Released February 24, 1970 Producer George Clinton | Length 46:37 Release date 24 February 1970 | |
 | ||
Recorded 1968-1969 in Tera Shirma Sound Studios, Detroit, Michigan Similar Maggot Brain, Standing on the Verge of, One Nation Under a Groove, Free Your Mind and Your Ass, Cosmic Slop | ||
Funkadelic funkadelic 1970 full album
Funkadelic is the debut album by the American funk band Funkadelic, released in 1970 on Westbound Records.
Contents
- Funkadelic funkadelic 1970 full album
- Funkadelic maggot brain full album
- Music and lyrics
- Reception and legacy
- Track listing
- Personnel
- Songs
- References
Funkadelic maggot brain full album
Music and lyrics
The album showcases a strong bass and rhythm section, as well as lengthy jam sessions, future trademarks of the band. The album contains two remakes of songs from The Parliaments, an earlier band featuring George Clinton: "I'll Bet You" and "Good Old Music".
"Mommy, What's a Funkadelic?" and "What is Soul" contained the beginnings of Funkadelic's mythology, namely that "Funkadelic" and "the Funk" are extraterrestrial in origin but not dangerous. "What Is Soul?" is answered by one of the lyrics describing it as "a ham hock in your corn flakes".
"I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody's Got a Thing" was particularly notable for a guitar solo by Rare Earth's Ray Monette.
Reception and legacy
In conjunction with the release of Funkadelic, Westbound Records circulated a promotional single called "Focus on Funkadelic" to radio stations. The single features six snippets of tracks from the LP.
Mojo later called Funkadelic "the best blues-influenced, warped acid rock you're likely to hear". AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier said the recordings are "essentially conventional soul songs in the spirit of Motown or Stax -- steady rhythms, dense arrangements, choruses of vocals -- but with a loud, overdriven, fuzzy guitar lurking high in the mix". He deemed the album "a revealing and unique record that's certainly not short on significance, clearly marking the crossroads between '60s soul and '70s funk". Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic, jokingly referring to Clinton as "someone from Carolina who encountered eternity on LSD and vowed to contain it in a groove"; in reference to "Mommy, What's a Funkadelic?" and "What Is Soul", he wrote "you get high marks for your questions, guys."
"I'll Bet You" was later covered by The Jackson 5 on their album ABC, and sampled by the Beastie Boys for their song "Car Thief". The 2005 CD reissue also contains their version of "Can't Shake It Loose", which was recorded two years prior by Diana Ross & The Supremes on their album Love Child. In more recent years, The Red Hot Chili Peppers have combined the main riff of "Mommy, What's a Funkadelic?" and certain parts of the lyrics from "What Is Soul?" in live shows, a version which appears as a B-Side on their 2002 single "By the Way".
Track listing
Personnel
Note: Exact records of all personnel on all songs have been lost.
Additional vocals by Hot Buttered Soul.
Songs
1Mommy - What's a Funkadelic?9:07
2I Bet You6:12
3Music for My Mother5:39