That sho iz a mighty 'fro bro! George Clinton's crazy funk n roll bands Parliament and Funkadelic are amazing but also maddeningly inconsistent. I have selected the best albums to get you started, after that you are on your own....read on
First off a simple rule of thumb, Funkadelic were basically a black rock band with funk influences that grew bigger over time, but mainly guitar driven like a cross between Hendrix and The Stooges bathed in aceeeed.
Parliament were more of a soul funk band, big on horns and melody. Both bands featured similar players but in different configurations. There is a lot more of Bootsy Collins' bass lines in Parliament but if you like your guitar rock then aim for Funkadelic.
1) Parliament - Mothership Connection
Literally the mother load! Everything that made P-Funk great is on this album, surreal humour, squidgy bass lines, crazy avant synth work and deeeeeep grooves. Underneath the one liners and hilarious voices is a very soulful album particularly the gospel bridge of "Star Child". "Handcuff" is about fucking white women and "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof off the Mother)" does just that. "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funk Up)" is Lenny Bruce meets Earth, Wind and Fire.
2) Funkadelic - Standing on the Verge of Getting it On
The Black Heavy Metal Album. Killer riffs and blazing solos from Eddie Hazel plus crazy sped up voices asking you to "pee in their afro"....Also a sympathetic song about a homosexual, something you would never get on a Zeppelin album.
3) Parliament - Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Mothership part 2, but longer, stronger and weirder, if that was possible. Original album came with a pull out cartoon telling the story of the space pimp on the cover. "Flashlight" was the hit, powered by Bernie Worrell's Zappa meets The Swamp Thing keyboards but "Wizard of Finance" is possibly the oddest love song ever and reveals their doowop roots beneath the humour.
4) Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
The most acid drenched of the early Funkadelic albums this is a straight fight between fuzz riffs and soul harmonies. Starting with the monster guitar solo of the title track it then has the sweet Beatlesy "Can You Get to That". Funkadelic were always more straightforwardly political in their lyrics than Parliament and this covers the boiling racial tension of the time in "You and Your Folks".
5) Parliament - The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
More lighter and more jaunty than the other albums it still features the killer grooves of the title track and " Getting To Know You", plus another amazing album cover!
6) Funkadelic - Let's Take it to the Stage
The closest the band got to a cross over rock and soul album white folks might have enjoyed, if they had heard about it. Naturally it has a sinister Pedro Bell sleeve that probably killed its commercial potential stone dead but "Better By The Pound" and "Good To Your Earhole" do exactly what they say. "Get Off Your Ass And Jam" is the guitar wank off to end all wank offs...apart from "Maggot Brain" of course.
There are brilliant individual songs scattered through out the Parliafunkadelicment discography that are worth downloading from otherwise weak albums:
From Parliament:
"Side Effects" and "Together" from the Chocolate City album
"Mr Wiggles" from The Motor Booty Affair
"Up for the Down Stroke" and "Testify" from Up for the Down Stroke
"Big Bang Theory" and "Theme the from Black Hole" from Gloryhallastoopid
From Funkadelic:
"Loose Booty" and "A Joyful Process" from America Eats Its Young
"Soul Mate" and "Smokey" from Hardcore Jollies
(this whole album features some amazing guitar work from Michael Hampton by the way)
"One Nation Under a Groove" from One Nation Under a Groove
"(Not Just) Knee Deep" from Uncle Jam Wants You
maningrey
First off a simple rule of thumb, Funkadelic were basically a black rock band with funk influences that grew bigger over time, but mainly guitar driven like a cross between Hendrix and The Stooges bathed in aceeeed.
Parliament were more of a soul funk band, big on horns and melody. Both bands featured similar players but in different configurations. There is a lot more of Bootsy Collins' bass lines in Parliament but if you like your guitar rock then aim for Funkadelic.
1) Parliament - Mothership Connection
Literally the mother load! Everything that made P-Funk great is on this album, surreal humour, squidgy bass lines, crazy avant synth work and deeeeeep grooves. Underneath the one liners and hilarious voices is a very soulful album particularly the gospel bridge of "Star Child". "Handcuff" is about fucking white women and "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof off the Mother)" does just that. "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funk Up)" is Lenny Bruce meets Earth, Wind and Fire.
2) Funkadelic - Standing on the Verge of Getting it On
The Black Heavy Metal Album. Killer riffs and blazing solos from Eddie Hazel plus crazy sped up voices asking you to "pee in their afro"....Also a sympathetic song about a homosexual, something you would never get on a Zeppelin album.
3) Parliament - Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome
Mothership part 2, but longer, stronger and weirder, if that was possible. Original album came with a pull out cartoon telling the story of the space pimp on the cover. "Flashlight" was the hit, powered by Bernie Worrell's Zappa meets The Swamp Thing keyboards but "Wizard of Finance" is possibly the oddest love song ever and reveals their doowop roots beneath the humour.
4) Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
The most acid drenched of the early Funkadelic albums this is a straight fight between fuzz riffs and soul harmonies. Starting with the monster guitar solo of the title track it then has the sweet Beatlesy "Can You Get to That". Funkadelic were always more straightforwardly political in their lyrics than Parliament and this covers the boiling racial tension of the time in "You and Your Folks".
5) Parliament - The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
More lighter and more jaunty than the other albums it still features the killer grooves of the title track and " Getting To Know You", plus another amazing album cover!
6) Funkadelic - Let's Take it to the Stage
The closest the band got to a cross over rock and soul album white folks might have enjoyed, if they had heard about it. Naturally it has a sinister Pedro Bell sleeve that probably killed its commercial potential stone dead but "Better By The Pound" and "Good To Your Earhole" do exactly what they say. "Get Off Your Ass And Jam" is the guitar wank off to end all wank offs...apart from "Maggot Brain" of course.
There are brilliant individual songs scattered through out the Parliafunkadelicment discography that are worth downloading from otherwise weak albums:
From Parliament:
"Side Effects" and "Together" from the Chocolate City album
"Mr Wiggles" from The Motor Booty Affair
"Up for the Down Stroke" and "Testify" from Up for the Down Stroke
"Big Bang Theory" and "Theme the from Black Hole" from Gloryhallastoopid
From Funkadelic:
"Loose Booty" and "A Joyful Process" from America Eats Its Young
"Soul Mate" and "Smokey" from Hardcore Jollies
(this whole album features some amazing guitar work from Michael Hampton by the way)
"One Nation Under a Groove" from One Nation Under a Groove
"(Not Just) Knee Deep" from Uncle Jam Wants You
maningrey
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