Charts: US #7, AU #13, CA #8, JP #21, NO #20. US: Gold.
Now, this is indeed the beginning of a different period in the life of Grand Funk. As far as actual music goes, though, it is a slight dropdown from a slight improvement, because the band is again reclining from its funky formula; the rockers are more restrained, and the dreaded gospel makes its reappearance once again, even if it's mainly drifting on the fringes. If you ask me, it all probably depended on how much "God-sent inspiration" Mr Farner chucked out of his entity during the recording sessions. The more there was of Farner, the more the final product looked like Survival.
And these particular fringes are hideous - with the absolutely detestable 'So You Won't Have To Die', Farner fully embraces Christian rock in its most disgusting, banal form, i. e. the one that includes brainwashing and primitive preaching. Sample lyrics for youse: 'He said overpopulation is the problem of today/There's too many children on Earth and more on the way/If you don't start some birth control then you won't last much longer'. It's a wonder the band never got the idea of distributing free condoms for its live shows of that period. Mmm, maybe you'd better start singing in Chinese or in Hindi, Mr Farner; I don't think America is quite the perfect place for your message.
This, and its immediate follow-up, the gospel chant 'Freedom Is For Children' ('I wrote the words of freedom/I've even sung the song' - well, now we know who the Father of all things Libertarian actually is), transform the second half of the record into a virtual nightmare. Need I add that the music lacks any punch whatsoever? Because when Mr Farner sings an "inspired" song, he usually reasons that his vocal talents alone suffice to carry the music along. Frantic guitar solos? Nah, nah, the more you get carried away by guitar solos, the more you forget about Important Philosophic Maxims like "man's invention is gonna be the prevention of their life" (I'm not joking - this is an actual lyric, and it's about CONDOMS! Well, actually, I guess it's rather about the H-bomb or something. But I like it more when it's about condoms. Especially considering the previous song was about condoms, too.)
(full version: starlingdb.org/music/gfr.htm#Phoenix)