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

No "voting for all" option, this poll sucks

Top 3...

Funkadelic: Let's Take it to the Stage (1975)
Bootsy's Rubber Band: Ahh...The Name is Bootsy, Baby! (1977)
Parliament: Motor Booty Affair (1978)

Missing:

P-Funk All-Stars: Urban Dancefloor Guerillas

America Eats Its Young, which has a unique sound and approach in both the Parliament and Funkadelic catalogues.

I'd almost want this to be a chronological listening thread, I know 17 of these but it's hard to come up with something pithy to say about what is essentially their whole career!

where is Sweat Band? The best Bootsy project of all.
Or Quazar? The late Glenn Goins album.

ahaha my bad, i totally missed sweat band

Missing:

P-Funk All-Stars: Urban Dancefloor Guerillas

― i carry the torch for disco inauthenticity (Eric H.), Saturday, September 18, 2021 8:15 AM (twelve minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

well at least the stuff i left out is giving me a listening project in and of itself

poll results are irrelevant, but if they get people checking out the albums they don't know, then its great!

I really recommend Sweat Band, Mutiny and Quazar.

My vote went to Standing on the Verge of Getting it On. Eddie Hazel wrote most of it (credited to his mum so she would get the royalties)

Sweat Band album https://open.spotify.com/album/0FUSlfZQFmHMw5Q6qBRTCE?si=apnTBz_2SJa8TAdu-5xtLA&dl_branch=1

Quazar album https://open.spotify.com/album/33EwsvPyuTTorDLKIMPuw3?si=3LXi9nplQnmFmfYvDo02RA&dl_branch=1

Mutiny on the Mamaship album https://open.spotify.com/album/2SiUm473MMPXzncQPtUBF1?si=lFHl7PPZTam7AZ-7sfXLxQ&dl_branch=1

Tentatively Let's Take It to the Stage, though I could just as easily vote for Tales of Kidd Funkadelic or Funkentelechy.
I know and love most of the Parliament and Funkadelic albums, but I've never properly dug into the solo stuff/side projects. So now's the time...

Clinton solo stuff good to Great thru 1985.

America Eats Its Young has always been my favorite of these but I'm happy that Tales of Kidd Funkadelic is getting some praise since it's much better than a collection of supposed cast-offs should be

Probably gonna vote for Standing on the Verge..., headbanger that I am.

Same.

"Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts" is the reverse image of "Maggot Brain".

I have heard the vast majority of these and I love this group dearly. I know it’s canonical and Bobby Gillespie likes it but Maggot Brain was my first Parliamentfunkadelicathang and Super Stupid still melts my face to this day.

how are you all so sure it's not one nation under a groove

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

Yeah, I LOVE Motor-Booty Affair, it's one of their masterpieces, maybe even the last great Parliament album.

I was going to post earlier that "most of their albums are probably worth owning, especially Parliament's," but deleted it because it might've been misinterpreted. I don't think either Parliament or Funkadelic is "better," but given the Parliament albums' more funk and dance-oriented approach, they tend to feel like more consistent listens. Like even a less-than-great groove moves by easier and fits well and organically within the framework of other danceable tracks.

"Up For the Down Stroke" isn't great, by no means bad though!

the early funkadelic records are kinda genre agnostic which can be to their strength and/or detriment (very much imo). the aesthetic is i guess more solidified by the time parliament gets revived in 1974 and that's why i'm attracted to the records from that era (including let's take it to the stage / one nation under a groove). this is still complicated by records like clones of dr. funkenstein, which as someone described accurately upthread is more of a pop-soul record, and is awesome

Let's Take It to the Stage or Standing on the Verge... will be my pick.

yeah i pulled the trigger for standing on the verge. the title track has been running through my head.

Here's the albums and songs list from Dave Marsh's New Book of Rock Lists, from 1994. I'm pleased to see "The Goose" getting recognition, it's a much more light-hearted Hazel feature than "Maggot Brain".

5 Greatest Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk) Albums of All Time

1. Let’s Take it to the Stage (Funkadelic)
2. Mothership Connection (Parliament)
3. Standing on the Verge of Getting It on (Funkadelic)
4. Funkentelechy Vs the Placebo Syndrome (Parliament)
5. One Nation Under a Groove (Funkadelic)

10 Greatest Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk) Songs of All Time

1. One Nation Under a Groove
2. Cosmic Slop
3. Maggot Brain
4. P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)
5. Funkentelechy
6. The Goose
7. Red Hot Mama/Vital Juices
8. Aqua Boogie
9. (Not Just) Knee Deep
10. I Wanna Know if It’s Good to You

"the goose" is like the greatest song of all time

“Funky dollar bill” from free your mind is sick

I'd toss in "Jimmy's Got a Little Bitch in Him." ("Depending on the angle of the dangle/Increased by the heat of the meat").

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

Amazing song but kind of downbeat lyrics for a wedding!

Probably too late in the game for this, but I do wish their was a legit, complete, and well-mastered comp of the Parliaments singles and odds & ends. I've got an ok bootleg, but it leaves something to be desired (like it has the backing track for "All Your Goodies Are Gone", but not the actual single w/vocals).

xp better than "hit it and quit it"!

as cool as "maggot brain" is i think it's a bit unfortunate that it does kinda overshadow the rest of their discog in terms of reputation

I didn't know it did tbh. Maybe among rock fans, I don't know.

“Funky dollar bill” from free your mind is sick

yeah that's one of my favourites

I didn't hear "Maggot Brain" until long after I'd heard Parliament. I knew Funkadelic were supposed to be like the rock side of the equation but I'd never heard any of that stuff... having said that, "One Nation Under a Groove" was a Top 10 hit in the UK! Actually I was just watching a clip from Top of the Pops in 1979 where "One Nation Under a Groove" is preceded, somewhat bizarrely, by the Shadows doing "Don't Cry For Me Argentina".

ok yeah i should've included the quazar record

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