I think Grand Funk's Locomotion beats both the original and the later version of the blond Aussie soap-opera star! Judging from the solo in the Grand Funk version, it was very, errrm, spirited session and that shows in a good way. I don't think they were entirely serious about the song, but they nailed its goodtime-feel. And just like with "Some kind of wonderful", I think as Detroit (Flint) boys their argument was credible that this was music they grew up with and liked. Nascent Grand Funk already had the Motown influence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIgXsIBioLI&feature=relatedI think that Farner's convictions only developed over time (alienating him from his bandmates in the process, his liner comments on their three CD anthology are achingly "world conspiracy" nutcase), I can't hear a pro-Vietnam-intervention stance in "I'm your Captain/Closer to my home" though and I never found "We're an American Band" mindless in its good-natured patriotism. Hey, they even name-checked Bill Clinton's birthplace several decades ahead of his presidency!
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](https://bassoutpost.com/Smileys/default/mrgreen.gif)
By the time Farner wrote lines like "the only way to keep America number one is for every brother to have a gun!" (on a Frank Zappa produced album!), I winced (not only about the
leaden rhyme, pun intended!). But the world is full of musicians who don't exactly share my political beliefs, nor do they have to: Bryan Ferry, Alice Cooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Peart (in his Ayn Rand phase he claims to have left behind) etc being among them. I think it's perfectly fine to do that unless you become an inane rambling idiot like Ted Nugent who wouldn't be any better if he was advocating communism.
Another euphemism: I found Farner's guitar playing always muscular and organic. Not a metal axe hero at all. The Jim Dandy/Black Oak Arkansas look just pigeon holed him.