Mark Chatfield of The Godz: 11 Albums That Changed My Life

He’s a founding member of the iconic Mid-West cult act The Godz, toured the world for years with Bob Seger, and lent his licks to more records than you can shake a stick at. Now, Mark Chatfield is a member of Grand Funk Railroad, taking the place of the recently departed Bruce Kulick in the fall of 2023.

He’s got a legacy to uphold, but he’s unafraid. With a pedigree—and licks—as strong as Mark Chatfield’s, one can see why. But all that rock ‘n’ roll vigor has to come from somewhere, which is why during a break in the action, Grand Funk’s six-string slinger, Mark Chatfield, beamed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to recount the 11 albums—in no particular order—that changed his life.

Yesterday and Today – The Beatles (1966)

The Beatles. The Ed Sullivan Show. Feb 9, 1964. I was 7. It changed my life, as did thousands of other baby boomers. I decided then and there that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was the first addicting drug that I was introduced to. My older cousin had Meet the Beatles and The Beatles’ second album, and I wore them out. “She Loves You.” I still sing it in my head from time to time!

But the first album that was actually mine was Yesterday and Today. It was the Columbia Record Club edition, which my parents let me get an album in the 4 for 99 cent deal. I loved this record then, and I love it now. From the opening blistering guitar on “Drive My Car” to the difficult and amazing guitar licks on “And Your Bird Can Sing,” culminating with one of the most famous guitar licks of all time: “Day Tripper.” What’s not to Love?

The Monkees – The Monkees (1966)

I was 10 when the TV series premiered, and they seemed more accessible than The Beatles. All the girls in fifth grade loved The Monkees, so if you wanted to be popular with the girls, you liked The Monkees too.

I even went as far as buying the More of the Monkees cover wardrobe at JC Penny and wore my wide belt buckle on the side, like Peter Tork, not realizing that it was to protect the paint on the back of his bass. [laughs] The Monkees didn’t write the songs or play on them, but they sang them and carried the concept. It’s still a great record!

Woodstock: Music From the Original Soundtrack and More by Various Artists (1969)

I was/am a fan of live records. There are so many great performances on this compilation, like The Who, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Ten Years After—with the original shred guitar solo, I used to put my record player on 16, half speed, to try to learn that solo! And then there was The Fish Cheer, Santana at his finest, in my opinion, and Sly & The Family Stone, who killed it.

You had Hendrix playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and my favorite live song of all time, Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My Friends.” When I listen to it—as I still do on a regular basis—I can still feel the power and emotion of the performance. It moves me. I’m glad they have finally released some of the complete sets from the festival, though some are better than others!

The Ultimate Prophecy – J.D. Blackfoot (1970)

No association with the band Blackfoot, but here’s a curve ball for ya! These guys were a local Columbus, Ohio, phenom in the late ’60s and early ’70s. I must have seen them at a few dozen different roller rinks and summer outdoor shows. All great players, like Craig Fuller, who went on to form Pure Prairie League and joined Little Feat.

I was and still am smitten with this album! “Goofy” (sign of the times) intro lyrics notwithstanding, some great stuff here! A huge influence on my playing and desire to perform. They won a battle of the bands, and the prize was a deal with Mercury. I think the album was done basically live in the studio. Side note: for some reason, J.D. was huge in St Louis. I got to go there twice in the early ’90s and performed “The Prophecy” with J.D. and some damn fine Columbus musicians!

Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin (1969)

Gonna cheat here. Two for one. Can’t decide which was a life changer for me. The big brother of a kid up the street had Zep one, and I had heard it. I had just turned 13, was blown away, and had heard nothing like this… ever. Every piece of this band is perfection! I got Zep one and two for Christmas in 1969, but two was a whole other world.

It was more polished and heavier—and lighter, like “Thank You.” And then there’s three of the most iconic guitar licks in rock: “Whole Lotta Love,” “Good Times Bad Times,” and “Communication Breakdown.” I instantly became a Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and Robert Plant fan for life.

Live Album – Grand Funk Railroad (1971)

In high school, I wanted to be Mark Farner. We had a similar look: long blond hair, a high forehead, and a pronounced nose! From the opening chords of “Are You Ready,” it’s just a freight train of clean/fuzztone guitars, overdriven melodic bass lines, pounding drums, and some of the finest vocals ever from Mark and Don [Brewer]. Those guys can sing some harmonies!

My high school basement band played most of the songs. It was surreal when my first band out of high school, The Godz, recorded its debut at Grand Funk Railroad’s studio, The Swamp. And it was produced by Don Brewer! This eventually led to my Bob Seger job; now, I’m in Grand Funk Railroad. Talk about full circle!

All the Young Dudes – Mott the Hoople (1972)

The moment I heard the opening licks to the title song, I was hooked. This whole album just kinda came out of nowhere. The intertwining of Mick Ralph’s guitars and Ian Hunter’s vocal approach was/is magic. I’d seen pictures of Mick playing a single cut [Gibson] Les Paul Jr, so I assumed that’s what he was using. The start of my affection for Juniors and single P-90 guitars!

Climbing! by Mountain (1970)

Tone, phrasing, Les Paul Junior, loud. This album checks all the boxes. Leslie West is a master of the speaking guitar. You can feel the notes. Every one of them. Great songwriting (including Jack Bruce). Not many opening licks as iconic as “Mississippi Queen.” This album still has an impact on me; I still feel the notes. But if you want the full Leslie live experience, listen to the B-side of the Flowers of Evil album. Long live Leslie West and Les Paul Jrs!

Love it to Death – Alice Cooper (1971)

Three things affected me profoundly in live performances I saw: the aforementioned Beatles on Ed Sullivan, seeing Alice Cooper in the early ’70s, and Kiss opening for Rory Gallagher in 1974. We’ll address Alice Cooper now. “I’m 18” was on the radio, but little did I know the rest of Love It to Death was raw shock rock, for lack of a better label.

Of course, it had me at the back album cover. Greasy-looking, long-haired rockers in rock ‘n’ roll regalia with Gibson SGs are still the sexiest guitar Gibson has ever produced. It was everything I aspired to be! Not to mention, although complicated in content, most of the guitar work was pretty basic and easy for me to learn. But I certainly couldn’t have come up with any of that myself. I still listen to that album regularly, and it gets better and better.

Kiss – Kiss (1974)

The first time I saw that album cover in our local dept store, my girlfriend and I just scratched our heads! Then, a couple of weeks later, they opened for Rory Gallagher at the Columbus Agora. The crowd was pretty nonreceptive and rude, but a few people—and me—were going fucking nuts! This was like Alice but taken many steps above. More stage production, though Alice would certainly catch up to the concept he had a hand in inventing, but this was different.

Loud, heavy Chuck Berry rock’ n’ roll with theatrics from hell! I was in love. I bought the record the next day and played it over and over. I couldn’t get it out of my head. My good friend for 50 years—and current Godz co-guitarist—Steve Mitchell, lived around the corner from me. He just reminded me that I came knockin’ at his door, Kiss album in hand, stuck it in his face, and declared, “This is the way we need to play!”

Live at Leeds – The Who (1970)

I pained over choosing this or Quadrophenia. Though the latter is my favorite all-time album, Live at Leeds had more (and earlier) effects on me. The genius of three completely different approaches to playing, and [Roger] Daltry’s vocals on top, are unsurpassed. It just worked. The power of that Gibson SG Special through Hiwatts played into submission is just mesmerizing!

Being a big Tommy fan also, the extended version of “My Generation” became a staple in my various High School basement bands—try playing that at a school dance. [laughs] And so did “Summertime Blues.” Pete Townshend has always been a huge influence on my playing and stage presence, as he is the king of chord inversions and the windmill! It’s still one of the best live albums ever released. Long live rock!

Mark Chatfield of The Godz: 11 Albums That Changed My Life article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2024

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