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July-3rd 1971.

Grand Funk Railroad, Humble Pie, Heads and Hands and Feet .

As a big fan of Steve Marriott ,I would have liked to have seen this one . However I don't think I could have stood listening to Grand Funk, although perhaps they were better live then they sounded on their records. Apparently an audience tape exists of their set. Read on to see what others thought of the show.....

Michael McNamara

I should mention that that same year I attended the Hyde Park free concert on July 3rd with Grand Funk Railroad , Humble Pie, and Head hands and Feet . Terry Knight was a former DJ from Detroit turned pop star - he briefly led a band called Terry Knight and the Pack (with Mark Farner), who eventually became Grand Funk (mercifully, Terry stopped singing and became the manager and producer.
Imagine my surprise though, when sitting in the crowd, waiting to hear some new Brit Rock, I hear a voice from the stage announce: "My name is Terry Knight, and I want to introduce you to a new American Band!" I practically did a spit take (or a Danny Thomas, as we used to call it). I used to listen to Terry Knight on CKLW radio in Detroit. I think this was one of their first public appearances, certainly outside of the US, anyway. I've since become friends with Albert Maysles, who made the film Gimme Shelter -- Al and his brother David shot a documentary about Grand Funk way back when, but they had a disagreement with Terry Knight, and the film has never been finished....too bad.

John Lane

How about Grand Funk Railroad? Rained all bloody morning. I stood next to John Peel and The Pig. There was a giant Tepee next to the stage and a somewhat misguided policy of allowing Hells Angels to police the event. During the great set by Humble Pie the throwing of Party Seven cans got out of control and Steve Marriot wove a line into his song about " If you want to throw your bottles, go somewhere else" much applause if not under scrutiny by any aforementioned Angels. They later rode several "Hogs" through the crowd at speed which was a nice gesture. The Grand Funk Railroad were a disappointment even with their drummer playing with his head on occasion. By this time these events were being advertised in the musical press. The Melody Maker had a full page ad advising "Its the waiting that gets ya" which made the events a bit establishment.

C Welch was there and wrote this about the Grand Funk performance.

    I saw them for the first time at the Hyde Park concert and, while not overly impressed, was not enraged by Grand Funk's performance. I was, however, heavily influenced by the hostility of fellow critics and didn't want to upset the party line when I reviewed the band. My sympathies were in any case extended towards Humble Pie who played better and looked better, with Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott cutting a more exciting rug than Farner and Schacher. Pie were even louder! I never got to meet Grand Funk because the stars hid in a caravan. But they seemed happy enough on a huge, elaborate stage which dwarfed their tiny drum kit and stacks.
They later reported that they thoroughly enjoyed the show and liked the atmosphere, although curiously one of them complained about the carbon monoxide in the air. I would have thought the middle of Hyde Park was just about the cleanest part of the city.

    In my review I said:
"They played an unremarkable selection of stock riffs with a great deal of hammy emotion". But perhaps I was being a bit snooty. Compared to some of the horrors wrought in the name of rock 'n' roll since, they would probably seem like an ace band if we could be transported back to that pleasant summer's day in the sunshine. The drummer- as I recall - played as fast as his limbs would allow, while Mark leapt on to a spare organ. The crowd was large- as well it might for a free show - but there were very few photographers, reporters or liggers in the press area. I seem to recall having the place to myself, thanks mainly to Humble Pie's management who ensured me a good seat.
    Grand Funk insisted on tight security, but I arrived in Humble Pie's limo and was assumed to be part of their management structure. Among the VIPs who turned out were Alexis Korner and Andy Fraser of Free. Both were more interested in the Pie. The other support band was Heads, Hand And Feet, with Albert Lee on guitar. They didn't go down too well.

    Courteously Terry Knight came out to introduce Humble Pie who were trying hard to make contact with home audiences after long spells abroad. They did well, but the audience were eager and anxious to see the headliners. The theme music from '2001'the space movie welcomed the band on stage and GFR were given a tumultuous reception. From the first few bars they got a good sound-an important point in an age of generally lousy PA systems.
    As the group blasted into action I asked a fan behind the barriers what he thought and was chastened by his reaction. "They're the most exciting band I've ever seen." said the 23 year old. "They're almost as exciting as Emerson, lake And Palmer." This was not a view shared by Greg Lake's girlfriend who was standing within earshot. "Listen to that bass riff," bellowed the fan in my ear. "That's what it's all about"

   Also in the audience were Hells Angels who began pushing down a fence and spitting on cops while the band played the Stones' 'Gimme Shelter'. These events were filmed by a crew who employed a bunch of extras holding up 'ban the bomb' signs from the props department. The reels must be lying around somewhere with shots of rampaging Angels and me in the front row looking perplexed.
C Welch

kerrang magazine 1984

I noted at the time: "The brilliance of Albert Lee in “Country Boy"; Magical Marriott and following Frampton; (GFR)..failed to match decibels or style of Pie"
 
Mind you, I was well into the Pie at that time, so a little biased review is to be expected! They were who I’d gone to see.
 
Cheers,
 
Pete the Pick

I remember this concert very well. I went along with a girlfriend mainly to see Heads Hands and Feet and Grand Funk who had been heavily hyped.
However I was blown away by Humble Pie who I thought were awesome a real surprise as all I had heard before was their "Natural Born" single. Pie played before GFR and made them look pallid and unrehearsed by comparison.Like quite a few others I drifted away before the end of GFR's
set having lost interest after their rendition of "Gimme Shelter".
On the strength of this concert I invested in Humble Pie Live at the Fillmore but have never heard or heard of Grand Funk since.
joe McAllister

I have very fond memories of this concert. I was 16 years old visiting my friend Eddie who lived in the suburbs, outside of London. I was there on vacation with my family. We lived in the suburbs outside of New York City. I had all ready been playing my guitar for 9 years and I was excited to see any live music I could. My friend told me that there would be a free concert at Hyde Park and that Grand Funk Railroad was going to play. We got there early, it was packed. I think there were definitely over 100,000 people there. The largest concert I've ever been to and I've been to a lot.

Heads Hands and Feet were boring to me a the time. In retrospect, had I been older, I probably would have found them, (Albert Lee) fantastic! Then before Humble Pie came out, my friend asked me if I had ever heard of them. I said no. He commented that he thought their guitarist was pretty good.

Just then Humble Pie hit the stage and Peter Framton started warming up with some riffs before they kicked in to their 1st song. Well, I was an immediate fan. They stole the show from Grand Funk. That was the 1st time I heard Mixolydian Scale in rock. I didn't know what I was hearing at the time but I liked it and I knew it sounded different. The other very memorable thing that happened at this concert, was the skin Heads (Hell's Angels). We were only sitting 20 to 30 rows back from the stage and they started revving their bikes and throwing bottles at the crowd. My friend Eddie is about 6'5" and he got hit in the head with a bottle and passed out for about a minute. This Hyde Park concert will be a memory I will always treasure.

Lee Bookman

We went to this gig . I remember that we walked down Oxford Street and could hear the PA all the way. GFR supposedly had the loudest PA ever, I think 7000 watts was quoted.

It may be only memory but I remember this as being the best musical day out I ever had. I loved GFR - still do - the critics panned them but they really were just an enjoyable entertaining noise.

I still listen to the first live album and get into the bass lines.

It rained and my mate and I shared a plastic sheet, beer and burgers with 4 American girls. Great times. I try to explain to my kids now how good these gigs were compared to the organised ones like MOR they go to now.

I think John Sebastien was on first, boring. Humble Pie, Stevie never did anything wrong! GFR, great - Chris Welch YOU WERE WRONG!!!

Kind Regards
Ross Anderson

Grand Funk Railroad at Hyde Park was pretty unbeatable too..... possibly the best live act in the world at the time they really shook the place up. Everyone there loved the set - except the critics...... and it is still rare to read anything nice about the band. The drummer did this stunt in the drum solo (they all did one at the time) whereby he pretended after a particurally frenetic bit of stick twiddling to pass out and hit his head on the snare drum. Which he liked the sound of so much he carried on nutting the thing to great cheers from the crowd. He was, of course actually whacking the BASS drum simultaneously which was the loud noise we were hearing but who cares - it was a good bit of theatre.

If you want to hear how good a live band they were check out their 'Live Album (1971)'.... it includes the drum solo with the fraudulent passing out stunt!

Captain Sensible

This was my first festival as an 18 year old northern lad living on a bedsit in London of £17 per week. A mate came down to stay with me and we went. Heads hands and Feet were great and one of their tracks was 'Dirty heavy weather road' about the experience of touring in the north in winter and going over the old A6 at shap in a van before the motorway was built. Humble Pie were great but GFR didn't impress. After the concert we got a copy of what's on and went out to Dagenham to see Wishbone Ash in a room at the back of a pub before getting the last tube back to Hounslow. All in all a great day of music.
Jamie Guest

Grand Funk Railroad

Setlist
Are You Ready ,Paranoid ,In Need ,Mark Says Alright ,T.N.U.C ,Inside Looking Out ,Gimme Shelter

53 min. -cuts and drop outs.

Humble Pie

Personnel

Steve Marriott ( left ) - Guitar ,Vocal, Peter Frampton- Guitar ,Vocal,

 

Heads Hands and Feet

Dirty heavy weather road

   These pages are a celebration of the Hyde park concerts. The highs , the lows, the good uns and the bad uns . I'll try to provide whatever info there is available on each event , recordings availability, photos, reviews, etc. and hopefully , you will want to add your memories here too Contact us


 

 (These pages include large photogalleries of the concert, most especially King Crimson and Jack Bruce. )

Concert reviews and info -1974-76