Survival (Grand Funk Railroad album)

Survival is the fourth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad, released in April 1971 by Capitol Records. Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. Drummer Don Brewer was not happy with the drum sound on the album, due to Knight's insistence of having Brewer cover his drum heads with tea-towels, after seeing Ringo Starr use the technique in the Beatles' film Let It Be (1970).

Survival
Studio album by
Grand Funk Railroad
Released15 April 1971
RecordedMarch 1–3, 1971
StudioCleveland Recording Company, Cleveland
GenreRock[1]
Length40:55
LabelCapitol
ProducerTerry Knight
Grand Funk Railroad chronology
Live Album
(1970)		 Survival
(1971)		 E Pluribus Funk
(1971)
Singles from Survival
  1. "Feelin' Alright"/"I Want Freedom"
    Released: April 1971
  2. "Gimme Shelter"/"I Can Feel Him in the Morning"
    Released: August 1971
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideC[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

Track listing

All tracks written by Mark Farner unless noted.

Side one

  1. "Country Road" – 4:22
  2. "All You've Got Is Money" – 5:16
  3. "Comfort Me" – 6:48
  4. "Feelin' Alright" (Dave Mason) – 4:27

Side two

  1. "I Want Freedom" – 6:19
  2. "I Can Feel Him in the Morning" (Don Brewer, Farner) – 7:15
  3. "Gimme Shelter" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 6:29

Bonus Tracks – CD release

  1. "I Can't Get Along with Society (Remix)" – 5:41
  2. "Jam (Footstompin' Music)" – 4:40
  3. "Country Road" (Original Version) – 7:37
  4. "All You've Got is Money" (Original Version) – 8:18
  5. "Feelin' Alright" (Original Version) – 5:57

Differences in bonus tracks

The bonus tracks on the 2002 reissue labeled "Original Version" have extended sections and extra lyrics compared to the tracks as released on the original LP.

"Feelin' Alright" is a different take of the song, as heard by the different inflections in the lead vocal, placement of the instruments in the stereo mix, and musical differences in the playing. Additionally, a third verse is included that is not in the LP version.

"Footstompin' Music" became a staple at Grand Funk Railroad's concerts, having been recorded at the Survival sessions but not included on the original release. It was brought into their next album setlist, E Pluribus Funk (1971), with a slightly different arrangement and without the word "Jam" on its title. The song is featured on the live albums Caught in the Act (1975), Bosnia (1997), and Live: The 1971 Tour (recorded in 1971, released in 2002).

Personnel

LP extras

The original LP release came with 8x10 photos of each of the three bandmembers, in similar poses as the caveman image of the three from the album cover.

Charts

Album

Chart (1971) Peak
position
US Billboard Top LPs[5] 6
Australian National Charts[6] 9
Canada RPM Top Albums[7] 4

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1971 "Feelin' Alright" Billboard Hot 100[8] 54
Canada 20
"Gimme Shelter" Billboard Hot 100[9] 61
Canada 49
Germany[10] 42

References
  1. Anon. (May 1, 1971). "Album Reviews". Billboard. p. 46. Retrieved July 2, 2019 – via Google Books.
  2. AllMusic review
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. Rolling Stone review
  5. Grand Funk Railroad, Survival US Chart Position Retrieved March 23, 2015
  6. Grand Funk Railroad, Survival Australian Chart Position Archived 2013-02-12 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 23, 2015
  7. Grand Funk Railroad, Survival Canadian Chart Position Retrieved March 23, 2015
  8. Grand Funk Railroad, "Feelin Alright" Chart Position Retrieved March 23, 2015
  9. Grand Funk Railroad, "Gimme Shelter" US Chart Position Retrieved March 23, 2015
  10. Grand Funk Railroad, "Gimme Shelter" German Chart Position Retrieved March 23, 2015


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