The bigger the headache, the bigger the POLL: A (not at all exhaustive) Parliament/Funkadelic/P-Funk albums poll

Positive.

I really gotta dig more into the Funkadelic side of things - only know a couple of those albums. Parliament-wise i'd be hard pressed to choose between Mothership and Funkentelechy. Motor Booty Affair is up there too -- feel like that one's kinda not talked about as much but there are some terrific bops on there.

I pledge groovallegiance to the funk

the only canonical Parliament album I'm meh about is Chocolate City, title track aside.

every so often I try again with that one and while it's playing i'm like "this is pretty good!" but then can't really remember it the next day --- apart from the title track.

shoutout to Osmium - by no means best, but if you're a fan of P-Funk, or of weird psych/rock/r&b records, you def owe it to yourself to check that out. wonderfully weird and often funny, you can see the roots of so much P-Funk even though the sensibility and the sense of humor are pretty different.

Chocolate City is one of my fave Parliament albums

One of my favorite modes of P-funk is the late 70s "romantic ballad"-type song (e.g. "Into You," "(You're A Fish and I'm A) Water Sign," "Wizard of Finance")--beautiful chord progressions and melodies, endearingly goofy lyrics, those zany overlapping vocal runs--pure ear candy. Would have loved a whole album along those lines.

There isn't a single week I don't use the line "If you don't like the effect, don't produce the cause."

There isn’t a single week I don’t use the line, “Hey man…smell my finger.”

^Eternal wisdom right there.

Revisiting Electric Spanking of War Babies now, and while it's not one of my overall fav P-funk albums, the title track is unbelievably great. I just wish the opening "When you learn to dance you won't forget it" shuffle section lasted longer. The flutter echo on the snare drum in the main groove section gives it this robotic, futuristic edge. I'm struggling to think of other songs that use that effect (maybe something on John Foxx - Metamatic, but that could be a false memory). Anyway it's an awesome effect that I wish I heard more often.

When Shakey used to post we'd bond over sticking The Electric Spanking in our top three P-Funk albums.

best Sly Stone moment outside his albums too

electric spanking is a brilliant album, def one of the best. Its underappreciated as its free your mind...., and lets take it to the stage.

Cant stet fix the poll so every album gets at least 50 votes?

except Trombipulation which is pure pish

Its the only one I refused to buy, lol

Also missing is "Never Buy Texas From a Cowboy" by the Brides of Funkenstein, the title track was in my Top 10 I think.

Torn berween Mothership and Standing On the Verge. Going for the former.

Good lord that's still a hell of a lot to have gotten done in 13 years.

i forget what i voted for in the p-funk ballot poll, but 'standing on the verge' jumps out at me for funk, and 'funkentelechy' jumps out at me for 'p'

oh shit, forgot about motor booty affair!

Parliament: Up for the Down Stroke (1974)
Parliament: Mothership Connection (1975)
Parliament: Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome (1977)
Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove (1978)
Parliament: Motor Booty Affair (1978)

sorta feel like i could vote for any of these

i've only heard like a quarter of these (& will have to rectify that) but one nation under a groove & funkentelechy are what come to mind as favourites

the ones I go back to the most these days are America Eats Its Young, Motor Booty Affair, and Maggot Brain

There's a tidal wave of mysticism surging through our jet-aged generation
It's all designed to take us to the sky

Dunno yet…could easily go for the Eddie Hazel or even the first Bootsy album…wish I could go for Bernie’s album (what a genius) but it’s disappointing although ‘ Insurance Man For The Funk’ is a fucking masterpiece

"funkentelechy" the song is basically a bible for me lol

i need to listen to a lot more of these but fuck spotify

in due time

I've been listening to Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, but it doesn't seem nearly as good as the Parliament records before and after, which I've enjoyed for 25 years.

I'll also post my theory that the synthesizer riff for "Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples" was borrowed from "The Revealing Science of God" by Yes, from Tales from Topographic Oceans.

Um, …

George Clinton said Saucerful of Secrets was one of his favourite records, why not Yes?

I meant your previous post

i want to be cool and vote for a cool album like _maggot brain_ but in reality, this is _mothership connection_ or _funkentelechy vs the placebo syndrome_ without much competition. there's those albums (very classic), and then there's everything else (perhaps not quite as classic).

now i just need to figure out which one. i'm leaning towards _mothership connection_ at the moment.

"Clones" is more of a pop/R&B album, it's a lot less bass heavy than "Mothership" and "Funkentelechy", and is, of course, awesome.

Clones is grrrrrreat. Probably the one I listen to most now.

without much competition

have you heard the other albums on this list?

Just heard Maggot Brain (the track) for the first time yesterday. Not sure why a 10 minute guitar solo is held in such high regard. Am I missing something?

^Honestly I'm kinda with you on this. It's a great, emotionally intense guitar solo, but I've always been a bit baffled by the hushed tones in which it's discussed

Because it's a great emotionally intense guitar solo perhaps?

Because he played it like his momma just died?

I’m a huge P-Funk fan so I’m keenly aware of the heresy, but I’ve never loved “Maggot Brain,” the song or the album. I LIKE both a lot, and I can totally get why the song moves some people to tears. But its spell has always sort of eluded me.

Some people like guitar solos, some people don't. That's why there's Parliament and Funkadelic.

not convinced that binary is accurate

I love how Hazel improvises the entire structure with his guitar, changing dynamics and emotion, with nothing more than four chords and a band that keeps fading in and out.

xp Especially in the latter part of the 70s.

I understand loving the song "Maggot Brain" above all other P-funk songs. I don't understand loving Maggot Brain above all other P-funk albums.

Their first four records are wildly different than the late 70s stuff though. On that basis I get it. If you like Zappa or Hendrix or early Sabbath more than you do James Brown or EWF, I can totally see how you’d gravitate more towards early 70s P-Funk.

It's the one most easily available for a while, no? A bit like Mothership Connection and Funkentelechy.

One of my dearest friends used "Can You Get to That" as his wedding march.

maggot brain the album is a good starting point for early 70s funkadelic, good mix of drawn out epics, pithy pop songs, and weird stuff like "back in our minds." plus it has "super stupid" which is pretty unlike the rest of the p-funk catalog.

I hate love to say I told you so! Glenn Goins was the best vocalist they ever had (even though my fave line up is the early one) and it was a real tragedy he died so young.

I hope the S/t and Free your mind get votes here, the early line up really was special.

This is the greatest live tv performance ever. Breathtaking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmmzbVM5BMw

Vcls :Fuzzy Haskins, Grady Thomas, Calvin Simon, Ray Davis, George Clinton
Gtr: Eddie Hazel, Tawl Ross
Kybd: Mickey Atkins
Drumps: Langston Booth
Bass: Billy Bass

poll is missing the Fuzzy Haskins solo albums btw. Brad, have you heard them?

Junie's albums should be there too. He left Ohio Players made a few great solo albums on Westbound, joined Parliament/Funkadelic wrote most of One Nation Under a Groove then made more excellent solo albums.

We should have a separate poll on what we think George was on during that performance.

I think Mr T might have been watching it, lol

Two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, etc.

Best non Eddie Hazel Funkadelic version of Maggot Brain?

I can't speak to Osmium as a whole album, but it has "The Silent Boatman" on it, which is one of P-Funk's best ever/most gorgeous songs, and inhabits my mind, so
In fact, I do find it impossible to choose between most of these as albums, but I guess it's the first half decade of Funkadelic that I tend to listen to the most. But really I just stick on my P-Funk discography playlist and enjoy whatever track pops up.

Feel exactly the same about that album and song.

the silent boatman is great, even though it is just the skye boat song.

'oh lord, why lord/prayer' is another fave from it, even though its just Pachelbel's Canon In D Major

on paper neither should work, but they do.

the electric spanking of war babies is so awesome. i also love that it includes a reggae song about the one, that's hilarious

potentially controversial statement but the best side a of any parliament or funkadelic album is uncle jam wants you

for all of that i think my favorite album is motor booty affair???

I was just listening to Uncle Jam and I'm inclined to agree. That would be a contender for my favorite Funkadelic if not for the way it ends on side 2.

Uncle Jam is amazing except for holly wants to go to california which is one of their worst songs

My fave Funkadelic reggae song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBMb-d8jkZ4

scratch that, i got the name wrong, lol

I forgot it was Shock Waves from Electric Spanking.... the song Brad was talking about.

I don't think reggae was a good idea for P-Funkers tbh.

Went in the end for the first ‘Bootsy’s Rubber Band’…vv consistent and has 2 of the best P-funk ballads on there…the Eddie Hazel is great but has got a couple of covers on there and ‘Mothership’ and ‘Funkentelachy’ always get love.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

You can’t miss what you can’t measure

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

not what i voted for, but really the right answer here is many answers.

Surprised there were no votes for “One Nation…”

Up for the Down Stroke is the best place to hear them keeping in line with conventional contemporary R&B; it has some great songs, well sung and played.

could Motor Booty Affair be their Presence? Listening to it now and it's so obviously their best. Not one dud, so much life squiggling through all the songs. "Aqua Boogie" might go on just a little long for at-home listening, but I love how the piano gradually takes over at the end.

In his book, George Clinton say he considers it his/their Sgt. Pepper's.

it rules on headphones.

I love Motor Booty Affair, the last great album credited to "Parliament," but Presence is Zep's worst, a thoroughly underwhelming and mediocre album.

Yeah, on second thought I don't think it's anywhere near as forgettable as the Presence thread title suggests. Just looking for a way to say "amazing album where I often forget how amazing it is when I'm not currently listening to it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjLTiqAzo5c