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Part 2 of A Purple Musical Appreciation on the long haired sucker @george_clinton.
In this Part 2 I will cover “in brief” Funkadelic’s place in his important history.
In this Part 2 I will cover “in brief” Funkadelic’s place in his important history.
My Spotify playlist covers 40 of my favourites tracks.
It was hard enough to whittle these down to just 40 as there are so many great moments in their work but I somehow managed it but I still groan a little at the stuff I left out: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3CFc4RAsP2RbjSxfD1N57u?si=wxHOS5egTF-We2FfIMRzUw
It was hard enough to whittle these down to just 40 as there are so many great moments in their work but I somehow managed it but I still groan a little at the stuff I left out: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3CFc4RAsP2RbjSxfD1N57u?si=wxHOS5egTF-We2FfIMRzUw
BEGINNINGS
GC is widely regarded as the “Godfather of Funk”.
Inexplicably he has only ever won 1 Grammy - a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
In the 60’s he was a Motown songwriter & started the Parliaments as a doo-wop band. They had a hit in 67’ with “(I wanna)Testify”
GC is widely regarded as the “Godfather of Funk”.
Inexplicably he has only ever won 1 Grammy - a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
In the 60’s he was a Motown songwriter & started the Parliaments as a doo-wop band. They had a hit in 67’ with “(I wanna)Testify”
Following his first contractual label dispute, GC lost Parliament’s name & so he rebranded the band as Funkadelic.
Funkadelic, a funk-rock band featuring the touring musicians & the singers from Parliament as uncredited guests.
Funkadelic, a funk-rock band featuring the touring musicians & the singers from Parliament as uncredited guests.
With Funkadelic now as a recording and touring entity in its own right, he relaunched Parliament in 70’.
GC was now the leader of two different acts, Parliament and Funkadelic, which featured the same members but were marketed as creating two different types of Funk.
GC was now the leader of two different acts, Parliament and Funkadelic, which featured the same members but were marketed as creating two different types of Funk.
The two bands shared the same personnel and GC blurred the lines even further by referring to his touring band as:
"A Parliafunkadelicment Thang".
The shorthand for this conglomerate became to be known as "P-Funk”.
"A Parliafunkadelicment Thang".
The shorthand for this conglomerate became to be known as "P-Funk”.
It grew to include offshoots like P-Funk All-Stars, Bootsy's Rubber Band, Parlet, Brides of Funkenstein, Horny Horns, and also solo albums by Eddie Hazel and Bernie Worrell.
All of which ought to be explored but unfortunately not in these threads otherwise there’d be no end.
All of which ought to be explored but unfortunately not in these threads otherwise there’d be no end.
THE FUNK
GC said he came to his brand of Funk by playing “mid tempo” between Blues & Rock n Roll.
Inspired by the sound of New Orleans - Lee Dorsey’s “Get Out of my Life Woman”(Allen Toussaint).
A song heavily sampled by the Hip Hop generation.
GC said he came to his brand of Funk by playing “mid tempo” between Blues & Rock n Roll.
Inspired by the sound of New Orleans - Lee Dorsey’s “Get Out of my Life Woman”(Allen Toussaint).
A song heavily sampled by the Hip Hop generation.
With this he combined ideas influenced by The Beatles (Sgt. Pepper) & The Who (Tommy) who had released successful concept albums in the late 60’s.
"the classiest 2 pieces of music I had ever seen where everything related 2 each other. So I wanted to do those kinds of things."
"the classiest 2 pieces of music I had ever seen where everything related 2 each other. So I wanted to do those kinds of things."
Funkadelic was more psychedelic & serious. Whilst Parliament was less serious and more dancefloor friendly.
I do prefer my Funkadelic over my Parliament although they do both converge at certain points in their respective discographies.
I do prefer my Funkadelic over my Parliament although they do both converge at certain points in their respective discographies.
Funkadelic has a rawer, psychedelic hard rock sound but they also did produce some of the funkiest dance sounds too.
In addition to the 2 different but related musical styles, GC started formulating 2 different mythologies for the 2 bands.
In addition to the 2 different but related musical styles, GC started formulating 2 different mythologies for the 2 bands.
FUNKADELIC MYTHOLOGY
GC posited that "Funk" was equivalent with the "Truth" & he took cues from Afrofuturism to develop the Funkadelic mythology.
GC also said he just made up BS as he was so high & that scholars have created something more from it.
GC posited that "Funk" was equivalent with the "Truth" & he took cues from Afrofuturism to develop the Funkadelic mythology.
GC also said he just made up BS as he was so high & that scholars have created something more from it.
However, he’s grateful that there’s been scholarly work done on it & yeah he’ll take the good theories and just agree with them 
There is a grain of truth in that the mythology must underpin some of his real life experiences as growing up as a Black man in a white world.
There is a grain of truth in that the mythology must underpin some of his real life experiences as growing up as a Black man in a white world.
Going thru the mythology you see a yearning for unification & equality & an outlining of the difference in status.
Hence why a lot of the mythology centres upon rising up from an underground (which reflects the lower social strata) to a higher level & what’s higher than Space
Hence why a lot of the mythology centres upon rising up from an underground (which reflects the lower social strata) to a higher level & what’s higher than Space
Funkadelic albums are generally more abstract than Parliament's.
Rather than tell the story of a cast of characters, the mythology of Funkadelic is defined as a socially conscious spiritualism.
This spiritualism centres on the Funk being posited as a path to enlightenment.
Rather than tell the story of a cast of characters, the mythology of Funkadelic is defined as a socially conscious spiritualism.
This spiritualism centres on the Funk being posited as a path to enlightenment.
It’s about making people feel good & offering a means of escape. Finding yourself within the funk and also within oneself.
To do this, you must open your mind & be willing to go on that journey.
This a reoccurring theme running throughout Funkadelic’s catalogue.
To do this, you must open your mind & be willing to go on that journey.
This a reoccurring theme running throughout Funkadelic’s catalogue.
Then we have the danger of the Maggot Brain = Fear.
Maggot Brain is a negative state of mind with potentially disastrous consequences.
“Without Fear there is no blame. Without blame there is no conflict. Without conflict there is no destruction."
Maggot Brain is a negative state of mind with potentially disastrous consequences.
“Without Fear there is no blame. Without blame there is no conflict. Without conflict there is no destruction."
In the latter stages of Funkadelic, GC said he was "adopted by aliens" at the age of 17, and that:
"they have long since programmed me to return with this message."
More of a space theme occupied later releases & even a parody of Star Wars on “One Nation Under A Groove”.
"they have long since programmed me to return with this message."
More of a space theme occupied later releases & even a parody of Star Wars on “One Nation Under A Groove”.
Unlike the Parliament mythology, in the Funkadelic mythology characters are not central to it but do appear on the liner notes of some of the albums to denote band members.
On “Standing on the Verge of Getting it On” they are described as follows:
Spaced Viking - Bernie Worrell
A Prototype Werewolf - Fuzzy Haskins
World's Only Black Leprechaun - Boogie Mosson
Maggoteer - Eddie “Smedley Smorganoff” Hazel
Sinister Grin - Garry Shider
Spaced Viking - Bernie Worrell
A Prototype Werewolf - Fuzzy Haskins
World's Only Black Leprechaun - Boogie Mosson
Maggoteer - Eddie “Smedley Smorganoff” Hazel
Sinister Grin - Garry Shider
Supreme Maggot Minister of Funkadelia; Vocals, Maniac Froth and Spit; Behaviour Illegal In Several States - George Clinton
Equipped with stereo armpits - Tiki Fulwood
Polyester soul-powered token white devil - Ron Bykowski
Registered and Licensed Genie - “Shady” Grady Thomas
Equipped with stereo armpits - Tiki Fulwood
Polyester soul-powered token white devil - Ron Bykowski
Registered and Licensed Genie - “Shady” Grady Thomas
Then on One Nation Under A Groove:
Funkadelic Main Invasion Force:
Throbbasonic Funkgeetarists -
Mike 'Kidd Funkadelic' Hampton, Gary Shider
Banjo'd Muthaplucker - Bobby Lewis Avatarian - Mike Hampton
Funkadelic Main Invasion Force:
Throbbasonic Funkgeetarists -
Mike 'Kidd Funkadelic' Hampton, Gary Shider
Banjo'd Muthaplucker - Bobby Lewis Avatarian - Mike Hampton
Keybo' Dans & Synthezoidees -
Bernie 'DaVinci' Worrell, Walter 'Junie' Morrison
Rotofunkie Drum & Percussionatin' Thumpdans - Jerome Brailey, W. Bootsy Collins,
Bass Thumpasaurians - 'Bootsy' Collins etc etc
There are other variations on more albums.
Bernie 'DaVinci' Worrell, Walter 'Junie' Morrison
Rotofunkie Drum & Percussionatin' Thumpdans - Jerome Brailey, W. Bootsy Collins,
Bass Thumpasaurians - 'Bootsy' Collins etc etc
There are other variations on more albums.
ARTWORK
The Artwork & liner notes & comic books for most of the Funkadelic albums from Cosmic Slop onwards were done by Pedro Bell aka “Sir Lleb”.
In his biography GC said Bell’s:
“stream-of-contagion text rewrote the whole game. He single-handedly defined
The Artwork & liner notes & comic books for most of the Funkadelic albums from Cosmic Slop onwards were done by Pedro Bell aka “Sir Lleb”.
In his biography GC said Bell’s:
“stream-of-contagion text rewrote the whole game. He single-handedly defined
the P-Funk collective as sci-fi superheroes fighting the ills of the heart, society, and the cosmos…”
Thus, as much as GC’s lyrics, Bell’s new language created the mythology of the band and unified the audience.
Thus, as much as GC’s lyrics, Bell’s new language created the mythology of the band and unified the audience.
FUNKADELIC DISCOGRAPHY
“Funkadelic” 70’
Their debut album of spaced out psychedelic funk rock.
Opening with “Mommy, What’s A Funkadelic” which is on my playlist:
“If you will suck my soul
I will lick your funky emotions”
An epic 10 minute slow crawl sludgefest.
“Funkadelic” 70’
Their debut album of spaced out psychedelic funk rock.
Opening with “Mommy, What’s A Funkadelic” which is on my playlist:
“If you will suck my soul
I will lick your funky emotions”
An epic 10 minute slow crawl sludgefest.
It’s also where Funkadelic’s cosmology starts to emerge:
"By the way, my name is Funk...I am not of your world...Hold still, baby, I won't do you no harm...I am Funkadelic, dedicated to the feeling of good.'"
"By the way, my name is Funk...I am not of your world...Hold still, baby, I won't do you no harm...I am Funkadelic, dedicated to the feeling of good.'"
Hailed by Mojo as:
"the best blues-influenced, warped acid rock you're likely to hear"
Also on the album is "I'll Bet You" which was covered by The Jackson 5 & also sampled by the Beastie Boys on "Car Thief".
"the best blues-influenced, warped acid rock you're likely to hear"
Also on the album is "I'll Bet You" which was covered by The Jackson 5 & also sampled by the Beastie Boys on "Car Thief".
“Free Your Mind... And Your Ass Will Follow” 70’
GC said his inspiration for this album was to:
"see if we can cut a whole album while we're all tripping on acid."
The title track is on my playlist.
GC said his inspiration for this album was to:
"see if we can cut a whole album while we're all tripping on acid."
The title track is on my playlist.
