Grand Funk Railroad formed in Flint, Michigan, in 1969 with Mark Farner on guitar and vocals, Mel Schacher on bass, and Don Brewer on drums and vocals. The trio built its following on heavy guitar, a thick rhythm section and loud, long, live shows. In the 1970s, when AM radio programmers regularly included plenty of rocking songs on their playlists, GFR scored a pair of #1 singles, “We’re an American Band” in 1973 and “The Loco-Motion” in 1974, along with a string of other Top 40 hits.

The band split in 1976 and regrouped several times over the years. Each time, the lineup fell apart again, and Farner’s final departure was acrimonious. He tells his side in our two-part interview: Part 1, about the band’s legacy | Part 2, about their highs and lows. “In the early days, we were just a garage band, basically,” he told us. Several years later, they were so popular, they sold out New York’s Shea Stadium in 72 hours.

The catalog is deep enough that any list of essentials is a judgment call. These 12 songs cover the group’s rise, its biggest hits and the different sides of its sound.

“Heartbreaker”—On Time (1969)

The seventh track on the debut album became the second single issued from the record, reaching #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. It captures the original three-piece lineup in direct, hard-rocking form, with Farner’s guitar and vocals backed by Schacher and Brewer. The album was recorded at Cleveland Recording Company and produced by Terry Knight.

“Inside Looking Out”—Grand Funk (1969)

A cover of the Animals’ 1966 recording, the studio version became an early showcase for the trio’s heavy approach. The song remained a staple of the band’s live concerts, and its extended performance on Live Album became one of the better-known recordings from that period. That live version runs more than 12 minutes on the original LP, giving the group plenty of room to stretch the arrangement into a full-scale hard-rock workout.

“Paranoid”—Grand Funk (1969)

The second album’s first side closes with this compact early-period rocker. It was also part of the group’s live repertoire, appearing on Live Album alongside several of its better-known early performances. The song offers a concise snapshot of the raw, stripped-down approach that defined the band’s first records.

“Closer to Home (I’m Your Captain)”—Closer to Home (1970)

Farner’s nearly 10-minute composition was considerably more expansive than the band’s usual hard-rock workouts. Released as a single under the shorter title “Closer to Home,” it reached #22 on the Hot 100, becoming the group’s first Top 40 hit, while remaining a classic rock radio favorite decades later. The album was again recorded at Cleveland Recording Company and produced by Terry Knight.

“Footstompin’ Music”—E Pluribus Funk (1971)

This is the band at its most immediate: a pounding rhythm, a simple hook and a performance built for a crowd. Released as a single in 1972, it reached #29 on the Hot 100. The track comes from the group’s fifth studio album, which reached #5 on the Billboard 200.

“Rock & Roll Soul”—Phoenix (1972)

By this time, the group had begun broadening its sound without abandoning the muscular approach that had made its reputation. This track was released as a single and reached #29 on the Hot 100. The album was produced by the band itself, making it the first Grand Funk studio album without Terry Knight in the producer’s chair. Craig Frost also contributed keyboards to the record before officially joining the group for the following album.

“We’re an American Band”—We’re an American Band (1973)

Don Brewer takes the lead vocal on the song that became the band’s signature recording. Produced by Todd Rundgren, it became the group’s first single to top the Billboard Hot 100. The album also marked the addition of keyboardist Frost to the band’s membership, expanding the instrumentation beyond the original power-trio format. The group was credited as Grand Funk on the album, with the word “Railroad” deliberately absent from the sleeve, liner notes and vinyl record.

“We were discussing who would produce, who we wanted, who did we think would do a good job for us,” Farner told Best Classic Bands, “and we put a bunch of names in a hat. I’m not kidding, I drew it out and it was Todd Rundgren. He really made the album sound more like what we were looking for—what the keyboards should sound like, what the guitars should sound like.”

Brewer told Best Classic Bands: “I wrote the song while on tour in 1972 based on my observations and the thought in my head ‘we’re comin’ to your town will help you party it down.’ The rest of the song I put together from things going on on the road. Up all night playing poker with Freddy King and his band. Four young Chickitas in Omaha. Sweet Sweet Connie in Little Rock. And the tag ‘We’re An American Band’ just because it sounded great when I sang it to myself.”

“Walk Like a Man”—We’re an American Band (1973)

Brewer shares lead vocal duties with Farner on the second single from the album. Released in October 1973, it reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. The recording followed the breakthrough success of its predecessor and reflects the more polished sound Rundgren brought to the group’s work.

“Shinin’ On”—Shinin’ On (1974)

The title track of the band’s eighth studio album grew from a collaboration between Farner and Brewer. Farner came up with the chords, while Brewer supplied the central theme and refrain. Brewer later said the group was aiming for a “down and dirty R&B groove,” and the single reached #11 on the Hot 100.

“The Loco-Motion”—Shinin’ On (1974)

Taking a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and first recorded by Little Eva, the band gave the familiar melody a considerably heavier treatment. The single reached #1 on the Hot 100 in May 1974, giving the group its second chart-topper and making it one of the few songs in pop history to reach the top spot by two different artists. Produced by Rundgren, it stands as one of the most successful pop covers of the 1970s.

“Some Kind of Wonderful”—All the Girls in the World Beware!!! (1974)

Originally written by John Ellison and first recorded by his group, the Soul Brothers Six, the song became one of the band’s biggest singles ,reaching #3 on the Hot 100. The album was produced by Jimmy Ienner.

“Bad Time”—All the Girls in the World Beware!!! (1974)

Written by Farner, this melodic performance became the band’s fourth and final Top 10 single in the United States. Released in March 1975, it reached #4 on the Hot 100 and #3 in Canada. It was also the group’s final U.S. Top 40 hit, closing out an extraordinary run of commercial success.

The band’s recordings are available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.