The Bear Jew Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Speaking of great bassists with amazing hair and mustaches... http://www.photofeatures.com/grandfunk/images/thumbs/g06003a.jpg Grand Funk Railroad's Mel Schacher. Can we talk about this dude's playing for a minute, too? The weapons: Modified Fender Jazz with a Gibson "Mudbucker." Pick West "Fillmore" amp with KT-88 tubes biased very warmly. The man himself. Yeah, I know people used to make fun of GFR back in the band's heyday, but seriously... the dude could play, and the band had songs. And they kind of tore sh*t up live. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Mama Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Yeah, I know people used to make fun of GFR back in the band's heyday Really? Gee, I liked 'em... Queen of the Quarter Note "Think like a drummer, not like a singer, and play much less." -- Michele C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric VB Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Schacher was born in Flint, Michigan.Yep. Closer to home. I don't recall GFR being made fun of in their home state. (Do you guys dis The Boss?) Mel also played briefly with Question Mark and the Mysterians, another Michigan band. I know Jeremy said he met the MC5 when he was here. How about these other bands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Brown Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 The Boss is from NJ not PA ..... BIG difference... "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 ...I know Jeremy said he met the MC5 when he was here. How about these other bands? Yes, and I occasionally hung out at their house in Ann Arbor and jammed with them once on stage at the Grande Ballroom. I certainly saw a lot of Michigan bands (and I have Bob Seger's first single on the A square label.) Iggy and the Stooges was a band I saw very often, but I never actually talked to any of them, unless you count Steve Mackay. I was in a band with him for a short time and later he joined the Stooges and I think he is still in that band. I knew most of the people in Commander Cody and the Lost Airmen and it helped that they moved to California at the same time as I did because some of us stayed in contact. My wife actually played folk music with Billy C when they were in high school in Detroit. Enough name dropping. Unless anyone want to name drop about meeting me. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 The weapons: Modified Fender Jazz with a Gibson "Mudbucker." IIRC, Tiran Porter also used one of those at one point. Coincidence? I don't think so. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 Grand Funk Railroad's Mel Schacher. Can we talk about this dude's playing for a minute, too? Now we're getting somewhere! Mel was a pretty underrated player in my opinion. Some pretty memorable bass lines came from this guy. Aaand a Michigan boy too! Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Funny, just today on the radio I heard Shinin' On from Caught In The Act. It made me wonder why we used to put these guys down as a "kids band". Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted September 30, 2010 Author Share Posted September 30, 2010 Since I wasn't around when GFR was a big deal band that sold tons of records, I have to go by the word of folks who were... and, according to some people I've questioned, apparently GFR was considered kinda poseur-ish among the more gritty set. From what I gather, the band was somewhat vilified for being successful (which is dumb) and for being one dimensional (which is kind of the essence of rock in that era, anyway, so calling any rock band one-dimensional was redundant.) Whatever. All I can go by is what I hear, and, when listening to GFR, I hear rocking goodness. And when I look, I see dope-ass afros, big beards and sweet gear. So GFR is all good to me. And, BTW, Mel Schacher can f-ing PLAY. I still dig on "We're an American Band" every time I hear it. Sweet bass line, no? "Sin Is a Good Man's Brother" is a template for riff rocking joy. Just good stuff. And a trio, no less. EVB... Ross Brown put it succinctly... I'm from PA--I just work in NJ. Do I dis The Boss? Sometimes. I'm not a fan, really, but I can appreciate the work ethic and whatnot. Ask me if I dis The Hooters (they're from Philly)... the answer is yes. Boring. Do I dis Hall and Oates (also from Philly)? No. They're great. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Thorne Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 I always thought of GFR as a gritty, working-class rock 'n roll band. Not such a big fan, but I enjoy all of their recordings when I hear them. Elitism sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 I found their later stuff a bit too pop for my tastes, but their earlier stuff was some pretty decent hard rock -- think the E Pluribus Funk record. When I was 12 I got two records for Christmas -- that one and Jimi Hendrix Smash Hits -- I wore them both out. And yes, Mel can play -- I consider him an early influence. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Press hated them mainly because their manager believed an adversarial relationship with the press was a good thing (generated more coverage). Most regular folk had no problem with them. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 They were very popular with the 13-14 year olds. So when you got to be 15 or 16 it was uncool to like them. :idk Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard W Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Do I dis Hall and Oates (also from Philly)? No. They're great. Word... "Everyone wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves." Leo Tolstoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Thorne Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Do I dis Hall and Oates (also from Philly)? No. They're great. Word... Ya heard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Do I dis Hall and Oates (also from Philly)? No. They're great. Word... Saw them back in 1982, with T-Bone Wolk on bass and G.E. Smith on guitar -- great show. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 My dad was born in Philly and grew up there. (went to Overbrook H.S.) He was great, too. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Will- Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Never been a huge fan but I love their Live Album..especially Heartbreaker. Dude can play... Music has no boundaries. It is yours to discover, to enjoy, to draw from and to pass on to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Mel Schacter, on GFR's middle period stuff(Grand Funk, Closer To Home, Survival) made one of the most singular bass tones ever recorded. The combination of distortion and compression combine to make a low-end sludge that absolutely compliments & carries the GFR sound. I wouldn't like it on anything but their stuff, but with them, it works perfectly. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Daddy from Motown Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Is Mel Shacter still around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5 string Mike Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 GFR is a cool band. I was surfing YouTube a while ago and came across some of Mark Farner's Gospel Blues stuff. He has a few pretty good gospel songs out there "Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind"- George Orwell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted October 1, 2010 Author Share Posted October 1, 2010 My dad was born in Philly and grew up there. (went to Overbrook H.S.) He was great, too. I bet he was. And that was back when Overbrook High was a pretty nice school. I'm guessing he lived west of 63rd St? \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZ Thorn Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Up all night...with Freddie King...I got ta tell ya poker's his thing. Pretty cool in my book. And they gave a song for everyone: We're an American band works with every single nationality. We're an American band Armenian Bahrainian Bulgarian Ecuadorian Malaysian Panamanian Ivory Coastian Swedishian http://www.myspace.com/themoustachioed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 You're Swedishian. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 I'm Swedishian. Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mro Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 I loved the Don ,Mark and Mel album. I would spend all day trying to play along.Our band played "We're in an American Band" and "Into the Sun". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 We are all Swedishian now. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BargeOn Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 The Boss is from NJ not PA ..... BIG difference... New Jersey is good. It keeps the Atlantic Ocean out of Pennsylvania. I go way back with GFR. Mel's bass plays in my head to this day. Paranoid. Inside Looking Out. Hearbreaker. Saw them twice before they played Shay (where they were the first band to break the Beatles record there) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 I liked GFR in their early days. People thought "American Band" was "light" for them, but I don't see why. I recently bought the Grand Funk Railroad album (red cover) with Paranoid and Mr. Limousine Driver. Mel was a driving, "active" player (read: no shortage of notes) which fit the trio concept and the music they were doing. Never knew about his bass equipment, but the early songs are what I think of as classic tube sound. My only issue was "I'm Your Captain" - never liked that one. BP had Mel on the back cover a few years ago. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 We are all Swedishian now. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2572414412_00bc303f4a.jpg robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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