From: stewarte@sco.COM (just a guy made of dots and lines)
Subject: Re: P-funk
Organization: Captain Napalm's Thermonuclear League of Liberty
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 01:06:50 GMT


I don't think George "Sir Lleb" Zipperlen is on the net currently,
so I'm taking the liberty of passing on this wonderful summary
of P-funk recordings which he sent to the funky-music mailing list
long ago.  If I were to rate the albums I've heard, they would be
very similar to George's -- in particular I enthusuastically second
his high marks for "Mothership Connection" (if you get only one,
make it this one) and "Motor Booty Affair".

We need the funk,

-- Stewart

Date: Mon, 2 Jul 90 13:18:59 EDT
From: george@hyper.lap.upenn.edu (George "Sir Lleb" Zipperlen)
Subject: P-Funk guide

An introduction to P-Funk for the uninitiated.

Everytime a new P-Funk record is released on seedee, someone asks
for this.  I hate the term Consumer's Guide, sounds like what you
do to vacuum cleaners and microwave ovens.  Consumer is such a
bloody *passive* concept too.   Well, nobody else has done it,
so I'll take a stab.

This is going to be a sketchy overview, since I haven't listened to
some of these records for a while.  The ratings are my personal
preferences.  Take them as gospel, with a grain of salt, or as the
start of a fruitful discussion (er, flame war).  I'm also not exactly
sure of the chronology, I'll check later tonight.

These ratings are 'within P-Funk' on the 1 to 5 star scale.
    *****   Essential, you won't be allowed on the Mothership without it.
    ****    Mostly excellent cuts
    ***     A few weak tracks, or a concept which doesn't hold up
    **      One or two good tracks
    *       Relatively weak

Note that the lower rated albums, still rate high compared to unfunk!

The Parliaments
    various singles ranging from doo-wop ("Poor Willy"), to
    harder rocking motown stylee, to soul harmony ("Testify"),
    to proto-funk. Someone should really put together a collection.

Parliament
***     70  Osmium  (re-released with different tracks as Rhenium)

Osmium is closer in sound to the early Funkadelic than to later
Parliament,  although I find it much lighter in spirit.  This is fun,
lightly soulful, psychedelia.  I haven't heard _Rhenium_ yet, but I
gather that it replaces some Ruth Copeland compositions, with unreleased
Parliament songs.   Another point of reference here is the early
Chairmen of the Board, which was more rocking than the soul harmony
group they evolved into; "Finders Keepers" had several Parliament
players on it.

Funkadelic - the Westbound Years:

****    70    Funkadelic
***     71    Free Your Mind
*****   71    Maggot Brain

These early Funkadelic albums are guitar dominated funky psychedelia,
influenced in sound more by Hendrix than by Sly or James Brown.
There are also connections to the Detroit rock scene of that time,
Iggy and the Stooges, and the MC5.  The vision is much darker than
most '60s psychedelia, in that sense these albums owe much to Sly's
_Riot_, and the Velvet Underground.  These all make strong musical
statements as entire albums.  Singles highlight's (that I recall this
morning) "Mommy, What's A Funkadelic" from _Funkadelic_, the title
tracks from _Free Your Mind_ and _Maggot Brain_, and "Wars of
Armageddon" from _Maggot Brain_.

***     72    America Eats Its Young

A transitional double album,  Bootsy and Catfish defect from the JBs
to join the P-Funk Mob.  Hints of later P-Funk in tracks like "Philmore"
and "Loose Booty", along with the continuing dark vision of urban
Amerika.  I find it a bit diffuse, a weakness common to most double
albums.

****    73    Cosmic Slop
****    74    Standing On The Verge of Getting It On
*****   75    Let's Take it to the Stage

These are the greatest of the middle period Funkadelic, as danceability
takes its rightful place as an element of the sound,  and Pedro Bell
takes on the album covers.  "Cosmic Slop" is a look back at the guitar
rock of the earlier albums.  _Let's Take it to the Stage_ is my personal
favourite,  with the title track,  "Good To Your Earhole", "No Head,
No Backstage Pass", and the immortal "Be My Beach", which introduced
the Bootsy Persona.  _Cosmic Slop_, and _Verge_ are close seconds, tho.
Note that around 1975, Parliament re-emerged as Clinton's vehicle for
serious themes, thus Funkadelic became more fun.

**      76    Tales of Kidd Funkadelic

I don't know why, but this album never did much for me, the Undisco Kidd
goes on for too long.

***     7?    The Best of the Early Years
***     7?    Funkadelic's Greatest Hits

There's about an album and a half of singles between these two.  I'd
give _Greatest Hits_ the nod for it's glorious leering black sheep
cover.  Unfortunately there's not much rhyme or reason to the selection,
beyond the obvious hits.  The track ordering is random, without thematic
or chronological cohesion that I can see.

Funkadelic, the later years:

*       76  Hard Core Jollies

A transitional album as the gang moves to Warner Bros.  Only memorable
thang is a live version of "Cosmic Slop".

*****   78  One Nation Under A Groove
****1/2 79  Uncle Jam Wants You

Here Funkadelic reaches it's glorious peak, guitars, bass, rhythm, and
horns come together with serious lyrics to make a killer dancefloor
combination.  _One Nation_ is solid gold, from the anthemic title track,
with it's accompanying latin-feel "Grooveallegiance" through
"PromentalShitBackWashPsychosisEnemaSquad", and statements of purpose
"Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock" and "Cholly".  The album used to
come with a bonus 7" that had killer live versions of "Maggot Brain" and
"Think! It Aint Illegal Yet".  _Uncle Jam_ is a solid continuation with
the title track and "Field Manoevres".  Side One is a killer with "Not
Just Knee Deep" and "Freak of the Week", I take off half a star, 'cos I
can't stand "Holly Wants To Go To California".  Ballads were never a
P-Funk's strong suit.

?       81  The Electric Spanking of War Babies

Haven't listened to this for years, memory blank.  The original Pedro Bell
album cover was censored.   That  P-Funk issue of _Motor Booty_ magazine
sometime last year has a black and white rendition.

?       8?  Connections and Disco nections

I suspect this is a contractual obligation album.  Clinton disavowed it.

Parliament, the resurrection:

***     74  Up For the Down Stroke
        title track, "Have You Ever Felt the Presence of A Brain"
***     75  Chocolate City
        title track, "Side Effects", "Ride On"
*****   75  Mothership Connection
        title track, P-Funk, Handcuffs, Give Up THe Funk -- a classic
?       75? Get Down And Boogie
****    76  The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
*****   77  Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome
        "Flashlight"
***     77  Live - P.Funk Earth Tour
*****   78  Motor Booty Affair
        "Deep", "PsychoAlphaDiscoBetaBioAquaDooLoop"
**      79  Gloryhallastoopid (Pin the Tail on the Funky)
        Theme from the Black Hole   last gasp for Sir Nose'D?
***1/2  80  Trombipulation
        Agony of Defeet is a great cut that should be better known      
****1/2 84  Parliament's Greatest Hits
***     86  The Mothership Connection - Live from Houston

Gotta go back to work, more details to follow.   _Funkententelechy_,
_Mothership_, and _Motor Booty_ are absolutely essential.   _Greatest
Hits_ is a good intro, but is too short, and lacks the overall vision
of the concept albums.  The live albums are nice, but fail to capture
P-Funk's incredible onstage energy.  The 77 live album is a twofer.
I think there's a video to go with the Houston album, but beware that
side 2 is just tracks from George Clinton Solo albums which you'll
probably already have by the time you get this...   Great cover art.

Bootsy's Rubber Band
*****   76  Stretchin' Out in Bootsy's Rubber Band
*****   77  Ahh... The Name is Bootsy, Baby!
****    78  Bootsy? Player of the Year
***     79  This Boot is made for Fonk-n
***     80  Ultra Wave
*       82  The One Giveth, The Count Taketh Away
***     88  What's Bootsy Doin'?

The first two Bootsy's Rubber Band albums are essential. the next two
runner's up.

Clinton's Solo albums, later.  If you want to get your feet wet,
get the _Greatest Hits_,  _Computer Games_ and _Cinderella Theory_

The other stuff -- Parlet, Brides Of Funkenstein, etc. is only for
fanatics.  I recommend Eddie Hazel's and Fuzzy Haskins' solo albums,
but they're pretty hard to find.

Almost forgot

****    80 Sweat Band          _Sweat Band_
****    83 P-Funk All Stars    _Urban Dancefloor Guerillas_

-- 
"The world would be a better place if it were just women and me."
					-- Andy Partridge
/*  uunet!sco!stewarte  -or-  stewarte@sco.COM  -or-  Stewart Evans  */