Having made several changes in their business and musical efforts in 1972,
Grand Funk Railroad made even more extensive ones in 1973, beginning with their name, which was officially truncated to "
Grand Funk." And keyboardist
Craig Frost, credited as a sideman on
Phoenix, the previous album, was now a full-fledged bandmember, filling out the musical arrangements. The most notable change, however, came with the hiring of
Todd Rundgren to produce the band's eighth album.
Rundgren, a
pop/rock artist in his own right, was also known for his producing abilities, and he gave
Grand Funk exactly what they were looking for:
We're an American Band sounded nothing like its muddy, plodding predecessors. Sonically, the record was sharp and detailed and the band's playing was far tighter and more accomplished. Most important, someone, whether the band or
Rundgren, decided that gruff-voiced drummer
Don Brewer should be employed as a lead singer as often as guitarist
Mark Farner.
Brewer also contributed more as a songwriter, and the results were immediate. The album's title song, an autobiographical account of life on the road written and sung by
Brewer, was released in advance of the album and became a gold-selling number one hit,
Grand Funk's first really successful single. Despite the band's previous popularity, for many, it must have been the first
Grand Funk record they either heard or bought. Elsewhere on the album,
Farner contributed his usual wailing vocals and guitar, singing of his heartfelt, if simpleminded, political concerns. But
We're an American Band really belonged to
Brewer and
Rundgren, and its success constituted a redefinition of
Grand Funk that came just in time. ~ William Ruhlmann
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