Grand Funk’s fifth album was their last to feature the original power trio line-up of Don Brewer (drums, vocals), Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), and Mel Schacher (bass). The album finds the band in a something of a creative conflict, at once delivering the nastiest examples of their bare-chested blues rock (“I Come Tumblin’,” “No Lies”) and pompous opera-rock that ventured so far as to include a string section (“Loneliness”). Suffice it to say that theatrical statements á la “Stairway To Heaven” were never Grand Funk’s forte. Thankfully, E Pluribus Funk compensates by cranking up the moments of sweaty rock’n’roll glory. “Save the Land” is a four-on-the-floor scorcher while “Upsetter” puts the “funk” in Grand Funk. Even the monstrous groove of “People, Let’s Stop the War” befits the urgency of the song’s title. This expanded edition of the album includes four blistering live cuts that show Grand Funk had no trouble transferring their barbaric sound to a stadium setting. “Hooked On Love” is a dancefloor stomp that resembles what a Four Tops song might sound like were it played by Black Sabbath.
- Three Dog Night
- Bachman-Turner Overdrive
- Mountain