Uncle Jam Wants You
Uncle Jam Wants You is the eleventh studio album by American funk rock band Funkadelic. It was originally released by Warner Bros. Records on September 21, 1979, and was later reissued on CD by Charly Groove Records and Priority Records. It was produced by George Clinton under the alias Dr. Funkenstein. It is the first Funkadelic album since "America Eats Its Young" in 1972 not to sport a cover illustrated by Funkadelic artist Pedro Bell, though Bell did provide artwork for the album’s back cover and interior. "Uncle Jam Wants You" was the second Funkadelic  album to be certified gold. The album peaked at #18 on the US Billboard 200 and #2 on the US "Billboard" Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Significance. In some ways, "Uncle Jam Wants You" (a reference to the "Uncle Sam wants you!" US Army recruitment posters) is a more militant sequel to the group's previous album, "One Nation Under a Groove". Whereas that album described an ideal country ruled by Funk, "Uncle Jam" actually attempts to provoke the conversion into Funkadelia. Its purpose is also (as the cover claims) to "rescue dance music from the blahs." The cover  art depicts George Clinton in a Huey Newton-Black Panthers pose, reflecting the more martial lyrical themes of the album. The album features the band's last big hit single, "(Not Just) Knee Deep", an edited version of which went to number one on the "Billboard" Soul singles charts. This album had a profound influence on the West Coast hip-hop scene, especially the legendary DJ organization known as Uncle Jamm's Army. Samples of the 15-minute Funkadelic cut "(Not Just) Knee Deep" can be heard in De La Soul's "Me Myself and I" (1989), the Teddy Riley -produced "Get Away," as well as several of Dr. Dre's productions. Personnel. Funkadelic Rescue Dance Band (as given in the liner notes): Mallia Franklin is credited as a background vocalist, but she was the female lead singer on the song "Freak of the Week". Additional Musicians: Photography: