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If even one of you hasn't heard this album before, then I've done my job.
Ladies and gentlemen...I present to you an absolute classic from 1971. Maggot Brain is the third album released by Funkadelic, a band led by none other than George Clinton (he also led Parliament - Parliament and Funkadelic were "sister" bands), and is still making music today. The album will start you off on the moon, take you on to the dance floor, make you laugh, make you cry, and then do it all over again...
...probably not any of those, but it sounded really dramatic.
Something to note - on Spotify there are three bonus tracks. These are from some 2005 release. Technically speaking, the album is only the first seven tracks, up through Wars Of Armageddon. To make it easy I've made a playlist here that you can use if you want:
https://open.spotify.com/user/sf424/playlist/7cKEnvic2eOWsadAonBf83
When I saw this was your pick I got pretty excited actually. I like funk music a lot and I also like learning about old, respected albums that I can like keep in my back pocket to make me feel more #cultured.
ReplyDeleteThe first song was not at all what I expected or hoped it sounded like. Experimental guitar noodling has its place and I can appreciate it in small doses, but I was worried that the whole album was gonna be more of less the same and I was not looking forward to struggling through multiple listens. Thankfully, the rest of the album did not disappoint and I ended up actually enjoying the title track for the variety it added as an intro to the album.
So yeah, this ended up being pretty much exactly what I wanted it to be when I first saw you post it- a very well done funk record and a piece of music history that I now have a new appreciation for, as I did not know about the Parliament sister band thing.
Here's an album that I probably never would have found on my own. Because of the huge volume of music that comes out nowadays, I have kind of given up on trying to work through any classic catalog.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this album was pretty cool. Part psychedelic, part hard rock, part jam party; this was an album I couldn't help cracking a smile for. This was especially true on some of the goofier and off-kilter instrumentation on songs like Back In Our Minds.
Starting the album off with a 10 minute instrumental feels like a pretty bold play. One that I was somewhat into on my first listen, but after hearing the rest of the album I found myself anxiously waiting for Maggot Brain to end.
I will also say that I think this album has a much stronger back half (with the exception of Can You Get To That). Super Stupid is where this album really hits a chord with me. As far as the two marathon songs go, I enjoyed Wars of Armageddon much more with its more ambitious feel and eclectic audio sampling.
I'm glad you picked this album. I don't know if I will go back to it, but if you have any more recommendations from this era I'll give them a shot.
This is definitely an album that's best to have blasted as loud as possible in order to get the full feeling, which is why I had to wait listen to it when I got home from my trip to give it a critical listen (although it would probably make great driving music, if I were on a road trip alone).
ReplyDeleteWhat I really liked about this album was how much it was able to cover in under 40 minutes. Funkadelic definitely had a lot of content, and its brevity didn't comprise that at all. The scope of this album is pretty impressive; a badass guitar solo at its front end, and something that sounds like a stock sound effects library exploding at the end. I can't say I've ever heard so many farts in one song.
I guess I'm different than some of the other folks here, in that the title track is the absolute highlight for me. Maggot Brain to me is one of the quintessential guitar solo songs.
ReplyDeleteAfter the brief spoken word intro, it moves into a quiet arpeggio arrangement, creating a somber mood. When Eddie Hazel's guitar first rings out, it's like a lighting bolt cutting through a downpour. The backing track is faded out as Hazel proceeds to create an emotional whirlwind of sound. The story goes that George Clinton told Hazel to play "as if he found out his mother was dead, but then learned it was not true". What Hazel does with that prompt is nothing short of masterful and it goes to show that you can convey an intense range of feelings without uttering a single word.
As far as the rest of the album, of course it's a classic. The acoustic jam Can You Get That is fantastic (big fan of the little baritone "I wanna know"). Super Stupid is a damn bluesy guitar jam classic in its own right. Wars of Armageddon is a fitting and lengthy closer that ties everything together well.
The instrumental work on this album is next level talent. Every member brings something to the table and this album is a varied, funky, bluesy, bold masterstroke of 1970's exhilaration.
I do wish I enjoyed the rest as much as the title track. Nothing quite hits that same emotional range on the rest of the album, which is fine. It'd be odd to have that level of turbulent feelings on this sort of psychedelic funk record, but knowing that range is a possibility for the band leaves me wanting more. Maggot Brain is one of those songs to me that makes the rest of the tunes seem diminished in its wake. Once that wake clears up though, there is a lot to be still enjoyed in these funky waters.
As a long time George Clinton/Parliament/Funkadelic fan, this album is a classic for me. It's a funk staple and I can't think of any other album who's first track is as memorable and exciting as Maggot Brain's.
ReplyDeleteEverything about this album (from its arrangement to its funky-ness) is perfect. The song's on this album really set Funkadelic apart from other rock groups of the time. The tracks on this album jam so much harder than their past work. Every track builds up effortlessly and it makes for an explosive listening experience. I'm glad Sam recommended this to everyone, should be a record every music listener gets exposed to at some point.