Funkadelic
Band members Related acts
- Bill Bass - - Jason Braley - drums, percussion - Gary Bronson - drums (1974) - Ron Bykowski - guitar - Jimmy Calhoun - bass (1974) - George Clinton - vocals - Bootsy Collins - bass, vocals - Gary Cooper - - Raymond 'Sting Ray' Davis - bass, vocals - Glenn Goins - vocals, keyboards (1976) - R. Tiki Fulwood - drums, percussion - Mike Hammonds - guitar - Michael Hampton - guitar (1976) - Clarence Haskins - vocals (1974-) - Eddie Hazel - guitar - Tyrone Lampkin - percussion (1973) - Reggie McBride - - Cordell Boogie Mosson - bass, vocals - Leon Patillio - keybaords (1974) - Garry Shider - guitar, vocals - Cool Cal Simon - vocals, percussion - Grady Thomas - vocals (1974) - Paul Warren - - Bernie Worrelll - keyboards, vocals
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Genre: funk Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Cosmic Slop Company: Westbound Catalog: WB 2022 Year: 1973 Country/State: -- Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: gatefold sleeve; small tear on front cover Available: 1 GEMM catalog ID: 4338 Price: $25.00 Cost: $66.00
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1973's "Cosmic Slop" won't disappoint the converted, but at the same time, it's unlikely to attract new legions of fans ... Musically the set's kind of schizophrenic in that it's divided between a series of fairly conventional soul numbers ('Let's Make It Last' and 'Can't Stand the Strain') and a more activist agenda. At least to my ears this album's kind of a revelation in that Clinton and company take on some surprisingly social and political stances. 'March of the Witch's Castle' seems inspired by the recent release of the Vietnam POWs and the problems of readjustment their facing, the extended title track (one of their hardest rockers and an in-concert staple) seems to be a eulogy to a broken family, and "Trash A Go-Go" is apparently the story of a guy on trial for pimping his girlfriend. Geez, George Clinton is such a goofball. Why would he start an album off with one of the collection's least interesting tracks - in this case the throwaway 'Nappy Dugout'? Oh well, it doesn't really matter since the rest of the set is so much more impressive. (This is also the first Funkadelic release to featured Pedro Bell's instantly recognizable art work.)
"Cosmic Slop" track listing: 1.) Nappy Dugout {George Clinton - Garry Shider - Cordell Mosson} - 4:33 2.) You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure {George Clinton - Sidney Barnes} - 3:03 3.) March to the Witch's Castle {George Clinton} - 5:59 4.) Let's Make It
Last {George Clinton - Eddie Hazel} - 4:08 (side 2) 1.) Cosmic Slop {George Clinton - Bernie Worrell} - 5:17 2.) No Compute {George Clinton - Garry Shider} - 3:03 3.) This Broken Heart {W. Franklin} - 3:37 4.) Trash A-Go-Go {George Clinton} - 2:25 5.) Can't Stand the Strain {George Clinton - Eddie Hazel} - 3:27
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Genre: funk Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Standing On the Verge of Getting It On Company: Westbound Catalog: WB 1001 Year: 1974 Country/State: -- Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 GEMM catalog ID: 4358 Price: $30.00
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One of the things about a Funkadelic album (or any George Clinton product for that matter), is you never know what you're going to get. This time around Clinton and the extended Funkadelic family surprise by turning in a near classic rock effort. Yes, I said rock album. Propelled by Eddie Hazel's sizzling guitar, "Standing On the Verge of Getting It On" may be the closest Clinton and company have ever come to recording a rock album. Starting with the blazing 'Red Hot Mamma' (a remake of a track from Parliament's "Osmium" album), through the extended closing sermon 'Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts' the album seldom lets up. Guitarist Hazel is clearly the star this time around. On material such as 'Alice In My Fantasies', 'Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts' and the title track he turns in molten leads that would shame most rock players. Elsewhere, if I'm not mistaken the pretty, old school-ish ballad 'I'll Stay' is another Parliament remake.
(In case anyone cares, the Grace Cook who co-wrote three of the selections was actually Hazel's mother. The theory is that Hazel either wanted to ensure a small source of income for his mother, or he was trying to avoid tax on the resulting royalties.)
"Standing
On the Verge of Getting It On" track listing: 1.) Red Hot Momma (George Clinton) - 4:56 2.) Alice In My Fantasies (George Clinton - Eddie Hazel) - 2:30 3.) I'll Stay (George Clinton - Eddie Hazel) -7:18 4.) Sexy
Ways (George Clinton - Grace Cook) - 3:08 (side 2) 1.) Standing On the Verge Of Getting It On (George Clinton - Grace Cook) - 5:10 2.) Jimmy's Got a Little Bitch Bitch In Him (George Clinton - Grace Cook) - 2:33 3.) Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts (George Clinton - Eddie Hazel) -12:17
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Genre: funk Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Let's Take It To the Stage Company: Westbound Catalog: W-215 Year: 1975 Country/State: -- Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: gatefold sleeve; promo sticker on back side Available: 1 GEMM catalog ID: 4324 Price: $25.00 Cost: $66.00
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Clearly George Clinton and the Funkadelic/Parliament family are not for everyone. I'll admit that there are plenty of times when I don't want to get within a mile of their catalog. That said, 1975's "Let's Take It To the Stage" stands as a wonderful example of what makes them simultaneously a great band and one of music's biggest frustrations.
I guess if I had
to explain why this is one of my favorite Funkadelic sets it would have
something to do with the fact tracks like 'Better By the
Pound' and the title track (with its slaps at other bands - 'Fool and the
Gang, 'Earth, Hot Air and No Fire', 'Slick and the Family Brick')
found Clinton and company largely abandoning their earlier love of extended
jams in favor of shorter, somewhat more commercial song structures. That and
the fact guitarist Garry Shider turned in some killer fuzz guitar
leads. Anyone doubting these guys could rock need only check out the
blazing opener 'Good To
Your Earhole' or 'Get Off
Your Ass and Jam' (the latter guaranteed to never get within a mile of
commercial radio). The album also has it's requisite set of
goofiness. Check out Bootsy's 'Be My Beach', the hysterically
inappropriate 'No Head, No
Backstage Pass', or Bernie Worrell's extended keyboard meltdown
'Atmosphere'. By the way, in case anyone wondered, 'G. Cook' was
apparently a pseudonym for Eddie Hazel. 1.) Good To Your Earhole (George Clinton - Cook - Clarence Haskins) - 4:30 2.) Better By the Pound (George Clinton - Cook) - 2:40 3.) Be My Beach (George Clinton - Bootsy Collins - Bernie Worrell) - 2:35 4.) No Head, No Backstage Pass (Ron Bykowski - George Clinton) - 2:36 5.) Let's Take It to the Stage (George Clinton - Bootsy Collins - Garry Shider) - 3:32 6.) Get Off
Your Ass and Jam (George Clinton) - 2:00 (side 2) 1.) Baby I We You Something Good (George Clinton) - 5:43 2.) Stuffs and Things (George Clinton - Cook) - 2:11 3.) The Song Is Familiar (George Clinton - Bootsy Collins - Bernie Worrell) -3:05 4.) Atmosphere (George Clinton - Garry Shider - Bernie Worrell - 7:05
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Genre: funk Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Tales of Kidd Funkadelic Company: Westbound Catalog: W-227 Year: 1976 Country/State: -- Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 GEMM catalog ID: 4335 Price: $20.00
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1976's "Tales of Kidd Funkadelic" tends to get slammed by critics, but once you know the album's history, that becomes understandable.
The basic story is one you've probably heard dozens of times before. In 1976 George Clinton ended his longstanding business relationship with Westbound Records. With Clinton and company moving over to Warner Brothers, Westbound executives wasted no time in rummaging through their corporate vaults to identify previously unreleased material - much of it apparently recorded and discarded during the "Hardcore Jollies" sessions. Released with little or no participation from Clinton, the album pulled together a rather haphazard collection of seven previously unreleased efforts. In terms of quality, the set was all over the spectrum, ranging from the seeming endless instrumental title track (basically Bernie Worrell noodling away on synthesizers for some 12 minutes) to the all too short rocker 'Let's Take It To the People'. I'm not sure there's a true standout here, but if forced to pick I'd say check out 'How Do Yeaw View You?' and the vaguely reggae flavored 'I'm Never Gonna Tell It' (which The Spinners' Phillipe Wynne redid on his first solo album).
"Tales of Kidd Funkadelic" track listing: 1.) Butt-to-Butt Resuscitation (George Clinton - Eddie Hazel - Bernie Worrell) - 3:51 2.) Let's Take It To the People (George Clinton - Eddie Hazel - Garry Shider) - 1:48 3.) Undisco Kid (George Clinton - Bootsy Collins - Bernie Worrell) - 7:16 4.) Take Your Dead
Ass Home! (Say Som'n Nasty) (George Clinton - Goins - Garry
Shider - Bernie Worrell) - 7:16 (side 2) 1.) I'm Never Gonna Tell It (George Clinton - Bernie Worrell) - 3:29 2.) Tales of Kidd Funkadelic (Opusdelite Years) (instrumental) (George Clinton - Bernie Worrell) - 12:52 3.) How Do Yeaw View You? (George Clinton - Bootsy Collins - Bernie Worrell) - 3:40
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