Funkadelic was the brainchild of the Star Child: George Clinton, the man most would consider the godfather of funk music. Clinton was the founding member of The Parliaments, who later under the name Parliament was responsible for the deepest, funkiest dance grooves of the 1970s including “Flashlight”, “Give Up The Funk”, and “Aqua Boogie”, songs that later fueled the rise of West Coast Hip-Hop via sampling (imagine what Dr. Dre’s The Chronic or Digital Underground’s Sex Packets would have been without Clinton’s funk leading the way). While Parliament’s bass and horn-heavy grooves was made for the dance floor, Funkadelic (at least in it’s earliest incarnations) was trippy, electric guitar laden, heavy, psychedelic funk. The albums were filled with wild imagery and many songs contained a deeper social consciousness and were often darker than what would be found on a Parliament record. Although towards the end of the band’s run in the 70s, albums from both outfits would become fairly indistinguishable from one another. What follows is my list of the top ten songs from Funkadelic. It is not based on record sales or anything like that. Funkadelic was a band that blew my mind when I was a teen. I took those hip-hop samples that I heard on the radio and dug deeper and deeper until I found the source, and I was never the same. Put simply, these are the ten Funkadelic songs that you need to hear:
Song: I Bet You
Album: Funkadelic (1970)
Funkadelic’s debut album throws out some rootsy, down home funk and R&B;, with strains of some of the Motown soul that the Parliaments were doing. It might seem a bit subdued in light of what was to follow on subsequent albums, but this is the goods. Even the Jackson 5 covered it in on their ABC album.
Song: I Wanna Know If It’s Good To You
Album: Free Your Mind… And Your Ass Your Follow (1970)
Searing electric soul from the band’s sophomore release featuring a great tandem vocal from guitarist Eddie Hazel and bassist Billy “Bass” Nelson. Look for the reissued version of the album that vastly improves the sound quality over previous versions.
Song: Maggot Brain
Album: Maggot Brain (1971)
At ten minutes and twenty seconds long, Maggot Brain is Hazel’s finest moment. His song-length solo takes you from sadness to exhilaration like few others have done since.
Song: Hit It and Quit It
Album: Maggot Brain (1971)
“You can shake to the east and to the west”. You’ll be humming that for days after listening to this raucous third track from Maggot Brain. Hammond organ abound and a blazing guitar solo from Hazel caps off the song.
Song: Super Stupid
Album: Maggot Brain (1971)
It’s about a not-so-smart drug buyer, but the lyrical content takes a back seat to the heavy riffs, Bernie Worrell’s work on the organ, and a wild solo from Hazel. For a fresh take, track down Audioslave’s version.
Song: Cosmic Slop
Album: Cosmic Slop (1973)
Serious subject matter (a mother turning to prostitution to earn enough money to feed her children) turned into a soulful, unforgettable record by vocalist Garry Shider.
Song: Standing On the Verge of Getting It On
Album: Standing On the Verge of Getting It On (1974)
Freewheeling funk-rock featuring a catchy call-and-response chant on one of Funkadelic’s strongest albums. The song features one of George Clinton’s well known squiggly voiced, inappropriate song introductions to remind you not to take the proceedings too seriously.
Song: Red Hot Momma
Album: Standing on the Verge of Getting It On (1974)
A dirty groove about a “red hot momma from Louisiana” who has been “cooped up too long”. The song is infectious. It’s a killer. Fans of the band Widespread Panic have been treated to covers of this track during their live shows.
Song: One Nation Under A Groove
Album: One Nation Under A Groove (1978)
“One nation under a groove, gettin’ down just for the funk of it.” The title track from what many consider to be Funkadelic’s greatest album. As the opening tune on the album, the song sets the table beautifully for what is to follow.
Song: (Not Just) Knee Deep
Album: Uncle Jam Wants You (1979)
If you want the party to get jumping, throw on “Knee Deep”. At over fifteen minutes, it’s too long for solitary listening, but among friends or happy strangers, you can’t do any better.
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funkadelic
The Motherpage:
http://www.duke.edu/~tmc/pfunk.html
George Clinton:
http://www.georgeclinton.com/site/
