Loud, crass and overly earnest, Grand Funk Railroad were also, despite their name, totally devoid of funk. Formed in 1968, the critically reviled Flint, Michigan, boogie-metal act — singer-guitarist Mark Farner, drummer-singer Don Brewer and bassist Mel Schacher — peaked in 1971, releasing both the furious, tuneful, almost disco-beated E Pluribus Funk and the nimble, Zep-like Survival. Recorded without longtime producer Terry Knight’s direction, 1972’s ponderous Phoenix, with new keyboardist Craig Frost, failed to duplicate Survival’s supple rhythms. Later that year, after they shortened their name to Grand Funk, We’re an American Band’s title anthem shot to number 1, thanks to its roaring celebration of booze, gambling and groupies, not to mention a pounding, unforgettable chorus and a hot cowbell — the idealized pinnacle of these purist rock simpletons.