I was a huge Grand Funk Railroad fan in high school. I had all their albums up to and including the first live album which I played constantly. When Survival came out, naturally I had to get it. It turned out to be something of a disappoint and for me marks the beginning of the decline of GFR. I did like their version of Gimme Shelter which is why I gave it a rating of three. Although I liked We're An American Band and saw them in concert on that tour, their music was changing and for me it wasn't for the better. After E Pluribus Funk, I never bought another Grand Funk album.

Survival was Grand Funk's fourth studio album & was the first misstep of their young career. Survival peaked at #6 on the charts & had two singles from it that charted: "Feelin' Alright" at #54 & "Gimme Shelter" at #61.

Grand Funk at this junction of their career was striving to be more mature in their music. Though they spoke for my generation, we dearly loved this band, maturity wasn't what they were about. They were raw & powerful, not always in synch, but always speaking for us. Farner was never the greatest lyricist though he meant well, he did vocalize our point of view. But, with Survival, Grand Funk, with its new found maturity, didn't say much of anything on this album that was bothering my generation. Most of the songs that Farner & Brewer wrote on this album were about introspection. Though they had covered other artists songs before, on Survival the best songs were the two they covered.

The album opens with "Country Road" which is an unusual song for the group. The lyrics do cover some of the ground that my generation had feelings about but not on the level of previous efforts. The instrumental section has Farner playing some very good leads, some double-tracked, & Schacter playing some grand bass riffs. "All You've Got Is Money" exposes the weaknesses of Farner's lyrics. These first two songs are not straight ahead rock with pounding rhythms but have an off-beat feel. The instrumental section of the latter song is a complete change in musical direction that has a the feel of an evil presence. Farner gives a commanding performance on lead guitar; though he won't ever be mentioned with rock's greatest lead players, he doesn't get the accolades he justly deserves. The screaming voices in the instrumental section only add to the frightfulness of this recording. "Comfort Me" is the weakest song on the original album. The chorus only somewhat saves the song. The middle section has more drive & is much more Grand Funk-like, there's just not enough of it though it's repeated near the end of the song. "Feelin' Alright" is the first of two cover songs & it's one of the best on the album. Written & performed originally by Dave Mason (Traffic), Grand Funk does an excellent version of the song. Like many of the songs on Survival Farner recorded another vocal track doing harmony to his lead vocal. "I Want Freedom" is next; the intro to it shouldn't have been included. This goes on for well over minute & is nothing more than a padding. This type of stuff is okay in bonus tracks but should've never been offered as part of the song, proper. The song itself isn't bad but, once again, Farner's weakness in lyrics is exposed. His sympathies are fine; a certain bluntness in making statements about political or social events is acceptable but when Farner attempts to achieve more maturity in his lyrics he doesn't come off very well. "I Can Feel Him in the Morning" has a religious theme that features lyrics from the drummer Don Brewer; he also does the lead vocal on the song, though not the vocalist of Farner's caliber, he nonetheless gives one of his best vocal performances of his career. The intro that features the children expressing their views good & evil is very appropriate for the song. The female vocalist in the background is a harbinger for the next song, "Gimme Shelter". "Gimme Shelter" (M. Jagger/K. Richards) was originally recorded by the Rolling Stones. Grand Funk's version is very good but doesn't possess the menacing tone The Rolling Stones gave it. Brewer does the lead vocal, he's not Mick Jagger, & his vocal limitations are not truly suited for the song.

The remaining tracks are bonus tracks, some are interesting. The first, "I Can't Get Along With Society", isn't a bad song; it's as good as some of the songs that were included on the original album but the lyrics are weak. "Jam (Footstompin' Music)" is an early incarnation of the song that opened their next album, E Pluribus Funk. "Country Road" is an unedited version of the song that opens the album. Likewise "All You've Got IS Money" sans the screams. "Feelin' Alright" is an unedited version also.

The Grand Funk Remasters are among the best in music, the signal is 'hot' & they have more volume than most.

If you only want one GFR CD in your collection, my advice is to choose this one. I love the original LP (I have 2 copies of that), and having it in CD is worth the price. The additional 'bonus' tracks are not as polished, they're obviously (in my opinion) 'works in progress', and they sound it. After listening to the bonus cuts, I have become thankful that the band did not stop at those versions - The addition of these bonus versions would be interesting to a hardcore GFR fan - maybe - but to me they are weak seconds to the original album cuts. Bottom line - buy this CD for the original album and you won't be disappointed.

Survival by GFR is absolute by rock standards. This music can not be matched by many other bands. Farner's insight was extreme. As far as the music is concerned, harmonies that was exposed on this lp is the best...the words (especially the "I can see him in the morning" track) is unconparable. I wish that other artists would take a harder look at their work to make masterpieces as this one.

Thank You, H. M. Clark

Survival This album brings back good memories when I was in High school and it is so good to have it again in my CD collection. This group they really have that legendary sound that I still remember when I was in High School I always heard plenty of Grand Funk Railroad in High School along with my friends if you want an album that brings back good memories of your High School days or whatever Grand Funk Railroad is the album for you.