![]() Released as a single with the title "Closer to Home", it was modestly successful in early fall 1970, reaching number 21 in Canada and number 22 on the U.S. Farner nearly cried when he heard it, and Brewer has said of their reactions, "We were just like, 'Wow!'" and "Oh my God, it was magnificent." Reception The band members never heard the full version until Knight played it for them back in Flint. ![]() Producer Terry Knight brought in the Cleveland Orchestra to record it. He suggested they extend the ending so that his orchestral score would have space to develop in, so the band extended the jam on it. Inspired by groups like The Moody Blues, they came upon the idea of using an orchestra, and hired Tommy Baker, an arranger and trumpet player who was working on the Cleveland television series Upbeat. īut after a while they had no ending for the second movement. They immediately liked it and began jamming on it and working out their parts at a local union hall in their hometown of Flint, Michigan where they usually did their rehearsals. The chord changes to "I'm Your Captain" came to him the following morning between sips of coffee, and the next day he took it to the band. Unusually for him, Farner wrote the lyric of the song first, with the words coming to him in the middle of the night after saying prayers for inspiration to write something meaningful. The orchestra eventually overwhelms the captain's voice, to the gradually fading conclusion. Around the 7-minute mark a full orchestra appears to accompany the band. The movement's single lyric repeats over and over as a mantra. The second movement starts at a fairly slow tempo, then launches into a relatively upbeat guitar break before the captain resumes singing. Soon the strings from the orchestra, make their entrance, featuring violins, violas, cellos, and basses. It has since become a classic rock staple and has appeared on several audience-selected lists as one of the best rock songs of all time.Īgain the bass line carries the music, with now a flute line accompanying it. Several interpretations of the song have been given most revolve around the Vietnam War, and "I'm Your Captain" is popular among veterans of that conflict.Ī truncated version of the song was a modest hit single when first released, but the full album track achieved greater airplay on progressive rock radio stations of the time. Its use of an orchestra during the long repeated refrains of the closing movement served to differentiate it from much of Grand Funk's work. The song conveys the pleas of a captain on a troubled sea voyage and facing a mutiny from his crew. Its title has been rendered in various ways across many different Grand Funk albums, including " I'm Your Captain", " I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home", " Closer to Home/I'm Your Captain", " Closer to Home (I'm Your Captain)", and " Closer to Home". One of the group's best-known songs, it is composed as two distinct but closely related movements. Ten minutes in duration, it is the band's longest studio recording. " I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" is a 1970 song written by American musician Mark Farner and recorded by Grand Funk Railroad as the closing track to their album Closer to Home. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.1970 single by Grand Funk Railroad "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" You guys all need to go and check this out! Mark is such a great guy and a class act. Mark does a lot for Veterans and is donating 20% of all proceeds from each sale of the DVD to help Veterans. ![]() If you need proof of this just check out the new DVD by Mark and his band- “From Chile with Love” which was released in April. There was so much I wanted to ask but we just ran out of time- (Hendrix, Zappa, working with Ringo etc…)but we still got a lot of good stuff in!Īt 72 years of age he still plays and sings his ass off. In this interview he tells me about how a prayer inspired him to write the song, We also talk about his early influences, how Grand Funk blew Led Zeppelin off stage one night in Ohio, how he learned to sing by reading a newspaper upside down, his Musicraft Messenger guitar and much much more. One of his best known songs is the 1970 classic I’m your Captain (Closer to Home) which by now has reached legendary rock anthem status. ![]() These days he’s still rocking with his Mark Farner’s American Band and tours constantly. From the game changing Atlanta Pop Festival performance to the legendary Shea Stadium performance that they sold out in 72 hours (breaking the Beatles record many times over) Mark has seen and done it all. Best known as the frontman guitarist/songwriter and lead singer for one of the biggest bands in 1970’s rock- Grand Funk Railroad.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |