1 Songs
2002
A Classic Rock Christmas
2001
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band: The Anthology
1992
Today's Christian Favorites [K-Tel]
1991
U.S. Rock 'N Roll Anthology, Vol. 1
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Mark Farner is the heart and soul of the band Grand Funk Railroad, having written and/or sung their most famous songs from the majority of their '70s hits: "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)," "Bad Time," "Footstompin' Music," "Rock & Roll Soul," the number one remake of the Little Eva classic "The Loco-Motion" ( which is everything creatively that a remake should be), a cover of "Some Kind of Wonderful," along with a multitude of well-known album tracks, including "Hooked on Love," "Mean Mistreater," "Heartbreaker," to riveting versions of the Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and Traffic's "Feelin' Allright." He was born in Flint, MI, in 1948, the second-oldest of four children, to Betty and Delton Farner. His first recorded work of note was with Terry Knight & the Pack on Lucky Eleven Records, distributed by Cameo/Parkway. In an interview on Visual Radio-Television taped August 31, 2001, at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, Farner reminisced when he was shown a copy of Monumental Funk. "This is a bootleg...it's Pack music...Otis Ellis who owned Lucky Eleven Records...who did the deal with Cameo/Parkway...he always had the 'Michigan bankroll' with the rubber band around it, put the hundred dollar bills on the outside and have about 50 or 60 one-dollar bills on the inside, just a big wad. This is an album that they put out...the old manager Jim Atherton that managed the Pack was in cahoots with him on this. Jim's my friend today and I don't begrudge that those guys tried to make some money off us. At the time, we hated their guts, but now bygones are bygones, friends are friends, love always finds it's way back to the heart even though you may be temporarily disliking someone. If you really love 'em you'll be back together with 'em, you know?" The authorized biography of Mark Farner, -From Grand Funk to Grace, was published in 2002 by Collectors Guide Publishing in Canada. As Farner said it has "the facts, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Of his biographer, -Beatles Undercover author Kristofer Engelhardt, Farner says "He's thorough...a very thorough guy. He should've been a P.I." The first 200 pages cover Farner's life from the loss of his father at age nine to how he developed as a musician. There are details on his marriages, his children and grandchildren, work with Terry Knight during their time together in the Pack, as well as Knight's management of the group and the eventual split and lawsuit. In a very bold move for a biography, Farner's views on politics, religion, and his philosophy on life in general -- which his biographer said are "more to the right than Ted Nugent" -- give a very sharp picture of an individual who is passionate about his ideals, a man who sticks to his guns. Engelhardt spoke with All Media Guide in February of 2002 and stated: "The man is definitely a dichotomy. But he is a very good soul at heart." The man who has stood on-stage in front of millions is completely charming when you stand in his presence, not the imposing larger than life image one might expect from the guy who fronted a group which, next to the Beach Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Aerosmith, and the Doors, is one of America's most important and influential popular bands. Before an August 2001 performance, Farner, along with younger brother Rick Farner, and current members of the Mark Farner Band gathered together to pray, joining hands with their road manager and dedicating their performance with a loud "All for Jesus." Farner's stage presence in 2001 was as on target and powerful as when he appeared at the Boston Garden with Grand Funk Railroad in the '70s, and with other versions of the Mark Farner Band on the road in the '80s and '90s. In the book, Engelhardt said the song "I'm Your Captain" "could just as well have been an unknowing plea from Mark to be closer to home and released from the oppression of Terry Knight." But it could also be viewed as an anthem of the bandleader as his manager, ghosts from the past, and bandmembers push the ship this way and that. Grand Funk Railroad has had reunions, but band business gets complex as time marches on. Grand Funk without Farner is like Creedence Clearwater Revisited, which has the guitarist from the Cars but no John Fogerty. "All the king's horses and all the king's men"...somehow it's just not the same. Don Brewer and Mel Schacher were part of Flint in 1978 but choose to use the name Grand Funk touring in the new millennium (as they are two-thirds of the corporation). Even with the name, they do not have the marquee value of the original singer. In the 1990s, Farner created Lismark Communications with former Freedom Reader editor Steve Lisuk, re-releasing his solo Atlantic albums and some of his critically acclaimed Christian music on his own imprint, LisMark Records. They also have the rights to the aforementioned Flint album released by Craig Frost, Mel Schacher, and Don Brewer with performances by Todd Rundgren and Frank Zappa. They are keeping the legacy alive by re-releasing as much music pertinent to Farner's career as possible. His 2002 CD single, "Red, White and Blue," features a version of "Closer to Home" with brother Rick Farner and the singer on acoustic guitars. Lismark also has a set of discs of the Pack and Mark Farner rarities that are companion pieces to the Capitol Records Grand Funk box set. Farner's vision is what the public has come to expect when they see Grand Funk Railroad in performance, and the trio's legacy goes beyond their selling out Shea Stadium quicker than the Beatles or the mammoth billboard that adorned Manhattan. When you consider that Farner's band gave a platform to legendary blues artist Freddie King during the height of their fame, bringing him to an audience who may never have known his music and immortalizing him in the song "We're an American Band" (the number one hit credited only to drummer Brewer), it is easy to see their influence was far greater than the critics of the day ever cared to admit. "We're an American Band" is a song that never would have charted or sounded as it does without Farner's intro and the catalog established by his unique singing and passionate songwriting. Wet Willie, Humble Pie, and Mott the Hoople were also groups who benefited by performing with the enormously popular GFR, while many a garage band cut their chops on the bar chords of "Heartbreaker" or attempted to discover the musical nuances of "I'm Your Captain." The man who was one of the biggest selling rock artists of the '70s has his own webpage, www.markfarner.com, which continues to spread the gospel of his music and his faith. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
less Member Of
Grand Funk Railroad, Terry Knight & the Pack
Timeline
Born:1948 in Flint, MI Related Styles
Hard Rock, Detroit Rock

Mark Farner LIVE NRG
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=1422141

REVIEWS
Mark Farner does something extraordinary on his 2003 in-concert album, Live! N'rG, named after his NRG 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
CREDITS
Lawrence Buckner
Bass, Vocals
Hubie Crawford
Drums, Vocals, Percussion
Allen Day
Guitar Technician
Troy Baldwin
Mastering, Producer
Steve Lisuk
Producer
John Yonker
Monitor Engineer
Steve Bittinger
Photography
Fred "The B Slinger"
Photography
Mark Farner
Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards

Mark Farner (Atlantic)
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=1045029&AMGLENGTH=full#review


REVIEWS
Mark Farner's unmistakable voice and guitar sound are the identifying marks Grand Funk Railroad imprinted on the rock consciousness of the world. His self-titled solo album from 1977 replaces Farner's pop sensibilities with modern blues. Where bands like Foghat and the Groundhogs had a more earthy sound, producer Dick Wagner gives this effort a nice glossy mix of traditional rock and contemporary '70s polish. "Lorraine" dances with Phil Aaberg's Yamaha piano and producer Wagner's acoustic guitar. Wagner performed with Farner in a 1966 band, the Bossmen, before Wagner created the Frost and went on to fame with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper. This recording was released in the middle of Alice Cooper's 1975-1978 hit streak with Wagner, adult contemporary pop which the singer of the Top Five "Bad Time" and number one "Loco-Motion" should have been able to capitalize on. Even harder-edged tunes like "Lucky Lady" could have brightened up FM radio at the time. The guitars on "Ban the Man" do not resonate with the Grand Funk sound; it is Farner all grown up. The album is adult Contemporary modern blues, the guitars rocking hard, but not quite metal. "You and Me Baby" is perhaps the poppiest song on the album, with a catchy riff and uplifting vocal. It is the only song that clocks in under three minutes at 2:51, the other nine tracks all in the three-plus-minute range. Where the 1978 album by ex-Grand Funk members Don Brewer, Mel Schacher, and Craig Frost, Flint on Columbia, suffered from overproduction, Wagner puts Farner in a perfect sound setting for his artistry and the time. Maybe radio would have responded better to a cover song on the record, Farner's version of Doris Troy's "Just One Look" is what was needed here, and its absence is obvious. But tracks like "Dear Miss Lucy" and the very hard-edged latter-day Beach Boys take on "Street Fight" make for a respectable musical statement by a rock legend. Had Grand Funk Railroad released "Easy Breezes," they could have perhaps found new life in a third incarnation. It's inventive and is the high point of a serious solo outing by a man confident in his songwriting abilities. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
CREDITS
Al Wotton
Drums
Dick Wagner
Guitar, Producer
Philip Aaberg
Keyboards
Bob Babbitt
Bass
Ricky Farner
Vocals
Andy Abrams
Engineer
Dennis Ballinger
Vocals
Bob Kulick
Guitar
Jimmy Maelen
Percussion
Mark Farner
Guitar, Main Performer, Vocals

Buy CD


Released: 1978
Label: Atlantic
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MONUMENTAL FUNK
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=931377&AMGLENGTH=full#review

TRACK LISTING
= song preview
Disc 1:
1.
We Gotta Have Love - Mark Farner
2.
Hey Everybody - Mark Farner
3.
I've Got News for You - Mark Farner
4.
Come See About Me - Mark Farner
5.
Harlem Shuffle - Mark Farner
6.
Love Light - Mark Farner
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Mark Farner calls this a bootleg put out by the people at the original label who released music by Terry Knight & the Pack, a company called Lucky Eleven; but bootleg or no, Monumental Funk is an amazing record that Don Brewer and Mark Farner have every right to be very proud of. While Grand Funk Railroad's manager, Terry Knight, may have been a fine producer and a marketing genius, his own efforts at songwriting and singing were the worst aspects of the Pack. Here Farner and Brewer absolutely shine, their version of "Harlem Shuffle" more fun than the hit version by the Rolling Stones. When Don Brewer formed Flint and released a disc on Columbia in 1978, he covered the Supremes' "Back in My Arms Again." Here Mark Farner trumps him with "Come See About Me," a great non-Motown version by these Michigan boys. Farner's original, "We Gotta Have Love," is worthwhile, as is the tremendous rendition of "Hey Everybody." Yes, this record was released to cash in on the fame of Grand Funk Railroad, and there is even a picture disc version of it. The release of this music made the boys in the band angry, but there is a silver lining. Monumental Funk shows that Grand Funk Railroad was no fluke and that Mark Farner was a major talent before Capitol Records signed him and brought him to the attention of millions of fans. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide

MARK FARNER HEIRLOOMS

http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=1336070&AMGLENGTH=full#review


REVIEWS
Heirlooms: The Complete Atlantic Sessions, 1977-1978 is single CD with all the music from Mark Farner's first two albums without Grand Funk Railroad, both originally released on Atlantic. Credited to the Mark Farner Band on the inside spine and Mark Farner on the outside, there are five photographs of the musician with his wife, Lesia Farner, on the tray card and a six-page booklet that accompanies the package with liner notes by the artist explaining how it all came to be. There are also photos of producer Dick Wagner, bassist Bob Babbitt, and an unnamed engineer from the self-titled first Atlantic disc giving it that family photo album feel. It's interesting hearing the production work of Wagner recorded at Farner's studio The Swamp and completed at Nimbus Nine in Toronto, Canada, back to back with No Frills producer Jimmy Iovine's work from The Record Plant in New York. Both world-class producers do as the second album title states: they record Mark Farner solo with "no frills," and the sound is remarkably consistent. The embellishments that Todd Rundgren and Jimmy Ienner added to Grand Funk are not employed, giving a very clear picture of Farner's voice, lyrics, and performance. The story that A&R man Michael Klefner was fired six weeks after signing this act is so typical of the industry -- and it is interesting how years later so many artists are re-releasing important material they've created on their own imprints. Lissmark Communications is Farner's own label founded by him and the former Freedom Reader editor, Steve Lisuk. Of note is that younger brother Rick Farner shows up on backing vocals along with Dennis Bellinger, both recorded in Toronto, with Bellinger becoming the bassist for the follow-up album, No Frills. He would replace Mel Schacher for the Grand Funk Lives and What's Funk? albums as well as the touring for that first reunion of GFR. The material here is licensed from Atlantic, manufactured by Rhino, and the initial press run is numbered. The company may let this title go out of print and re-release the albums on their own, which would make Heirlooms just that: a big time collectors item. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
CREDITS
Mark Farner
Main Performer

THE COMPLETE ATLANTIC SESSIONS
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=1422140

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 Kristofer 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

DICK WAGNER THE FROST


THE FROST biography
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/artist/artist.cgi?ARTISTID=903620

THE FROST THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=1046023&AMGLENGTH=full#review

REVIEWS
The most refined of the three albums by the Frost features singer/songwriter Dick Wagner as producer, with Sam Charters, producer of the first two albums -- Frost Music and Rock and Roll Music -- listed as executive producer. The album kicks off with a seven-minute, 38-second "Black As Night," taking this Detroit band further into the domain U.K. rockers dominated. Excellent low-key Sabbath riff, progressive rock melody, and "Hey Jude" chorus conclusion. If the first two Frost discs are some hybrid of Brit and Detroit rock, the line gets further erased on "Through the Eyes of Love," the title track. The flavor is more like Marmalade's "Reflections of My Life" than Grand Funk's "Closer to Home," but the tune veers off into a direction explored by neither of the above with a relentless chorus of "God help us please" -- the subtitle of this song. Vanguard certainly showed faith by releasing three albums by the Frost, but one wonders listening to this if a Terry Knight or Jeff Wald had gotten behind these fellows how music history might have changed. "Maybe Tomorrow" has a riff taken from the Beatle's "She Said." The two minute and 31 seconds would have been fun on radio across America. Don Hartman's "Fifteen Hundred Miles (Through the Eye of a Beatle)" seems to reiterate the Detroit/London feel the music conveys. Garris Gordy's one songwriting contribution, "It's So Hard," further explores Frost's musical path, that fuzzy bass line holding up the chorus vocals and Wagner's impeccable guitar. The riff pulled out of the Humble Pie textbook, and the influence of Steve Marriott from both Small Faces and Humble Pie evident here. "A Long Way From Home" turns things around yet again, a pop ballad with heavy Gordy Garris piano. Dick Wagner proved his ability to write hits with Alice Cooper later in the decade, and this one track is the best example of the Frost's leader's pop sensibilities and skills. It is majestic, inspiring music. Where the Amboy Dukes and Terry Knight & the Pack got the ink, this band slugged it out in the trenches and was true to their mission. The cover art by David Edward Byrd, designed by Jules Halfant, is misleading. It does not represent the music inside, music that Vanguard was not known for. Play this next to the album by Flint to notice the difference in execution. Truly a lost hard pop artifact that deserves to find an audience. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
CREDITS
Samuel Charters
Executive Producer
The Frost
Main Performer
Gerdy Garris
Drums, Vocals, Keyboards
David Byrd
Cover Design
Geoff Turner
Engineer, Remixing
Bob Riggs
Drums
Gordy Garris
Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Dick Wagner
Guitar, Producer, Vocals, Remixing
Don Hartman
Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals

FROST MUSIC
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=1046022&AMGLENGTH=full#review

REVIEWS
"Sweet Jenny Lee" opens the album Frost Music like some unholy marriage between the Zombies and Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes. And that sums up nicely this wonderful amalgam of British and Detroit rock, a surprisingly poppy effort from Dick Wagner and company. As a future purveyor of hard rock, and within the decade, eventual producer of his friend Mark Farner, the English sounds of bands like Kaleidoscope (U.K.) reverberate through songs like "Stand in the Shadows." With hints of very early Pink Floyd meets Strawberry Alarm Clock in track two, "The Family," Frost Music is more than a respectable effort from the young Wagner, and an adventurous offering from the label famous for Buddy Guy, Joan Baez, Eric Andersen, and Mimi & Richard Farina. Outside of Circus Maximus, the Frost are the deviation on this legendary folk label. Wagner's voice is strong on the venturesome "Stand in the Shadows," but it is the song with different titles on the album jacket and disc, "Susy Singer" or "Little Susie Singer (Music to Chew Gum By)," which is the album's highlight. A very psychedelic combination of ideas and sound effects that both the Alice Cooper Group and the Velvet Underground were playing with at the time. Wagner's eventual impact on the leaders of both groups would emerge in just four years when he co-led the Rock & Roll Animal Band with Steve Hunter for Lou Reed, and when that group went on to backup Alice Cooper, becoming in some paradoxical fashion, a macho foundation for one of music's most influential glitter/glam rock ensembles. The song "First Day of May" is a return to the Brit-pop sound that is the underlying theme here. Just a few years later, Blue Öyster Cult would produce a song with similar atmosphere entitled "Then Came the Last Days of May" on their Columbia debut, tempo a bit more subdued, but with B.O.C.'s awareness of what was going on in rock & roll, it hardly seems like a coincidence. The Frost were certainly more influential than they ever got credit for. "Who Are You" is really Syd Barrett/Floyd come to America. Hearing this music makes one wonder why Frost Music isn't as sought after as Moulty & the Barbarian's first album or Chocolate Watch Band. If Paul Revere & the Raiders and Leslie West's the Vagrants got immortalized on the Nuggets compilation, it makes the obscurity of the Frost all the more obliging. "Baby Once You Got It" is vintage '60s pop that bands like the Lyres and the Fleshtones have made a career out of emulating. In fact, this album is a delight for the '60s connoisseur and it shares a rare distinction with Alice Cooper's Easy Action, released in 1969 as well, both important and largely forgotten albums by artists who later proved their mettle, Wagner eventually becoming Alice Cooper's lead guitarist and co-songwriter. "A Long Way Down From Mobile" might throw the listener for a loop, sounding more like an outtake from James Taylor's backing band, but that's the curve Dick Wagner has always thrown. The Frost keep shifting from the garage rock of "Baby Once You Got It" to the English psychedelia of "Stand in the Shadows." The rest of the album, especially "Take My Hand," triggers again the comparison to Cooper's Easy Action. "Take My Hand" is as blatant a rip of the Byrds' "Eight Miles High" as the song "See the Light" by Extreme during their formative years. The Who and Byrds influences abound, and that Alice and Dick Wagner would join forces was only logical, as evidenced here in this very important and hard to find record. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
CREDITS
Samuel Charters
Producer
Ed Friedner
Engineer, Mixing
The Frost
Main Performer, Performer
Gerdy Garris
Drums, Vocals, Keyboards
Bob Rigg
Drums, Vocals
Bob Riggs
Drums
Dick Wagner
Guitar, Vocals
Gordy Garris
Bass, Vocals
Don Hartman
Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals, Guitar (Rhythm)

ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC
http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=849548&AMGLENGTH=full#review


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Rock and Roll Music by The Frost
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Disc 1:
1.
Rock and Roll Music
2.
Sweet Lady Love
3.
Linda
4.
Black Train
5.
Help Me Baby
6.
Donny's Blues
7.
We Got to Get Out of This Place
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The Frost's second album on Vanguard, Rock and Roll Music, has the 1969 Dick Wagner four years before he would tour as part of the Lou Reed Rock & Roll Animal Band. The title track, recorded live at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit by engineer Ed Friedner, has an incessant chant over a bellowing guitar foundation. It is a good, raw picture of early Wagner music, a vital document of a Michigan band that helped shape that scene. "Sweet Lady Love" is the group in the recording studio with a tune that rocks like latter day Guess Who around the time of their Live at the Paramount LP. Producer Sam Charters balances the live tracks with the studio ones, á la John Simon's vision for Janis Joplin's Cheap Thrills. An acoustic ballad, "Linda," is placed in between that hard rock and is a far cry from the nice madness of side two's live tracks. In fact, the delicacy of Dick Wagner's voice and guitar playing might've found some chart action if it wasn't put in the context of a near metal album. Wagner sounds more like a British folky, say solo Paul McCartney, than American contemporary songwriters/singers James Taylor and Jonathan Edwards. "Linda" also sounds more like the type of music one would expect to hear on Vanguard. The parallels between Lou Reed and Frost cannot be ignored. Reed's signature tunes during RR Animal were "Sweet Jane," "Lady Day," and "Rock & Roll." Wagner's titles, "Rock and Roll Music" and "Sweet Lady Love," are side by side here -- just an eerie premonition of the shape of things to come. "Black Train" on this album has the same vibe as the Velvet Underground's "Train Coming Round the Bend" off of Loaded, though the style and melody are different. "Help Me Baby," on the other hand, has a throbbing Blue Cheer bass line from co-singer and bassist Gordy Garris and rhythm guitarist Don Hartman, as well as a Grand Funk style blitz. "Donny's Blues" opens side two, almost eight minutes of the band vamping with Hartman on vocals and harmonica. It melts into the song the Animals made famous for Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." Vanguard should go through the vaults and expand the live segments of this recording. One can feel the framework which would benefit Alice Cooper when the Rock & Roll Animal Band moved on to back that rock star. And Dick Wagner played a big role in writing some of Alice's biggest hits when they collaborated. The Frost has glimpses of the sound that would be so instrumental in defining '70s hard rock. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
CREDITS
Samuel Charters
Producer
Ed Friedner
Engineer
The Frost
Main Performer, Performer
Gerdy Garris
Drums, Vocals, Keyboards
Bob Rigg
Drums
Geoff Turner
Engineer, Remixing
Bob Riggs
Drums
Fred Holtz
Art Direction
Gordy Garris
Bass, Choir, Chorus, Vocals, Piano
Dick Wagner
Choir, Chorus, Guitar, Vocals
Don Hartman
Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica

THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE Launch.com
http://launch.yahoo.com/read/review/12086281


Through The Eyes Of Love Review12/18/2004 3:24 AM, AMGThe most refined of the three albums by the Frost features singer/songwriter Dick Wagner as producer, with Sam Charters, producer of the first two albums -- Frost Music and Rock and Roll Music -- listed as executive producer. The album kicks off with a seven-minute, 38-second "Black As Night," taking this Detroit band further into the domain U.K. rockers dominated. Excellent low-key Sabbath riff, progressive rock melody, and "Hey Jude" chorus conclusion. If the first two Frost discs are some hybrid of Brit and Detroit rock, the line gets further erased on "Through the Eyes of Love," the title track. The flavor is more like Marmalade's "Reflections of My Life" than Grand Funk's "Closer to Home," but the tune veers off into a direction explored by neither of the above with a relentless chorus of "God help us please" -- the subtitle of this song. Vanguard certainly showed faith by releasing three albums by the Frost, but one wonders listening to this if a Terry Knight or Jeff Wald had gotten behind these fellows how music history might have changed. "Maybe Tomorrow" has a riff taken from the Beatle's "She Said." The two minute and 31 seconds would have been fun on radio across America. Don Hartman's "Fifteen Hundred Miles (Through the Eye of a Beatle)" seems to reiterate the Detroit/London feel the music conveys. Garris Gordy's one songwriting contribution, "It's So Hard," further explores Frost's musical path, that fuzzy bass line holding up the chorus vocals and Wagner's impeccable guitar. The riff pulled out of the Humble Pie textbook, and the influence of Steve Marriott from both Small Faces and Humble Pie evident here. "A Long Way From Home" turns things around yet again, a pop ballad with heavy Gordy Garris piano. Dick Wagner proved his ability to write hits with Alice Cooper later in the decade, and this one track is the best example of the Frost's leader's pop sensibilities and skills. It is majestic, inspiring music. Where the Amboy Dukes and Terry Knight & the Pack got the ink, this band slugged it out in the trenches and was true to their mission. The cover art by David Edward Byrd, designed by Jules Halfant, is misleading. It does not represent the music inside, music that Vanguard was not known for. Play this next to the album by Flint to notice the difference in execution. Truly a lost hard pop artifact that deserves to find an audience. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide

ROCK & ROLL MUSIC
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Rock And Roll Music Review12/18/2004 3:25 AM, AMGThe Frost's second album on Vanguard, Rock and Roll Music, has the 1969 Dick Wagner four years before he would tour as part of the Lou Reed Rock & Roll Animal Band. The title track, recorded live at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit by engineer Ed Friedner, has an incessant chant over a bellowing guitar foundation. It is a good, raw picture of early Wagner music, a vital document of a Michigan band that helped shape that scene. "Sweet Lady Love" is the group in the recording studio with a tune that rocks like latter day Guess Who around the time of their Live at the Paramount LP. Producer Sam Charters balances the live tracks with the studio ones, á la John Simon's vision for Janis Joplin's Cheap Thrills. An acoustic ballad, "Linda," is placed in between that hard rock and is a far cry from the nice madness of side two's live tracks. In fact, the delicacy of Dick Wagner's voice and guitar playing might've found some chart action if it wasn't put in the context of a near metal album. Wagner sounds more like a British folky, say solo Paul McCartney, than American contemporary songwriters/singers James Taylor and Jonathan Edwards. "Linda" also sounds more like the type of music one would expect to hear on Vanguard. The parallels between Lou Reed and Frost cannot be ignored. Reed's signature tunes during RR Animal were "Sweet Jane," "Lady Day," and "Rock & Roll." Wagner's titles, "Rock and Roll Music" and "Sweet Lady Love," are side by side here -- just an eerie premonition of the shape of things to come. "Black Train" on this album has the same vibe as the Velvet Underground's "Train Coming Round the Bend" off of Loaded, though the style and melody are different. "Help Me Baby," on the other hand, has a throbbing Blue Cheer bass line from co-singer and bassist Gordy Garris and rhythm guitarist Don Hartman, as well as a Grand Funk style blitz. "Donny's Blues" opens side two, almost eight minutes of the band vamping with Hartman on vocals and harmonica. It melts into the song the Animals made famous for Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." Vanguard should go through the vaults and expand the live segments of this recording. One can feel the framework which would benefit Alice Cooper when the Rock & Roll Animal Band moved on to back that rock star. And Dick Wagner played a big role in writing some of Alice's biggest hits when they collaborated. The Frost has glimpses of the sound that would be so instrumental in defining '70s hard rock. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
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FROST MUSIC (1969)
http://launch.yahoo.com/read/review/12086280


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Frost Music Review12/18/2004 3:24 AM, AMG"Sweet Jenny Lee" opens the album Frost Music like some unholy marriage between the Zombies and Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes. And that sums up nicely this wonderful amalgam of British and Detroit rock, a surprisingly poppy effort from Dick Wagner and company. As a future purveyor of hard rock, and within the decade, eventual producer of his friend Mark Farner, the English sounds of bands like Kaleidoscope (U.K.) reverberate through songs like "Stand in the Shadows." With hints of very early Pink Floyd meets Strawberry Alarm Clock in track two, "The Family," Frost Music is more than a respectable effort from the young Wagner, and an adventurous offering from the label famous for Buddy Guy, Joan Baez, Eric Andersen, and Mimi & Richard Farina. Outside of Circus Maximus, the Frost are the deviation on this legendary folk label. Wagner's voice is strong on the venturesome "Stand in the Shadows," but it is the song with different titles on the album jacket and disc, "Susy Singer" or "Little Susie Singer (Music to Chew Gum By)," which is the album's highlight. A very psychedelic combination of ideas and sound effects that both the Alice Cooper Group and the Velvet Underground were playing with at the time. Wagner's eventual impact on the leaders of both groups would emerge in just four years when he co-led the Rock & Roll Animal Band with Steve Hunter for Lou Reed, and when that group went on to backup Alice Cooper, becoming in some paradoxical fashion, a macho foundation for one of music's most influential glitter/glam rock ensembles. The song "First Day of May" is a return to the Brit-pop sound that is the underlying theme here. Just a few years later, Blue Öyster Cult would produce a song with similar atmosphere entitled "Then Came the Last Days of May" on their Columbia debut, tempo a bit more subdued, but with B.O.C.'s awareness of what was going on in rock & roll, it hardly seems like a coincidence. The Frost were certainly more influential than they ever got credit for. "Who Are You" is really Syd Barrett/Floyd come to America. Hearing this music makes one wonder why Frost Music isn't as sought after as Moulty & the Barbarian's first album or Chocolate Watch Band. If Paul Revere & the Raiders and Leslie West's the Vagrants got immortalized on the Nuggets compilation, it makes the obscurity of the Frost all the more obliging. "Baby Once You Got It" is vintage '60s pop that bands like the Lyres and the Fleshtones have made a career out of emulating. In fact, this album is a delight for the '60s connoisseur and it shares a rare distinction with Alice Cooper's Easy Action, released in 1969 as well, both important and largely forgotten albums by artists who later proved their mettle, Wagner eventually becoming Alice Cooper's lead guitarist and co-songwriter. "A Long Way Down From Mobile" might throw the listener for a loop, sounding more like an outtake from James Taylor's backing band, but that's the curve Dick Wagner has always thrown. The Frost keep shifting from the garage rock of "Baby Once You Got It" to the English psychedelia of "Stand in the Shadows." The rest of the album, especially "Take My Hand," triggers again the comparison to Cooper's Easy Action. "Take My Hand" is as blatant a rip of the Byrds' "Eight Miles High" as the song "See the Light" by Extreme during their formative years. The Who and Byrds influences abound, and that Alice and Dick Wagner would join forces was only logical, as evidenced here in this very important and hard to find record. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide