P.Funk Discography, Part III, Funkadelic
rob clough
July 22, 1995
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**Albums with track listings, personnel, ratings, and comments.**
**Basically an introduction to PFunk for the uninitiated and **
**specifics of the albums for funkateers. **
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(Any comments from RC are from Rob Clough who's adding on to some
of GZ or George Zipperlens' excellent commentary. MM is for Matt
McClellan who added also. GZ made the rating scale and the time
breakdown of the groups' work.)
These ratings are 'within P-Funk' on the 1 to 5 star scale.
***** Essential, not allowed on the Mothership without it.
**** Mostly excellent cuts
*** A few weak tracks, or a concept which doesn't hold up
** One or two good tracks
* Relatively weak
GZ: Note that the lower rated albums, still rate high compared to
unfunk!
RC : A note on writing credits. For each particular album, I will list
the first and last name of the writer only when it is their first
appearance on that album. Thus, Garry Shider's first appearance on
an album will earn him that full listing, but he will be listed as
G Shider if he has any other songs on that particular album. There
are three notable exceptions: George Clinton, William "Bootsy" Collins,
and Bernie Worrell, who will be listed as G Clinton, W (or B) Collins,
and B Worrell, respectively, for every album's track listing. The reason
is because those three wrote the bulk of the P.Funk catalog. If a
writer's full name is not listed, it's probably because I don't know it,
in which case I would appreciate being given that information.
****************************************************************************
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-Funkadelic-
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The Early Westbound Years:
--------------------------
_Funkadelic_ (1970)
Track Listing:
Mommy, What's a Funkadelic? {G Clinton} 9:04
I Bet You {G Clinton, Pat Lindsey, Sidney Barnes} 6:10
Music For My Mother {G Clinton} 5:37
I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody's Got a Thing {Clarence Haskins} 3:52
Good Old Music {G Clinton} 7:59
Qualify and Satisfy {G Clinton, Billy Nelson, Eddie Hazel} 6:15
What is Soul {G Clinton} 7:40
Personnel:
Lead Guitar: Eddie Hazel
Rhythm Guitar: Tawl Ross
Bass: Billy Nelson
Organ: Mickey Atkins
Drums: Tiki Fulwood
Vocals: George Clinton, Fuzzy Haskins, Grady Thomas, Calvin
Simon, Ray Davis
Song-Specific Personnel:
"Mommy, What's a Funkadelic":
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Guitars: Dennis Coffey, Ray Monette
Keyboards: Ivy Hunter
Bass: Bob Babbit
"I Bet You"
Vocals: Parliament, Eddie Hazel
Guitar: Eddie Hazel
Keyboards: Earl Van Dyke
Bass: Bob Babbit
Drums: Tiki Fulwood
"Music For My Mother"
Vocals: Herb Sparkman
Bass: Billy Nelson
Guitar: Eddie Hazel
Drums: Brad Innis
"I Got a Thing..."
Lead Vocals: Fuzzy Haskins
Guitar: Ray Monette
Drums: Tiki Fulwood
"Qualify and Satisfy"
Lead Vocals: Calvin Simon
Drums: Tiki Fulwood
"What is Soul"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Rating: GZ **** RC **** MM *****
Comment:
RC: A very rough album with many sparks of genius. Brilliant, screeching
guitar by Eddie throughout. "What Is Soul" is hilarious and acid-drenched,
"Mommy..." kicks off the Funkadelic Era in grand style..."If you will suck
my soul, I will lick your funky emotions." The polish on later albums makes
them more listenable than the feedback-fest here, but there's a great feeling
of unity and a solid backbeat. Much of the album was recorded with the aid
of assorted Motown session men. Features two blues tunes in "Qualify &
Satisfy" and "Music For My Mother". The other interesting thing about this
album is the large number of different lead vocalists used. Clinton comes
up with a large number of his raps that would be repeated on future albums
and tours here, like 'Ain't nothin' good unless you play with it, and all
that is good is nasty.' "What Is Soul" also contains the sounds of bong
hits being taken, with that tell-tale cough afterwards.
"Mommy..." establishes a number of Funkadelic-isms straight away.
An aggressive bassline sets the stage for the song, and it stays rock-
solid the whole way through. Yet it never veers off into solo territory.
An infectious chant is used to continue a groove. And George launches into
one of his weird raps, saying that Funkadelic 'is not of this world', but
that they 'will do you no harm, other than pee in your Afro.' Like many
of the early songs, it then goes into an extended jam session at the end,
turning single-length songs into something far weirder. "I Bet You"
has one of those irresistable riffs and a great drum intro, with lyrics
so Motown-ish that the Jackson 5 later covered it! This was a song that
had been recorded by the Parliaments earlier on. "Music For..." features
another great chant, a superior vocal performance, and interesting
mock-harmonica vocals. "I Got A Thing..." is the album's standout cut,
with one of their most memorable chants and an 'all-the-way-off' solo
by Motown session man Ray Monette. A number of session men were still
being used at this point, as the classic Funkadelic lineup (Fulwood, Hazel,
Ross, Nelson) was still mainly used as a live band. Bernie Worrell had
not yet joined the band full-time, but he did contribute on a few tracks
here, even making the album cover. "Good Old Music" is another Parliaments
remake, but it goes on a bit too long, as does "Qualify & Satisfy".
"What Is Soul" is a fitting bookend on this album, featuring another of
Clinton's strangest, funniest raps, more chants, and another loping
guitar riff. Considering that Clinton knew next to nothing about
producing a record at this point, the results are remarkable. Not clean,
but a lot of the album's 'mistakes' are its best points.
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_Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow_ (1971)
Tracks:
Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow
{G Clinton, Eddie Hazel, Ray Davis} 10:00
Friday Night, August 14th {G Clinton, Billy Nelson, E Hazel} 5:20
Funky Dollar Bill {G Clinton, E Hazel, R Davis} 3:14
I Wanna Know If It's Good to You
{G Clinton, B Nelson, E Hazel, Clarence Haskins} 5:54
Some More {G Clinton, Ernie Harris} 2:55
Eulogy and Light {E Harris} 3:29
Personnel:
Lead Guitar: Eddie Hazel
Rhythm Guitar: Tawl Ross
Keyboards: Bernie Worrell
Drums: Tiki Fulwood
Bass: Billy Nelson
Vocals: Parliament (George Clinton, Ray Davis, Fuzzy Haskins, Grady Thomas,
Calvin Simon)
Song-Specific Personnel:
"Funky Dollar Bill"
Lead Vocals: Tawl Ross
Piano: Bernie Worrell
"I Wanna Know..."
Vocals: Billy Nelson, Eddie Hazel
Guitar: Eddie Hazel
Organ: Bernie Worrell
"Eulogy & Light"
Vocals: George Clinton
Rating: GZ *** RC *** MM ***1/2 MV: *****
Comment:
RC: I like this album the more I hear it, but it's so short. A third of
it is taken up by the annoyingly non-musical title track. The feedback gets
to me here, despite some great stuff from Eddie. The rest of the album is
very good, with "I Wanna Know..." and "Funky Dollar Bill" being classics.
"Eulogy And Light", a rap with all the music backmasked, is one of
Funkadelic's most interesting experiments. It's an urban remake of the
Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm. The whole album was recorded in a single
day, with George saying the idea behind it was 'let's see if we can cut a
whole album while we're all tripping on acid.' This album is one of the most
popular amongst the new generation of Funkadelic fans, especially those who
are coming into it from a hard rock/alternative bent.
"Free Your Mind..." actually has a lot of interesting things going on
in it under the feedback, but I'm glad that Funkadelic's feedback experiments
more-or-less ended here. "Friday Night..." is another strange track
featuring more singing and some interesting echo effects. "Funky Dollar
Bill" is one of the true standouts, featuring superb work from Hazel
and Billy Bass. Great lyrics, too, about what we do for money. Features
some remarkable freakout organ from Bernie. "I Wanna Know..." is one
of Funkadelic's all-time greatest songs, featuring a mix of some of their
oldest lyrics and some wicked new ones, 'your love tastes sweeter than
the honey that replaced the rain since I met you.' Also has one of the
greatest guitar riffs in the history of mankind. "Some More" actually
features some lyrics from an old Clinton production called "Headache In
My Heart", and would almost be Motown-ish if not for the production
values. "Eulogy & Light" is the strange ending to the experience,
with a rap over a 1969 Funkadelic tune, "Open Our Eyes", played
backwards (special props to MW for that info). The result is a frightening
song, especially matched with the menacing vocal. Heady acid music indeed.
The words were sometimes used in concert as an intro to "Maggot Brain."
MM: _Free Your Mind_ is entertaining. The sound quality is really
bothersome, however. Also, they should have rocked on the title track,
starting around 2:00. Instead, it fades into a bunch of noise (which may
be the point).
MV: _Free Your Mind_ merits more than the given three stars. In fact, it
merits five stars. An excellent, organic amalgam of funk rock, LSD,
feedback and primitive studio manipulation, every cut is strong and
the LP certainly hangs together conceptually. A masterpiece which is
in fact the group's coherent early LP, conceptually and musically.
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_Maggot Brain_ (1971)
Tracks:
Maggot Brain {Eddie Hazel, G Clinton} 10:18
Can You Get To That {G Clinton, Ernie Harris} 2:49
Hit It And Quit It {G Clinton, Billy Nelson, Garry Shider} 3:48
You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks {G Clinton, B Worrell, Judie Jones} 3:35
Super Stupid {E Hazel, B Nelson, Tawl Ross, G Clinton} 3:56
Back In Our Minds {Clarence Haskins} 2:37
Wars Of Armageddon {B Worrell, G Clinton, T Ross, Ramon Fulwood} 9:42
Personnel:
Lead Guitar: Eddie Hazel
Rhythm Guitar: Tawl Ross
Keyboards: Bernie Worrell
Bass: Billy Nelson
Drums: Tiki Fulwood
Vocals: Parliament, Gary Shider, Bernie Worrell, Tawl Ross
Song-Specific Personnel:
"Can You Get to That"
Lead Vocals: Gary Shider
Backup Vocals: Pat & Diane Lewis, Rose Williams, Ray Davis,
Bernie Worrell, George Clinton
Drums: Fuzzy Haskins
"Hit it and Quit It"
Lead Vocals: Bernie Worrell
"Back In Our Minds"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton, Tawl Ross
Trombone: McKinley Jackson
Bongos: Eddie Bongo
Jew's Harp: James W. Jackson
Rating: GZ ***** RC ***** MM *****
Comments:
RC: What can I say, everyone should own this album. "Maggot Brain" may be
Eddie's finest moment ever. The lyrics are particulary poignant and clever,
especially "Can You Get To That" and "You And Your Folks...". Bernie really
becomes a dominant force on this album, with his organ adding texture to
the acid/R&B guitar stew. Did I mention the beautiful singing? No Funkadelic
album would be complete without a freakout song, and "Wars of Armageddon" fits
the bill here. It sounds like they pulled out a sound effects album and got
funky with it. "Maggot Brain" was written when George asked Eddie to
think of the saddest thing he could, to imagine his mother dying. George
faded out the rest of the band when Eddie played this, because they weren't
playing as well as Eddie, and the reAsult was excellent. The album is
Funkadelic at its best in that it's impossible to predict. It starts
with a psychedelic solo guitar piece, moves on to a gospel-inflected
soul-stirrer, continues with a hard-rock organ-driven tune, swings toward
a politically charged soul-gospel piece, soars with one of the first
heavy metal tunes in history, moves back into the political realm with
a touch of taste and a horn influence, and concludes with a freakout
as bizarre as anything ever recorded. This kind of heavy eclecticism
would be seen on several of the next Funkadelic albums, but this one
is my favorite.
"Maggot Brain" is the greatest instrumental the band ever recorded,
owing everything to the genius of Eddie Hazel, who makes listening
to the piece an exhausting, terryifying and exhilarting experience.
"Can You Get To That", yet another rewrite of a Parliaments song,
starts off with acoustic guitars, giving more of an emphasis to Bernie
and his organ, with some of the best singing and lyrics on the album.
"Hit It & Quit It" is a Worrell showpiece, featuring his vocals and
dominated by that heavy organ sound. Hazel's solo at the end is
excellent. "You And Your Folks..." is a sequel of sorts to "I Got A
Thing...", with impassioned lyrics about the poor and the irresistable
'yeah, yeah, yeah' chant. "Super Stupid" is a high-powered Hazel metal
tune, with a still-tasteful if over-the-edge swooping solo. "Back In
Our Minds" settles the whole angry stew down, with Funkcomedian
J.W. Jackson playing jew's harp. He would open for Funkadelic on many
occasions, doing a stand-up routine. Just when everything has settled
down, they finish it with the utterly bizarre "Wars of...", a song that
has a great Hazel jam, a ton of sound effects, commentary on urban
society, lyrics that include 'more power to the peter, more power to the
pussy, more pussy to the peter', and much, much more. Buy this album
now if you don't own it!
Judie Jones, also known as Judie Worrell, Bernie's wife, said that she
was given credit for "You And Your Folks" by mistake. She claims that
she should have gotten credit for "Red Hot Mama" instead. Bernie says
that Billy Nelson should have gotten credit on "You And Your Folks".
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Other Early Era Comments:
GZ: These early Funkadelic albums are guitar dominated funky
psychedelia, influenced in sound more by Hendrix than by Sly or
James Brown. There are also connections to the Detroit rock scene
of that time, Iggy and the Stooges, and the MC5. The vision is
much darker than most '60s psychedelia, in that sense these
albums owe much to Sly's _Riot_, and the Velvet Underground.
These all make strong musical statements as entire albums.
Singles highlights (that I recall this morning) "Mommy, What's A
Funkadelic" from _Funkadelic_, the title tracks from _Free Your
Mind_ and _Maggot Brain_, and "Wars of Armageddon" from _Maggot
Brain_.
MM: These albums are pretty solid from beginning to end. Some of
my favorites are "Good Ole Music", "I'll Bet You", and "You And
Your Folks, Me And My Folks". _Maggot Brain_ has something for
everybody, including the classic title track and the frantic
"Wars Of Armageddon".
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The First Transitional Westbound Period:
----------------------------------------
_America Eats Its Young_ (1972)
Tracks:
You Hit the Nail On the Head {G Clinton, B Worrell, Clarence Haskins} 7:10
If You Don't Like the Effects, Don't Produce the Cause
{G Clinton, Garry Shider} 3:43
Everybody Is Going To Make It This Time {G Clinton, B Worrell} 5:50
A Joyful Process {G Clinton, B Worrell} 6:10
We Hurt Too {G Clinton} 3:47
Loose Booty {G Clinton, Harold Beane} 4:45
Philmore {W Collins} 2:40
Pussy {G Clinton, Billy Nelson, Eddie Hazel} 5:00
America Eats Its Young {G Clinton, B Worrell, H Beane} 5:45
Biological Speculation {G Clinton, Ernie Harris} 3:00
That Was My Girl {G Clinton, Sidney Barnes} 3:41
Balance {G Clinton, B Worrell} 5:25
Miss Lucifer's Love {C Haskins, G Clinton} 5:50
Wake Up {G Clinton, B Worrell, James Wesley Jackson} 6:20
Personnel:
Keyboards & Melodica: Bernie Worrell
Percussion: Ty Lampkin, Zachary Frazier, Tiki Fulwood, Frank Waddy
Guitar: Harold Beane, Phelps Collins, Ed Hazel, Garry Shider
Bass: William Collins, Prakash John, Cordell "Boogie" Mosson
Trumpet: Bruce Cassidy, Arnie Chycoski, Ronnie Greenway,
Clayton "Chicken" Gunnels, Al Stanwyck
Alto Sax: Randy Wallace
Tenor Sax: Robert McCullough
Steel Guitar: Ollie Strong
Juice Harp: James Wesley Jackson
Violin: Albert Pratz, Bill Richards, Victoria Polley, Joe Sera
Viola: Stanley Solomon, Walter Babiuk
Cello: Peter Schenkman, Ronald Laurie
Vocals: Harold Beane, Diane Brooks, Phelps Collins, William Collins,
Clayton Gunnels, Ronnie Greenway, Prakash John, Steve Kennedy,
Ed Hazel, Garry Shider, Frank Waddy, Randy Wallace, Bernie Worrell,
George Clinton, Ray Davis, Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas
Arrangers: George Clinton, Bernie Worrell
String & Steel Guitar Arrangements by David Van De Pitte on:
"If You Don't Like the Effects...", "America Eats Its Young",
"Biological Speculation", "Everybody is Going to Make It This
Time", "We Hurt Too"
String & Horn Arrangements by Bernie Worrell on:
"A Joyful Process", "Wake Up", "Miss Lucifer's Love"
Song-Specific Personnel:
"If You Don't Like the Effects..."
Vocals: Calvin Simon, George Clinton, Bernie Worrell, Gary Shider,
Dr. Music (Diane Brooks, Steve Kennedy)
Guitar: Gary Shider
Bass: Prakash John
Keyboards: Bernie Worrell
Drums: Ty Lampkin
"Loose Booty"
Vocals: George Clinton
Bass: Bootsy Collins
Keyboard: Bernie Worrell
"Philmore"
Lead Vocals: Bootsy Collins
Bass: Bootsy Collins
Guitar: Phelps Collins
"Biological Speculation"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Guitar: Gary Shider
"Balance"
Lead Vocals: Bootsy Collins
Rating: GZ *** RC ***1/2 MM *** MV: ****
Comments:
GZ: A transitional double album, Bootsy and Catfish defect from
the JBs to join the P-Funk Mob. Hints of later P-Funk in tracks
like "Philmore" and "Loose Booty", along with the continuing dark
vision of urban Amerika. I find it a bit diffuse, a weakness
common to most double albums.
RC: The best way to understand this album is to look at it as a Funkadelic
experiment, trying a number of new musical styles. Some of these were
successful, some weren't. So while there are many songs here which could
have been deleted in order to create a better album, hearing the whole
array is an interesting way of understanding the directions that the band
was thinking of taking.
The remake of a 1966 Parliaments tune, "That Was My Girl", falls more than
a little flat, as the sugary lyrics are out of place. The fact that they
even recorded the song shows how much Clinton was hankering for a way to
spotlight singing more. "We Hurt Too" is also pretty bad, with a string
overload and pained lyrics about how men can cry too. To their credit,
these sort of experiments were avoided in the future.
A more succesful experiment came with the long, orchestral pieces
like "You Hit The Nail...", "If You Don't Like The Effects..." and "Everybody
Is Going To Make...". These followed in the vein of Isaac Hayes-like
pieces, incorporating wah-wah guitars with string orchestras. Each of
these focus on assorted problems in America, with lyrics like 'Just because
you win the fight don't make it right/Just because you give don't make
you good', & 'Ain't you deep/In your semi-first class seat/You picket this
and protest that and eat yourself fat' railing against hyprocrisy. The
climax of this style comes with the astounding Bernie Worrell instrumental
"A Joyful Process", a tune that starts off with the tune to the bible
school song "Jesus Loves Me" that then gets deeply funky, a heavy
upbeat combo of organ and wah-wah guitar.
The whole of the JB's joins Funkadelic with this album, with Bootsy
Collins, Catfish Collins, Chicken Gunnels, Rob McCollough and Frankie
Waddy. Many of these gentlemen would change P.Funk forever. At the
time, they became Funkadelic itself, since they were the new touring
band when Eddie Hazel, Tiki Fulwood, and Billy Bass walked out. They
also played on another experiment, combining Funkadelic with the tight,
disciplined JB sound. The results are the brilliant "Philmore" with
Bootsy's raw voice sounding nothing like the friendly tones of Casper
that he would later adopt. Then there's the classic "Loose Booty",
which spawned a whole sub-genre of Funkadelic songs: the dirty nursery
rhyme. Of course, this was yet another Parliament remake.
The other songs conformed more to "regular" Funkadelic releases, with
a truly psychotic revamp of "Pussy", the equally crazy title track
instrumental, the subdued and tasteful cautionary song "Biological
Speculation", psychedelic rock romps in "Balance" (again with Bootsy taking
lead vocals) and "Miss Lucifer's Love" (with Fuzzy going all the way off)
and a final overt political statement in "Wake Up."
The problems with having too many players on an album that would come
back to haunt future P.Funk releases is evident here. George went a
little overboard with the strings and such, but it was the first Funkadelic
album that had clean production values. Many of the experiments that
Clinton abandoned on future Funkadelic albums would be picked up later
on other side-group projects.
MM: The above opinions are shared. Some of the weak cuts like
"We Hurt Too" are so bad they're entertaining. Consistency
should be expected if you compare to their first three offerings.
It's just not there.
MV: _America Eats Its Young_ is diffuse but it contains enough classic,
essential cuts to warrant at least four stars. You cannot be a true
Funkadelic fan without this album.
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The Middle Westbound Period:
----------------------------
_Cosmic Slop_ (1973)
Tracks:
Nappy Dugout {G Clinton, Garry Shider, Cordell Mosson} 4:33
You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure {G Clinton, Sidney Barnes} 3:03
March to the Witch's Castle {G Clinton} 5:59
Let's Make It Last {G Clinton, Eddie Hazel} 4:08
Cosmic Slop {G Clinton, B Worrell} 5:17
No Compute {G Clinton, Garry Shider} 3:03
This Broken Heart {W Franklin} 3:37
Trash A-Go-Go {G Clinton} 2:25
Can't Stand the Strain {G Clinton, E Hazel} 3:27
Personnel:
Keyboards & Melodica, Strings on 'Broken Heart': Bernard Worrell
Bass: 'Boogie' Mosson
Percussion: Tyrone Lampkin
Lead & Rhythm Guitar: Gary Shider
Lead & Rhythm Guitar: Ron Bykowski
Guest Funkadelic Maggot: Tiki Fulwood, Drums on 'Nappy Dugout'
Song-Specific Personnel:
"You Can't Miss"
Lead Vocals: Garry Shider, Ray Davis, George Clinton
"Let's Make It Last"
Lead Vocals: Garry Shider
"Cosmic Slop"
Lead Vocals: Gary Shider
Guitars: Gary Shider, Ron Bykowski
"No Compute"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Rating: GZ **** RC ***1/2 MM ?
Comment:
RC: Without Eddie, the sound becomes a whole lot cleaner but less interesting.
This is countered by the weirdest lyrics on almost any P.Funk release. At
the same time, there's some beautiful singing on some almost Motownish
tunes like "Can't Stand The Strain" and "You Can't Miss...". Doesn't match
up with the funk-rock that would be produced next, but a unique sound for
Funkadelic. Contains the live favorite "Cosmic Slop", a tale of a mother
who is forced to sell her body to make money for her children. Unbelievably,
this was viewed as a more commercial song than their earlier stuff, and they
hoped it would be a big hit! It wasn't, but it is a classic. Gary Shider's
finest moment. Like _Maggot Brain_, this album passes through a
schizophrenic number of musical styles. Moreover, the album is even
more schizophrenic lyrically. Half the tunes ("You Can't Miss What You
Can't Measure", "Let's Make It Last", "This Broken Heart", and "Can't Stand
The Strain") are more-or-less traditional soul tunes, with Parliament-like
lead vocal swapping, harmonies and typical R & B love themes. They're all
done extremely well, and each has a twist: odd production values, loopy
keyboards (Bernie Worrell is truly the star of this album), or weird little
raps. The other songs are extremely heavy, dealing with drugs, Vietnam,
prostitution and casual sex. "March To The Witch's Castle" is one of the
first songs to deal with Vietnam and the 'nightmare of readjustment',
touching on issues like addiction. While quite deep, it never reaches
preachy. "Cosmic Slop" is a rocker that talks all about what a mother
needs to do to survive. "No Compute" is a bizarre little number with an
upbeat swing keyboard tune, dealing about a man on the prowl who ends up
with someone who may be a transvestite, and "Trash A Go-Go" (where did
they come up with this title?), is a story about a man on trial for using
his girlfriend as a prostitute in order to feed his habit. 'The judge
and jury just frowned at me.' This album featured fewer players than
any P.Funk project before or since, and the tightness of the band
really helps bring it through. That, and the expert direction of
Bernie Worrell.
BTW, "You Can't Miss..." is a reworking of the old Parliaments tune
"Heart Trouble", from way back in 1965.
This was the first album to feature the cover artwork of Pedro "Sir Lleb"
Bell. His fantastic, grotesque drawings make owning these albums on
vinyl a must.
JJ: Gary was just a tike of about 21 for the studio version of "Cosmic
Slop." The 'Space People' intro part used to be sung live by Fuzzy
Haskins, since '78 it was sung by Ron Ford (when he's there) or Lige Curry.
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_Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On_ (1974)
Tracks:
Red Hot Mama {B Worrell, G Clinton, E Hazel} 4:54
Alice In My Fantasies {G Clinton, Grace Cook} 2:26
I'll Stay {G Clinton, G Cook} 7:16
Sexy Ways {G Clinton, G Cook} 3:05
Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On {G Clinton, G Cook} 5:07
Jimmy's Got A Little Bit Of Bitch In Him {G Clinton, G Cook} 2:30
Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts {G Clinton, G Cook} 12:17
Personnel:
Spaced Viking; Keyboards & Vocals: Bernard (Bernie) Worrell
Tenor Vocals, Congas and Suave Personality: Calvin Simon
A Prototype Werewolf; Berserker Octave Vocals: Clarence 'Fuzzy' Haskins
World's Only Black Leprechaun; Bass & Vocals: Cordell 'Boogie' Mosson
Maggoteer Lead/Solo Guitar & Vocals: Eddie 'Smedley Smorganoff' Hazel
Rhythm/Lead Guitar, Doowop Vocals, Sinister Grin: Gary Shider
Supreme Maggot Minister of Funkadelia; Vocals, Maniac Froth and Spit;
Behaviour Illegal In Several States: George Clinton
Percussion & Vocals; Equipped with stereo armpits: Ramon 'Tiki' Fulwood
Rhythm/Lead Guitar; polyester soul-powered token white devil: Ron Bykowski
Registered and Licensced Genie; Vocals: 'Shady' Grady Thomas
Subterranean Bass Vocals, Supercool and Stinky Fingers: Ray (Stingray) Davis
Additional Personnel:
Drums: Gary Bronson
Bass: Jimmy Calhoun
Piano: Leon Patillo
Percussion: Ty Lampkin
Song-Specific Personnel:
"Red Hot Mama"
Guitars: Eddie Hazel, Ron Bykowski
"Alice In My Fantasies"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
"Sexy Ways"
Lead Vocals: Garry Shider
"Standing On the Verge..."
Lead Vocals: Parliament, Gary Shider
Guitar: Eddie Hazel, Ron Bykowski
"Jimmy's Got A Little..."
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Rating: GZ **** RC ***** MM *****
Comment:
RC: To be blunt, this album kicks ass from the get-go. The album forgets
about meaningful lyrics (til the end) and concentrates on shakin' it.
Perhaps the most consistent Funkadelic album, from beginning to end.
The stylistic jumps that Funkadelic likes to make are less jarring on
this album, with a much smoother flow from song to song.
It starts with a classic hard-rocker in "Red Hot Mama", yet another
redone Parliament song. Superb guitar interplay and evocative lyrics
make this one of their best songs. A slight shift over to a metal sound
(in an MC5 sort of way, of course) is made with "Alice In My Fantasies",
an Eddie workout where he plays these excellent swooping guitar licks.
After beating you senseless with the first two songs, it slows down
with a remake of the Parliaments' "I'll Wait" called "I'll Stay." Sexy,
sleazy, smooth and irresistable, with some great singing. A slight shift
is made to the funky soul of "Sexy Ways", with a JB's-style guitar lick
propelling the whole thing.
Then comes what I think is the ultimate Funkadelic song, "Standing On
The Verge...", which combines hard rock with JB's funk, producing a
stew that commands you to dance. Inspired by audience chants, it has
a live feel to it but with a great deal of precision at the same time.
It also features a number of different singers.
After that peak, the album explores some interesting areas. "Jimmy's
Got A Little..." is a bizarre, almost Zappa-esque song about Jimmy and
his sexual preferences. It concludes with a long Eddie instrumental and
a 'sermon' in "Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts." 'Good thoughts bring forth
good fruit/Bullshit thoughts rot your meat.' Grace Cook, the cowriter
on most cuts, is Eddie Hazel's mother. He credited her either to ensure
that she would get some record royalties, or to avoid his creditors. I've
heard both.
MM: _Standing..._ is excellent. Has similarities to _Maggot Brain_ in that
it moves from rock and soul and in between. It also maintains the big Eddie
Hazel influence that _Maggot Brain_ had.
MV: _Standing on The Verge of Getting It On_ is an absolutely essential
five star album. Next to Hendrix' _Band of Gypsys_, it is possibly
the greatest black rock LP to date. Contains superlative songwriting
by lead guitarist Eddie Hazel (this LP was his shining moment & he
cowrote every cut) and great lyrical concepts. Contains many Funkadelic
classics which the band still performs in concert to this day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Let's Take It To The Stage_ (1975)
Tracks:
Good To Your Earhole {G Clinton, Grace Cook, Clarence Haskins} 4:30
Better By The Pound {G Clinton, G Cook} 2:40
Be My Beach {G Clinton, W Collins, B Worrell} 2:35
No Head No Backstage Pass {G Clinton, Ron Bykowski} 2:36
Let's Take It To The Stage {G Clinton, W Collins, Garry Shider} 3:32
Get Off Your Ass And Jam {G Clinton} 2:00
Baby I Owe You Something Good {G Clinton} 5:43
Stuffs And Things {G Clinton, G Cook} 2:11
The Song Is Familiar {G Clinton, W Collins, B Worrell} 3:05
Atmosphere {G Clinton, G Shider, B Worrell} 7:05
Personnel:
Vocals: 'Cool' Cal Simon, 'Bad Bosco' Bernie Worrell, C 'Boogie' Mosson,
Garry 'Dowop' Shider
Bass Vocals: 'Sting' Ray Davis
Genie Vocals: 'Shady' Grady Thomas
Werewolf Vocals: Clarence 'Fuzzy' Haskins
Maggot Overlord: George Clinton
Congas: Calvin Simon
Keyboards: Bernie Worrell
Bass: C Boogie Mosson
Percussion: R Tiki Fulwood
Guitar: Michael Hampton, Garry Shider
Alumni Funkadelic: Bootsy (vocals), Billy Bass, Eddie Hazel, Ron Bykowski
Guest Funkadelic: Paul Warren, Reggie McBride, Frosty, Mello Garcia,
Honeys, Denise Hurd, Delores whats-her-name,
Gary Cooper, Parliament
Song-Specific Personnel:
"Better By the Pound"
Lead Vocals: Gary Shider, Eddie Hazel
Bass: Billy Nelson
"Be My Beach"
Lead Vocals: Bootsy Collins
"Let's Take It To The Stage"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
"Stuffs and Things"
Lead Vocals: Gary Shider, George Clinton
Backup Vocals: Parliament, Brandy (Telma Hopkins, Joyce Vincent)
Guitars: Gary Shider, Michael Hampton
Rating: GZ ***** RC ***** MM ***** MV: *****
Comment:
RC: Funkadelic takes yet another different turn, this time coming out
with shorter, punchier songs and relying less on long jams. The percussion
on this album is excellent throughout. Garry Shider becomes a big force
as he sings a number of the songs on the record. The guitars are slightly
less dominant here, stepping aside somewhat for the vocals, percussion
and keyboards. Still, the solos taken at the end of "Better By The Pound"
& "Good To Your Earhole", along with the songs "No Head No Backstage Pass"
& "Get Off Your Ass And Jam" show that Funkadelic is still primarily a
guitar band.
But hearing the brushes at the beginning of "Better By The Pound",
the singing on "The Song is Familiar" (which is the album's weakest track),
and the keyboard madness of "Atmosphere" show that the spirit of
experiment was alive and well. The album's themes touch on modern society
("Better By The Pound"), bizarre love/lust stories (the hilariously clever
"Be My Beach" and the coolness of Garry on "Stuffs & Thangs"), and self-
referential funk stories (playing the dozens with "Let's Take It To The
Stage", letting the groupies know the price of hanging out backstage in
"No Head...", the funk declaration of "Good To Your Earhole"
and the anthemic "Get Off Your Ass...").
It loses steam towards the end with the lifeless "Song Is Familiar" and the
overlong but interesting Bernie workout "Atmosphere", but everything else
is perfect and makes up for any minor flaws. The album's short-song
formula backfires against the longer songs, making them seem out of place,
but the songs themselves are actually fine once one gets used to them.
The buried lyrics to "Atmosphere" are hilariously X-rated!
At the beginning of "Let's Take It To The Stage" the little backwards
noise at the beginning is someone saying, "Oh yeah!" And once again,
"G Cook" is an Eddie Hazel pseudonym.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Comments:
GZ: These are the greatest of the middle period Funkadelic, as
danceability takes its rightful place as an element of the sound,
and Pedro Bell takes on the album covers. "Cosmic Slop" is a
look back at the guitar rock of the earlier albums. _Let's Take
it to the Stage_ is my personal favourite, with the title track,
"Good To Your Earhole", "No Head, No Backstage Pass", and the
immortal "Be My Beach", which introduced the Bootsy Persona.
_Cosmic Slop_, and _Verge_ are close seconds, tho. Note that
around 1975, Parliament re-emerged as Clinton's vehicle for
serious themes, thus Funkadelic became more fun.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Second Transitional Period
------------------------------
_Tales of Kidd Funkadelic_ (1976)
Tracks:
Butt-to-Butt Resuscitation {G Clinton, Eddie Hazel, B Worrell} 3:51
Let's Take It to the People {G Clinton, Garry Shider, E Hazel} 1:48
Undisco Kidd {G Clinton, W Collins, B Worrell} 6:34
Take Your Dead Ass Home! (Say Som'n Nasty)
{G Clinton, G Shider, B Worrell, Glen Goins} 7:16
I'm Never Gonna Tell It {G Clinton, B Worrell} 3:39
Tales of Kidd Funkadelic (Opusdelite Years) {G Clinton, B Worrell} 12:52
How Do Yeaw View You? {G Clinton, W Collins, B Worrell} 3:40
Personnel ("Funkadelic Main Invasion Force"):
Guitars: Michael Hampton, Gary Shider, Glen Goins
Keyboards, Synthesizers: Bernie Worrell
Bass: Cordell Mosson
Drums: Jerome Brailey
Percussion: Calvin Simon
Vocals: George Clinton, Calvin Simon, Ray Davis, Gary Shider, Fuzzy Haskins,
Grady Thomas, Glen Goins
Backup Vocals ("Maggotusi Vocal Choir"): Debbie Edwards, Pamela Vincent,
Cynthia Davis, Donna Davis, Jessica Cleaves, Debbie Wright, Taka Kahn
Song-Specific Personnel:
"Undisco Kidd"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Bass: Bootsy Collins
"Take Your Dead Ass Home"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
"How Do Yeaw View You?"
Vocals: George Clinton, Gary Shider, Gary "Mudbone" Cooper
Guitar: Gary Shider
Rating: GZ ** RC *** MM ***1/2
----------------------------------------------------------------
Comments:
GZ: I don't know why, but this album never did much for me, the
Undisco Kidd goes on for too long.
RC: The last Funkadelic Westbound album benefits from the singing
of Glen Goins, but greatly misses the guitar genius of Eddie
Hazel. The 'big 2' of this album, "Undisco Kidd" and "Take Your Dead
Ass Home" are more commercial than other Funkadelic songs, but that's
balanced by Bernie's keyboard/synth weirdness and Boogie & Bootsy's
rock-solid, meaty bass-playing. "Take Your Dead..." follows the same
idea started from the other dirty nursery rhymes in Funkadelic's bag,
"Loose Booty" and "Let's Take It To The Stage." "Undisco Kidd" mocks
the emergent disco scene while at the same time sounding danceable, in
a sleazy, seductive sort of way. Michael Hampton steps up on this
album, most notably on "Butt-To-Butt Resuscition." Glen Goins shines on
"I'm Never Gonna Tell It" later redone for Phillipe Wynne's solo album
on Uncle Jam Records. Lyrically, the most interesting song is "How Do
Yeaw View You?", a clever examination of narcissism. To me, the album
falls apart a little on the title track, one of the few Funkadelic
long-form jams that I don't like. I think that can be attributed to Eddie
Hazel's absence more than anything else. In general, the album's songs are
interesting but certainly not classics. It was recorded at around the
same time as _Hardcore Jollies_, and there was general confusion about
which songs would end up on which record. This album ended up with the
two most famous songs, but overall is more diffuse than _Hardcore Jollies._
MM: Follows well from _Let's Take It To The Stage_ in concept and
sound. The long title track is interesting, while "Take Your
Dead Ass Home" and "Undisco Kidd" are great. Darkhorse favorites
are "How Do Yeaw View You?" and the quick hitting "Let's Take It
To The People".
----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
_Funkadelic's Greatest Hits_ (1976)
Tracks Listing:
I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody's Got A Thing
I Wanna Know If It's Good To You
Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On {G Clinton}
Hit It And Quit It
Cosmic Slop
Can You Get To That
Loose Booty
Funky Dollar Bill
A Joyful Process
I'll Bet You
Rating: GZ *** RC ? MM ?
Comments:
GZ: There's about an album and a half of singles between _Best of
The Early Years_ and this one. I'd give _Greatest Hits_ the nod
for its glorious leering black sheep cover. Unfortunately there's
not much rhyme or reason to the selection, beyond the obvious hits.
The track ordering is random, without thematic or chronological
cohesion that I can see.
RC: See prior albums for track listings and personnel.
VW: It has an absolutely horrible mix of "Standing On the Verge of Getting
It On", which is attributed to Georgie-boy only. When I first heard the
version of "Standing On the Verge..." on this album, I just figured it was
an example of the less than modern recording techniques of the day. When I
bought the CD of "Standing On the Verge...", I was hella surprised to hear
the difference in the two mixes.
I'm not talking about CD vs. album sound quality issues. On the CD, the
three guitars are panned left, center, right. The drums are out front,
hittin' hard! On this album, the guitars are all hangin' around the 10
o'clock position and the drums are waaaaayy in the back- like the drums
sounded on early Funkadelic recordings.
After listening and trying to compare, there were very few songs on
_Funkadelic's Greatest Hits_ that varied from the originals- at least the
original 45's. I used _Music For Your Mother_ as the source of 45's after it
occurred to me that most of the songs on _... Greatest Hits_ were different
than the album cuts.
Of the ten songs on _Funkadelic's Greatest Hits_, only three stuck out:
"Standing On The Verge Of Gettin' It On", "Loose Booty", and "A Joyful
Process".
I first heard "Standing On ..." from _... Greatest Hits_ and they way it was
presented made me believe the problem was archaic recording techniques.
I said that the guitars seemed to hover around 10 o' clock, spatially
speaking. After listening again, it turns out that most every instrument
is panned dead-center with the exception of the bass. All three guitars are
in the center, so it's hard to pick them out, the drums are just wwaaaaayyyy
back there and the bass sounds as if it is out-of-phase. It seems to come
from the right, but.... It's hard for me to describe "out-of-phase", but
once you've been there, you know (I think).
Other than that, the edit is the same as the one on _Music For Your Mother_.
So, it's the 45 edit with a confusing, fouled up mix. Go figger.
"Loose Booty" is the same version as _Music For..._; a mostly mono mix with a
short version. On _America Eats Its Young_, "Loose Booty" is much longer
with a stereo mix which allows the Juice (sic) Harp to be heard clearly. The
Juice Harp is animated, with the harp going from left to right. In the mono
mix, the harp is barely audible.
Like "Loose Booty", "A Joyful Process" is a short, mono mix unlike on
_America Eats Its Young_. On both _Music For..._ and _America Eats..._,
there is a clavinet-clavinet or clavinet-guitar intro not present on
_Funkadelic's Greatest Hits_. Natch, the version on _America Eats..._ is
longer.
While comparing the songs on _Funkadelics's Greatest Hits_ to the originals
there were level differences and other small variations, but it could have
been because one of my sources was on lp and the other on cd, it might have
been because of engineering sloppiness, or I might have been drunk and tired,
so I let that small stuff be. I only worried about "obvious" differences.
----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Warner Brothers Transition Year:
------------------------------------
_Hardcore Jollies_ (1976)
Tracks:
Comin' Round the Mountain {G Clinton, Grace Cook} 5:56
Smokey {G Clinton, Garry Shider} 6:08
If You Got Funk, You Got Style {G Clinton, W Collins, B Worrell} 3:07
Hardcore Jollies {G Clinton, B Worrell} 5:01
Soul Mate {G Clinton, G Cook} 2:58
Cosmic Slop (Live) {G Clinton, B Worrell} 6:30
You Scared the Lovin' Outta Me {G Clinton, Glen Goins} 6:28
Adolescent Funk {G Clinton, B Worrell, Michael Hampton} 4:18
Personnel:
Vocals: George Clinton, Ray Davis, Fuzzy Haskins, Grady Thomas,
Calvin Simon, Garry Shider, Glen Goins
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton
Guitars: Garry Shider, Glen Goins
Keyboards: Bernie Worrell
Bass: Cordell Mosson
Drums: Jerome Brailey
Percussion on "Comin' Round the Mountain": Buddy Miles
"If You Got Funk..."
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Rating: GZ * RC *** MM ? MV: ****
Comments:
GZ: A transitional album as the gang moves to Warner Bros. Only
memorable thang is a live version of "Cosmic Slop".
RC: A consistently interesting, if unremarkable Funkadelic creation.
Notable for being the last album to feature the original Parliament
singing lineup, as Fuzzy Haskins bolted to notch out a couple of
solo albums, and Grady & Calvin didn't stick around either. Like
_Tales of Kidd Funkadelic_, recorded at roughly the same time, the
album lacks a consistent & coherent theme, and also suffers from the
absence of Eddie Hazel. But new Kidd Michael Hampton carves out some
excellent slices of funk here, showing off his chops more than on the
_Kidd Funkadelic_ album. "Comin' Round the Mountain", and "Hardcore
Jollies" are the best examples of Michael going off, and he's well
matched by Jerome Brailey thumping the skins. The riff to this song was
first heard as in Parliament's "Livin' The Life", and is still used
in concert today, often at the end of "Hit It & Quit It." The singing
on the album is one of its stronger points, with the sleaze-funk of
"Smokey" and "You Scared The Lovin' Outta Me." Clinton's vocals are
featured on two percussion-oriented tracks, "If You Got Funk..." and
"Soul Mate." 'I just want to kiss you on your...desire', delivered in
the sleazy manner that only Clinton can. The live version of "Cosmic Slop"
is sort of out of place, and not particularly well-mixed, but it's nice
to hear the 'Space People' intro and some good guitar work. The capper,
"Adolescent Funk", is the Bernie workout for the album, and it's a
good one, almost in the style of Parliament's "Night Of The
Thumpasorous Peoples".
This album was definitely Clinton starting to retrench and retool
a little bit, as he was starting up some of the P.Funk side acts,
like Bootsy's Rubber Band. In a sense, it can be considered the last
"true" Funkadelic album (despite the absence of Eddie Hazel), because
it has much of the lineup that produced those superb albums from 73-75.
Overall, it's a better listen than _Tales of Kidd Funkadelic_, but
there are no standout tracks. The Hampton guitar jams are the album's
best feature. Side 1 of the album is called "Osmosis Phase One" and
side 2 is called "Terribitus Phase Two."
MV: For _Hardcore Jollies_, a one-star rating is truly and profoundly
scandalous! Aside from the live version of "Cosmic Slop" (which is a
disappointment, I'll admit) every cut is excellent. Chock full of
excellent post-Hendrix R&B-inflected guitar playing and fantastic
singing, the LP is rightfully dedicated to the "guitar players of the
world". The transitional nature of the project does not mean a decline
in quality, rather it means that songwriting is varied and
fascinatingly quirky in its subject matter. As with _America_, this LP
is a true favorite among hardcore Funkadelic fans.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_The Best of the Early Years Volume One_ (1977)
Track Listing:
Cosmic Slop
Sexy Ways
Super Stupid
No Compute
I Can't Stand The Strain
Wake Up
Philmore
Funky Dollar Bill
Can You Get To That
I'll Bet You
Rating: GZ *** RC ? MM ?
Comment:
RC: Second Westbound greatest hits package, featuring no new material
or any different versions of previously released songs. Song info
and personnel can be found on the original album listings.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The High Warner Brothers Years
------------------------------
_One Nation Under A Groove_ (1977)
Tracks:
One Nation Under a Groove {G Clinton, G Shider, Walter Morrison} 7:28
Grooveallegiance {G Clinton, W Morrison, B Worrell} 6:59
Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?
{G Clinton, W Morrison, Michael Hampton} 6:17
Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo-Doo Chasers)
{G Clinton, Garry Shider, Linda Brown} 10:44
Into You {G Clinton, W Collins, W Morrison} 5:41
Cholly (Funk Getting Ready to Roll) {W Collins, W Morrison, G Clinton} 4:25
Lunchmeatophobia (Think!...It Ain't Illegal Yet!) {G Clinton, B Worrell} 4:11
P.E. Squad/DooDoo Chasers ("Going All-The-Way Off" Instrumental)
{G Clinton, G Shider, L Brown} 4:17
Maggot Brain (Live) {G Clinton, Eddie Hazel} 8:28
Personnel ("Funkadelic Main Invasion Force"):
Throbasonic Funkgeetarists: Gary Shider, Mike 'Kidd Funkadelic' Hampton
Banjo'd Muthaplucker: Bobby Lewis
Avatarian: Mike Hampton
Keybo'Dans & Synthezoidees: Bernie 'DaVinci' Worrell & Walter 'Junie' Morrison
Rotofunkic Drum & Percussion-atin' Thumdans: Tyrone Lampkin,
W. Bootsy Collins, Jerome Brailey & Larry Fratangelo
Bass Thumpasaurians: Cordell 'Boogie' Mosson, Rodney 'Skeet' Curtis,
William 'Bootsy' Collins
Funkadelic Blamgusta Vocaloids (Voices For Da Nation!):
Raymond (Stingray) Davis, Lynn Mabry, Ron Ford, Dawn Silva, Debbie Wright,
Gary 'Dowop' Shider, Jeanette Washington, Mallia Franklin,
W. 'Junie' Morrison, Cordell Mosson, George Clinton & Greg Thomas
Rating: GZ ***** RC ***** MM *****
Comments:
RC: _One Nation_ may be the best album of the last twenty years.
The addition of keyboardist and songwriting mad genius Junie
Morrison reinvigorated Funkadelic, as he cowrote almost every cut.
His presence is indelibly stamped on this album, regarded by many
as Funkadelic's greatest. Michael Hampton also shows his full
maturity as Funkadelic's chief guitarist, shining on all-out
guitar assaults ("Who Says A Funk Band...") to more delicate, almost
jazzy work ("Grooveallegiance"). The album is a smorgasborg of different
styles, with dance floor workouts, peerless funky rock, bizarre freakouts,
grinding instrumentals, and much more. It starts off with #1 hit
"One Nation", a somewhat commercial but still superb dance classic.
It combines great singing with clever polyrhythms. The jazzy, clever
"Grooveallegiance" follows, with a brilliant, understated Hampton solo
intermeshing with new bassist Rodney "Skeet" Curtis' smooth grooves and
Junie's funky keyboards. "Who Says A Funk Band..." acts as a kick-in-the-
ass rocker, with clever lyrics hidden in the guitar-propelled stew.
The utterly inexplicable Funkadelic take on all things scatological,
"Promentalshit..." follows, with Clinton punning on and on, removing
'constipated notions.' Don't forget, 'Fried ice cream is a reality.'
Ray Davis takes a rare turn at lead vocals, making "Into You" a brilliant
declaration of separation from the sickness of society. "Cholly" is
one of those amazing self-referential funk anthems that is again
brought up to a higher level by great lyrics and solid bass playing.
Returning to more traditional Funkadelic roots, the band gets into a
sharp guitar-driven chant, "Think! It Ain't Illegal Yet." This is the first
tune that appears on the extended play 45" that came with the record but
now comes on the CD. The next is a redundant but harmless instrumental
version of "Promentalshit...". The album is capped by a frantic version
of "Maggot Brain", performed by Michael Hampton. It fits well into the
album's context.
This is an unusual brand of theme album, in that the theme is fairly
loose, yet helps all of the songs mesh into a coherent whole. Essentially,
it's a declaration of Funk interdependence. The call is out to be freed
from old notions, old stereotypes (musical and otherwise), and the decay of
society. Funk is declaring its own power and seceding from the rest
of society, forming One Nation Under A Groove, where everyone can do
their own thang. Only by keeping an open mind can this be accomplished.
The concept, to one degree or another, is present on all of the tracks,
but you're not beat over the head with it the way many "concept" albums
might. Instead, each song can be appreciated just as much by itself than
with the rest of the album.
_One Nation_ was P.Funk at the height of its empire. Most of the side-
groups had released material, and the musicians in question were pumping
out hours and hours of music in the studio. This would eventually water
down the music, but not here. The clarity and coherence of the album's
vision owes a lot to Junie Morrison, ex-member of the Ohio Players,
whose eclectically bizarre yet funky solo albums showed that he was a
perfect fit for P.Funk. Michael Hampton's talent also brought the
album to a new level, with a number of clever pieces that were well-placed
in the guitar tradition of Funkadelic.
GZ: Here Funkadelic reaches its glorious peak; guitars, bass,
rhythm, and horns come together with serious lyrics to make a
killer dancefloor combination. _One Nation_ is solid gold, from
the anthemic title track, with it's accompanying latin-feel
"Grooveallegiance", "PromentalShitBackWashPsychosisEnemaSquad",
and statements of purpose "Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock"
and "Cholly". The album used to come with a bonus 7" that had
killer live versions of "Maggot Brain" and "Think! It Ain't
Illegal Yet".
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Uncle Jam Wants You_ (1979)
Track Listing:
Freak of the Week {G Clinton, P Bishop, DeWayne McKnight} 5:32
(not just) Knee Deep {G Clinton, Jr} 15:19
Uncle Jam {G Clinton, Garry Shider, B Worrell, W Collins} 10:24
Field Maneuvers {D Clinton, D Clinton} 2:24
Holly Wants to Go to California {G Clinton, B Worrell} 4:24
Foot Soldiers (Star Spangled Funky) {G Clinton, Jim Vitti} 3:32
Personnel ("Funkadelic Rescue Dance Band"):
Guitars ("Axe Force"): Michael "Kidd Funkadelic" Hampton, Gary
"DooWop" Shider, Eddie "Maggot Brain" Hazel
Keyboards ("Keyboard Battlecruisers"): Bernie (U.S.S. Woo!) Worrell,
J.S. Theracon
Drums ("Uncle Jam's Drum and Wiggle Corps"): Tyrone "Speedfeet" Lampkin,
Larry Fratangelo
Bass ("Bass Anti-Flam Units"): Rodney "Skeet" Curtis, Cordell "Boogie" Mosson
Vocals ("Vocal Assault & Funkatition Team"): Uncle Jam Clinton,
Gary "DooWop" Shider, Larry "Sir Nose" Heckstall, Sheila Horn,
Ron "Prophet" Ford, Jeanette McGruder, Dawn Silva, Michael "Clip" Payne,
Greg Thomas, & Ray "Stingray" Davis
Additional Musicians:
Gtr: William Collins, Dewayne McKnight & Glen Goins
Bass: Billy Nelson, William Collins & Jeff Bunn
Kbrd: Junie Morrison, Gary Hudgins & Gerome Rogers
Drm: Tiki Fulwood, William Collins & Dennis Chambers
Back Vcl: Linda Brown, Jessica Cleaves, Mallia Franklin, Philippe
Wynne, Lige Curry, James Wesley, Greg Boyer & Gerome Rogers
"(not just) Knee Deep"--doowops: Phillip Wynne
"Uncle Jam"--lead vocal: Phillip Wynne
Rating: GZ ****1/2 RC ****1/2 MM ****1/2
Comments:
GZ: _Uncle Jam_ is a solid continuation with the title
track and "Field Manoevres". Side One is a killer with "Not
Just Knee Deep" and "Freak of the Week", I take off half a star,
'cos I can't stand "Holly Wants To Go To California". Ballads
were never a P-Funk's strong suit.
MM: "(Not Just) Knee Deep" is probably my favorite Funkadelic
track clocking in at over 15 minutes. "Freak Of The Week" is a
grand groove also. "Uncle Jam" and "Field Manoevres" are decent too.
RC: The cracks in Funkadelic's armor start to show a little here,
with an album that attempts to continue the "One Nation" theme,
militarizing it a bit. The problems start when half of the album
consists of two dance songs that have little to do with the rest
of the record. The cover of the album says that Funkadelic is
'rescuing dance music from the blahs', and the double shot of
"Freak Of The Week" and "(not just) Knee Deep" do just that. Superior
bass playing and drumming propel songs that are repetitive vocally,
sometimes to the point of distraction. It's difficult to listen to
the middle portion "Knee Deep" sometimes, where the chorus keeps
repeating 'something about the music'" This is less of an issue on the
dance floor, but part of Funkadelic's greatness was producing music that
you could dance to madly, but still sit down and listen to it intently,
enjoying the music's subtleties. Still, that song has everything
but the disco's sink in there, with great drumming by Bootsy, an
amazing scat solo by new Funkadelic Philippe Wynne, and perhaps Michael
Hampton's greatest solo. The song also has a sense of humor, another
pleasing contrast to the rest of what passed for dance music at the
time, and even now. 'Oh no, not the moose!' The credit for "Knee Deep"
went to George Clinton Jr, and the story supposedly goes that GC, Sr
gave him a credit as a graduation present. I have heard others say
that this story isn't true, so take it with a grain of uncut salt.
"Uncle Jam" picks up on side two, one of Funkadelic's funniest, funkiest,
groovin'ist songs. The rhythms are extremely complicated but still
very danceable--truly, it was the opposite of disco. Wynne picks up the
lyrics again as the world's funkiest 'thrill sergeant', telling us 'I know
it's early, but you gotta get down.' It weaves in traditional U.S. army march
calls and tunes seamlessly with the funk. Unfortunately, the rest of
the side smacks suspiciously of being some hastily assembled studio
leftovers, tasty as they are. "Foot Soldiers" and "Field Maneuvers"
are basically excuses for Michael Hampton to get off once again, and
he's the clear highlight of those songs. One of the strangest
Funkadelic entries, the piano bar ballad "Holly Wants To Go...", sticks
out like a sore thumb but is loads of fun anyway. Hearing Clinton very
much alone out there, cracks in his voice in all, is a great moment.
The atmosphere of that song, with an "audience" mumbling to themselves
in the background, adds to the nice flavor of the song.
The real problem with this album are the lyrics, which are disappointing
when compared to _One Nation_. The nature of Funkadelic's talent is
that they could come up with an album that's so entertaining (with more
than a few classic moments) in such a rush. But I think the concept
could have been better served with a bit more attention to singing
and lyrics. Still and all, this is an important album, and it should
be recognized as a big piece in the funk puzzle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Warner Brothers Finale:
---------------------------
_The Electric Spanking of War Babies_ (1981)
Tracks:
The Electric Spanking of War Babies
{G Clinton, Bob Bishop, Walter Morrison} 8:45
Electro-Cuties {Ron Ford, J Ali, G Clinton} 6:13
Funk Gets Stronger (Part I) {Michael Hampton, G Clinton} 6:46
Brettino's Bounce {Larry Fratangelo} 3:39
Funk Gets Stronger (Killer Millimeter Longer Version)
{Sylvester Stewart, G Clinton} 4:26
She Loves You {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} :16
Shockwaves {Ron Dunbar, DeWayne McKnight} 5:10
Oh, I {Rodney Curtis, Garry Shider, G Clinton} 4:55
Icka Prick {G Shider, G Clinton} 4:11
Personnel:
"Electric Spanking"
Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Drums: Walter Morrison
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton
"Electro-Cuties"
Bass: Jimmie Ali
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton, Jerome Ali
Rhythm Guitar: Gordon Carlton
Drums: Kenny Colton
"Funk Gets Stronger I"
Bass: Lige Curry
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton
Rhythm G, Bass & Moog: Roger Troutman
Drums: Tyrone Lampkin
Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
Trumpet: Cynthia Robinson
Saxophone: Pat Rizzo
"Brettino's Bounce"
Drums/Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
"Funk Gets Stronger II"
Lead Guitar: Eddie Hazel
Rhythm G, Keyboards, Synth: Sly Stone
Trumpet: Cynthia Robinson
Sax: Pat Rizzo
Drums: Sly Stone
"Shockwaves"
Bass: Lige Curry
Guitar: DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight
Drums: Kenny Colton
Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
"Oh, I"
Bass: Rodney "Skeet" Curtis
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton, Jerome Ali
Keyboards: Marion Saulsby
Rhythm G: Gordon Carlton, Gary Shider
Drums: Tyrone Lampkin
Sax: Michael Brecker
"Icka Prick"
Bass: Lige Curry
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton
Rhythm G: Gary Shider
Moog & Keyboards: David Lee Chong
Rating: GZ ? RC ****1/2 MM ***
Comments:
GZ: Haven't listened to this for years, memory blank. The
original Pedro Bell album cover was censored. That P-Funk
issue of _Motor Booty_ magazine sometime last year has a black
and white rendition.
RC: A superb album, with the newer, younger funk lineup
(Blackbyrd McKnight, Ron Dunbar, Ron Ford, Donnie Sterling, Lige
Curry, etc). This was originally scheduled to be a double album,
with tracks like "Atomic Dog" and "I Angle" on it, but Warner Bros.
vetoed that idea. It's tough to imagine it being stretched out that
far, because the album is a very diffuse collection of styles, which
might have been hard to swallow with many more songs. Instead, it's
a great selection of ideas and new artists, with every track bringing
its own surprises. "Electric Spanking..." is a Junie extravaganza,
with Michael Hampton doing the guitar intro. Another dance track in
the vein of "Knee Deep", this one examines the baby boomer generation
and the things they've seen. "Electro-Cuties" is a clever, pun-filled
song playing on electromagnetism and sexual attraction. Great bass
playing by Jimmie Ali here. "Funk Gets Stronger I" has a great
rhythm guitar line set up by future Zapp frontman Roger Troutman. It
also features a nice, dirty horn riff and some great singing. It's just
a very funky track, with great interplay between the guitar and basslines.
"Brettino's Bounce" is a fun percussion instrumental, unique amongst
Funkadelic songs. Better yet, it fits perfectly in the flow of songs,
much the same way "Nappy Dugout" does on _Cosmic Slop_. "Funk Gets
Stronger II" is a rollicking, powerful funk free-for-all. New Funkadelic
Sly Stone teams up with Eddie Hazel to put together a track that wouldn't
be out of place on an early Funkadelic album. George is having a great
time doing his rap here, and Sly shines lyrically and musically, singing
in a raspy, funky whisper. The same dirty horn riff on the first version
of this song pops up again here. A snippet of the Beatles' "She Loves
You" can be heard at the end of the song, sung by Funkadelic. "Shockwaves"
is a bizarre reggae-funk composition by new guitar hero Blackbyrd McKnight
and late-period P.Funk contributor Ron Dunbar, again with funny lyrics
to back up the music. That slides into a soul-dance number, "Oh, I"
that features great singing. The Funkadelic story ends with the immortal
"Icka Prick", a song every bit as nasty and funny as "Mommy, What's
A Funkadelic", the first song on the first album. "Icka Prick" features
an unforgettable, hilariously obscene rap by George Clinton, backed by
another great Hampton lick and some great backup singing. Similar in
nature to Blowfly's outrageousness, it was certainly a pre-cursor to
hardcore hip-hop's nastiness, but with a much better sense of humor.
'You ain't seen obscene yet!'...'...doing pushups with his clit'...
'graffilthy! Suck my mind!'...
The album overcomes the absence of Bernie Worrell with great
performances by the young musicians. The material is fresh and fun,
and lots of it is reminiscient of earlier Funkadelic material without
being derivative. The album succeeds because Clinton isn't trying
to milk a formula here; instead, he's allowing people to do their
own thing. At its best, Funkadelic was a lab for musical experimentation,
and it's alive and well on their final release.
The CD reissue of the album features the original cover. It shows
a shapely young woman who's about to get spanked by a penis-and-balls
shaped machine. As George would say, 'There's nothing wrong with that!"
MM: This one also grows on me-especially the "Funk Gets Stronger"'s.
The title track and "Oh I" are weak. "Icka Prick" is great. Notice
the drum machine used on this album.
_________________________________________________________________
The Anti-George Funkadelic
--------------------------
_Connections and Disconections_ (1981)
_Who's A Funkadelic?_ (1992)
Tracks:
PhunkLords
{Clarence Haskins, Billy Mims, Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas, Ben Powers} 5:32
You'll Like It Too {C Haskins, C Simon, G Thomas, Michael Williams} 4:27
The Witch {C Haskins, Johnson, C Simon, G Thomas, Betty Jo Drake} 9:29
Shade I: The Proclafunktion
Shade II: The Infunktation
Shade III: The Celefunktion
Connections and Disconnections
{Stanley, Geter, C Haskins, B Mims, C Simon, G Thomas} 5:00
Come Back {C Haskins, C Simon, G Thomas, B Mims, B Powers} 4:28
Call the Doctor {BJ Drake, C Haskins, B Mims, C Simon, G Thomas} 5:12
Who's A Funkadelic {C Haskins, B Mims, C Simon, G Thomas} 5:47
Personnel:
Vocals: Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas, Michael Williams,
Billy Mims, Ben Powers, Jr; Johnny Quad Riley
Percussion: Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas
Drums: Ben Powers, Jr
Clavinet: Billy Mims
Guitar: Michael Williams, Billy Mims
Keyboard: Stan Thorn, Michael Williams, Johnny Quad Wiley
Bass: Ken Blackmon; Ben Powers, Jr
Background Vocals: Dede Dickerson, Ngoh Spencer, Vicky Randal,
Betty Jo Drake
Review: GZ: ? RC: * MM: ?
Comments:
GZ: I suspect this is a contractual obligation album. Clinton
disavowed it.
RC: This was the revenge album of Grady Thomas, Fuzzy Haskins,
and Calvin Simon. They mostly wrote about how greedy George was,
and proceeded to be not very funky themselves. For completists.
It was rereleased in 1992 under a different title, possibly to
try and cash in on some of the new wave of Parliament popularity.
Now there's an original Parliaments reunion album in the works.
Grady is actually back singing with the All-Stars, Fuzzy is a preacher
who has talked about getting back with George, but no one I've
talked to knows what Calvin is up to.
On the cover of the album, it says, "none of the concepts
on this album are related to George Clinton", and that may be
what kills it. Say what you will about Clinton's actual contribution
to the music of Funkadelic, but without his concepts and ideas,
none of this would have gotten off the ground. The proof is here,
when three important Parliaments try and work without him, and the
result is mostly mediocre. Not awful, mind you--it's certainly
competent enough, and the band they put together is pretty good--
but the vibe that existed on those P.Funk albums just isn't here.
They sound like just another funk group; worse, they sound like one
that had used up most of their good ideas already. The trio of
ex-Parliaments sound very bitter about being used by George, and
perhaps they had every right to be, but it didn't make for a great
album.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Music For Your Mother: Funkadelic 45's_ (1992)
Music For My Mother {G Clinton, Billy Nelson, Eddie Hazel} 5:17
Music For My Mother (Instrumental) {G Clinton, B Nelson, E Hazel} 6:13
Can't Shake It Loose {G Clinton, J Barnes, R McCoy, J Jackson} 2:28
As Good As I Can Feel 2:32
I'll Bet You 3:57
Qualify and Satisfy {G Clinton, E Hazel, B Nelson} 3:01
Open Our Eyes {L Lumkins} 4:01
I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody's Got A Thing 2:59
Fish, Chips and Sweat {G Clinton, B Nelson, E Hazel} 2:59
I Wanna Know If It's Good To You 2:51
I Wanna Know If It's Good To You (Instrumental)
{G Clinton, B Nelson, E Hazel, Clarence Haskins} 3:09
You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks 3:48
Funky Dollar Bill 3:06
Can You Get to That 2:49
Back In Our Minds 2:39
I Miss My Baby {C Haskins} 4:18
Baby I Owe You Something Good {G Clinton} 3:50
Hit It and Quit It 2:46
A Whole Lot of BS {G Clinton, B Worrell} 2:11
Loose Booty 3:13
A Joyful Process 3:25
Cosmic Slop 3:22
If You Don't Like the Effects, Don't Produce the Cause 3:33
Standing On the Verge of Getting It On 3:18
Jimmy's Got a Little Bit of Bitch in Him 2:29
Red Hot Mama {G Clinton, E Hazel, B Worrell} 3:27
Vital Juices {G Clinton} 3:25
Better By the Pound 2:42
Stuffs and Things 2:12
Let's Take It To the Stage 3:20
Biological Speculation 3:08
Undisco Kidd 4:11
How Do Yeaw View You? 3:42
Review: RC: ***** MM: ?
Comments:
RC: Credits listed only for songs not appearing on prior albums, or if
they differ slightly from the album versions. Times are listed when
they are different from the album versions. This is a superb set,
with many shorter versions of well-known songs, plus many songs
available only as B-Sides, and thus impossible to find today. Fantastic
liner notes that have helped this discography immeasurably. Indispensible.
The single versions of many songs are interesting, particularly the
early Funkadelic songs. They tended to suffer a bit from overlength,
so paring them down really adds to their impact.
The set contains many interesting goodies. Foremost amongst them is
"Vital Juices", the b-side of "Red Hot Mama", which is a great continuation
of the jam for that song. The jam just gets hotter as it goes along.
A lot of the songs are early Funkadelic thangs, including a number of
Motownish numbers like "Can't Shake It Loose" and "I Miss My Baby."
There's a band jam called "As Good As I Can Feel", a slow groove called
"Fish, Chips and Sweat", and a nasty uptempo number called "A Whole
Lot of BS". Some of these are very obviously b-side throwaways, but
they're all interesting. All Westbound needs to do now is release a
live Funkadelic album from the early 70's, and we'll be all set!
This is a great place to start a Funkadelic collection, as it contains
most of the essential songs. However, the longer, instrumental pieces
were left off, which is certainly a huge void in the Funkadelic story.
If you pick up only this set, you should pick up _Maggot Brain_ and
_One Nation Under A Groove_ along with it. This will provide a nicely
balanced idea of what the band is all about.
MV: _Music For Your Mother_ is excellent and also contains very
informative annotation. However, it does not include any songs from
the band's four Warner Bros. releases.
______________________________________________________________________________
_The Best of Funkadelic: 1976-1981_ (1994)
One Nation Under A Groove
Cholly (Funk Getting Ready to Roll)
Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock
Comin' Round the Mountain
Smokey
Cosmic Slop (live)
Electric Spanking of War Babies
Funk Gets Stronger (Part I)
(not just) Knee Deep (Part I) 4:36
Uncle Jam (edit) 6:00
Icka Prick
Rating: RC: ?
Comments:
RC: A worthy companion piece to MFYM, although no sound improvements
have been made. Of interest are the shorter versions of the two big
hits from _Uncle Jam Wants You_. Has a lot of highlights from _One
Nation_, but doesn't compare to owning the actual thing. Does a good
job getting the most important cuts from the other Warner albums,
although I might have suggested "Hardcore Jollies" over the live "Cosmic
Slop."
The shorter versions of "Uncle Jam" and "Knee Deep" are somewhat
interesting, although "Knee Deep" is basically the same thing as
the album, only faded before the guitar solo.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Hardcore Funk Jam_ (1994)
Track Listing:
Uncle Jam
Oh, I
Groovalleigance
You Scared The Loving Out Of Me
Funk Gets Stronger/She Loves You (Killer millameter longer version)
Freak Of The Week
Into You
Electro-Cuties
If You Got Funk, You Got Style
One Nation Under A Groove
Comment:
RC: This is another greatest hits set for the Funkadelic Warner Bros.
years. The song selection is not as good as as the other album of
this nature, _The Best of Funkadelic: 1976-81_. None of the songs
on here are any different from the original album version, either.
For completists only. Song credits and times can be found on
the listings for the original albums.