Favorite Parliament/Funkadelic Record

this perspective is v. interesting to me, as I've been DEEP into the funk for about 20 years, but only 20 years. I was born in 69, and was unaware of George and P.Funk until about 94 or 95 when a friend had a double-disc anthology. That same summer, Maceo was touring and that was the start of a long journey down the rabbit hole. Re Parliament -- I lived with greatest hits and Mothership until Wax Poetics published a cover story on them and realized I had to hear it all. I think I've achieved that - almost - need to track down those two Fuzzy albums, and haven't yet got to Atomic Dog and beyond. What a wonderful body of music. In this poll, I chose America Eats its Young, but that's probably because I'm on a big Bernie kick lately. And of those solo albums, Bernie's is a favorite along with Eddie - I almost pull that stuff out more often these days.

But coming back to your post, I've been hosting a funk show on community radio for about 12 years and one of the other programmers, a decade or so ago, gave me a CDR and said, you'll want to hear this -- it was a few Parliaments tracks that he had tracked down on vinyl. The stuff blew my mind at the time. Yesterday, I heard it on satellite radio, so yeah - it's penetrated popular culture in a deep way after all these years.

Finally, in an unrelated/related vein, I would recommend that any 70s music fan who digs mystery novels read George Pelecanos, particularly King Suckerman. George digs deep with musical references that lend an authenticity and vibrancy to his writing.

 

I don't have Bernie's solo album, but I do have "game, dames, and guitar thangs." I couldn't figure out why it was supposed to be so great, but lately I've been playing it in the car, and I really like it.

America Eats its Young is a solid choice too, some real gems on there.

I maybe am a bad critic, because I tend to like most of it...

 

Yeah, Eddie Hazel's solo work is killer.

Another personal favorite is Axiom Funk - Funkcronomicon, which is essential a P-Funk album. Best version of Cosmic Slop going.

 

Funkcronomicon is a collection of previously released and unreleased material. That version of "Cosmic Slop" was originally released on The Third Power by Material which features a number of P. Funk Alumni working with Sly and Robbie and Bill Laswell. Recommended.

 

Was one of my favorites from *anyone*.

 

psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop (lots of syllables) - the Motor Booty Affair got my vote right about now. Hard to choose, depends on the mood.

 

Laswell has done some good stuff with the PFunk alumni. I also love Buckethead most of the time, so its cool to hear him in that context.

I thought Praxis' Transmutation was OK, but I only listened all the way through once. Sometimes I have to hear it a few times before I really get it (like the Eddie Hazel album.)

This however, I liked on the first listen, and its one of my favorite all time album covers:

 

Anything "Funkadelic" did from 1970-1975 are my personal favorites.
My personal favorite "Parliament" albums are divided between The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein and Motor Booty Affair.

 

Chocolate City!

 

voted Maggot Brain but this is the P-Funk record I listen to the most:

 

So many different styles, so many different vibes on each record that it really depends on what era I'm in the mood for, but those early Funkadelic records strike a different chord in my soul than the latter period.

My vote went to "Standing on the Verge of Getting it On" because it blew me away on first listen and Eddie Hazel is on fire throughout. Talk about the funkiest rock music ever put to wax!!

With so many releases and styles it would be nice if we could choose a top 5 but if I were told I could only keep one it would be Verge. I wouldn't be happy about discarding the rest, however, as there is so much brilliance spread throughout their catalogue.

 

Guess I am the only one so far to vote for this album.

 

I've been getting more into Parliament lately, and I think Clones of Dr. Funkenstein is my favorite album. That or Up for the Down Stroke.

 

Did someone mention it is George's birthday? Happy birthday, Mr. Clinton!

Funkadelic
The Electric Spanking of War Babies

 

This.
Shout-out...The Big 8 CKLW!

 

George Clinton is now 75 years old. A good long life so far for a hairdresser from another planet

 

Funny thing...My post was meant for another thread...

At least it was appropriate for this one as well.

 

Sh!t Goddam! Get off yo' ass and jam!

 

Maggot Brain. I only like the title track and Super Stupid off the album... but for me, that title track is one of the greatest guitar performances ever committed to tape. I never get tired of hearing it, and is a track to always crank up loud.

 

I was considering starting a thread with a poll of which band do you like better...Parliament or Funkadelic? But I smoked a doob and put on the double parliament live album instead because I just bought it on vinyl. I'm rocking out to "Night of the thumpasaurus peoples". I think the biggest album they had was the Mothership Connection, for good reason. The horns. The funk. The out there. But I dunno, I like the grimy Chocolate city and Up for the down stroke a little more. I find the early tripped out Funkadelic to be such a treat.

I went to college with some suburban white boys in '93 and I played for them "standing on the verge of getting it on" and they loved it. It was like it was from another planet. And it still sounds that way to me. Hard to go wrong with "one nation under a groove" either. Can i get it on the good foot?

But the solo on "maggot brain" is all time guitar. Words can't do it justice. But the low down mississipi on Acid groove funk nasty of the wasted guys on the self titled funkadelic record is hard to beat. Cosmic slop and Let's take it to the stage have some amazing moments even if the band can't remember them. I saw Pfunk about 5 years ago and George signed my Parliament shirt and smiled at my hot wife. It was most similar to the Up for the downstroke cover.

So I think the album i voted for is obvious from my post.

 

if that's what you know of Pfunk you have missed a lot. I mean a whole world. And that's great news because start digging. There's gold in them crates!

 

What else actually sounds like Maggot Brain and Super Stupid? The rest of the album sure doesn't. I've surfed around on youtube in the past looking for other tracks like those, but was unsuccessful finding anything else I liked of theirs. I don't care for any of the youtube samples that have been posted in this thread so far either.

I did check out the whole "standing on the verge of getting it on" album from your post above. From the description you gave, that one sounded like the most potential for me. While there were some passages I enjoyed in the first part of the album, it quickly went downhill from there. No tracks on that album I would say I enjoyed enough that I'd want to own it, or particularly listen again. One Nation Under a Groove even less -- I only like the live Maggot Brain, and it pales in comparison to the original. I'm thinking for me, the digging will only bring sandstone for my tastes, and those two tracks I love are an anomaly overall. I'm fine with that.

 

Obviously, you're not a golfer.

 

What he said mate !