•
Rating: On the pretext of Imasoulman's invitation to "darken the pages of the site," I finally decided to talk about this superb album from 1974. Now, who the Funkadelic are I believe is by now well-known; but I would still refer the forgetful to this page to learn more about the Parliament/Funkadelic duplicate by George Clinton.
So, the Funkadelic had achieved their first "serious" recognition (and also fairly commercial), finally balanced in 1971, with the famous "Maggot Brain." In the three subsequent years, they explored the dramatic potential of hallucinogenic drugs: their creativity would be positively affected, to say the least. They finally leaned towards the toughest and meanest funk possible, naturally combined with the psychedelic base that has always accompanied them. In just a few years, the Funkadelic transformed from carefree stoners, worthy companions of another "family" of the genre in terms of creative highs, into a leading group by the mid-'70s; guided by their charismatic leader, they reached with this album one of their creative peaks.
The most diverse psychedelic ambitions are set aside, to plunge into the dirt of a blacker than black funk, led by an incredibly inspired Eddie Hazel who dominates the entire album. If you're looking for a worthy heir to Hendrix without risking blasphemy, I think necessarily among the many, you have to pass through here: his six strings create amazing passages, born from a taste that takes root in blues to blossom in purest psychedelia and soul. Clinton takes care of the funk, the inspiring father of a true "genre culture" - that P-Funk that will emerge a year later in "Mothership Connection." And the tracks? Red Hot Momma is the gem, a hiccupped funk, an unstoppable and infectious dialogue between guitar and keyboard; Alice in my Fantasies is Rage Against The Machine twenty years ahead (ask Morello), in the typically Hendrix-like riff that underpins the track. Of course, the more psychedelic episodes cannot be missing, the seven-minute journey of I'll Stay (with Gary Bronson's effected drums) or the two splendidly odd minutes of Jimmy's Got a Little Bit of Bitch in Him revealing the group's craziest and most anti-commercial soul - which in the long run will lead to their ruin. I've already mentioned the funk as a common thread: Hazel brands the sensual Sexy Ways and especially the title track, a sort of acidic choral hard rock punctuated by dizzying rhythmic blasts. And the closure, as per script, is entrusted to the twelve stunning minutes of Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts: one of the peaks of '70s psychedelia, Hazel (again him...) takes us by the hand and leads us through that stellar space depicted on the cover that the group clearly had in mind at the time.
The mix is simple: Hendrix + P-Funk, Psychedelia + Hard Rock: is there anything else to say?
"Funk is everything you need at any moment. It's something that saves your life, or it's an attitude, or it's that attitude that helps save your life when you feel it's not worth it anymore. You go to a place where you want to jump out of the window and that's it. Funk is that comic voice that comes to you and says, 'Why brother, nobody will miss you.' It's an attitude. It's anything needed at any moment. That's the way I see it. Funk is really all music." - George Clinton.
Thanks to the site West Coasta Nostra for the quote.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Red Hot Mama (04:56)
{spoken:}
A luscious bitch she is, true
But it's not nice to fool mother nature
The proud mother of god like all ho's
Is jealous of her own shadow
Who is this young Vic Tanny bitch
Who wish to be queen for a day?
Who would sacrifice the great grandsons and daughters of her jealous mother
By sucking their brain until their ability to think was amputated
By pimping their instincts
Until they were fat, horny and strung-out
In a neurotic attempt to be queen of the universe
Who is this bitch?
{sung:}
Red hot mama from Louisiana
Thumbin' her way to Savannah
She been cooped up too long
Red hot mama lookin' to the city
Taxi dancers and big time spenders
She's been groovin'
Red hot mama was gettin' down
Scoping the places where fun to be found
She was smokin'
Ride on, red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Ride on, red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Ride on, red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Ride on, red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Red hot mama was really bad
She was badder than bad, bad as she want to be
Red hot mama was a real gas
Doin' it good and doing it fast
She was smokin'
Whoa, {etc}!
Ride on red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Ride on red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
(Come on baby!)
Ride on red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
(Right on!)
Ride on red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Be my dog!
You look good, girl
Carry on!
Hey!
Get funky?
Hey baby
Be my dog
Come on, baby!
Red hot mama
Right on
Play, boy
Play on
02 Alice in My Fantasies (02:30)
Hey baby, be my dog!
Owwww!
Alice in my fantasies, uh
Promised to do all kind of freaky things to me
Said she would, uh, suck my soul, if I'd lick her emotion
The freak said I would even owe her my devotion
She said she'd, uh, cover me with, uh, strawberries
And pretend that I'm a shortcake
I said, "Uh, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin"
OWWW!!!
Yeah!!!
Hey!!!
Alice in my fantasies
Promised to do all kind of things to me
Said she would, uhh, suck my soul if I'd lick her emotion
And that I would even owe her my devotion
I said "Uh, lady, be my dog and I'll be your tree
And you can pee on me."
Mama said never eat yellow snow
So away we go!
Huh, huh, huhh, huhh, huhh, huuuuuuhhh, huuuuhhhh!!!! Heyyy!!!
Be my dog!
Hey!
Baby
They call it mental masturbation
?
04 Sexy Ways (03:08)
I just want to say
that I love your sexy ways
I love you girl
Oh I love you girl
I just want to say
That I need you in so many ways
baby you're a turn on
oh you turn me on
I love all of you
you sure enough got a lot
I want to help you use
what you got
I, oh I
I, oh I
baby
I just want to say
that I love your sexy ways
come on and thrill me mama
oh thrill me girl
I just want to say
that I need you in so many ways
I just want to ffffeeeeeewwwww
all over you
I love all of you
you sure enough got a lot
I want to help you use
what you got
I, Oh I
(heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!)
I, Oh I
I, Oh I
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo
I, oh I
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo
I, oh I
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo
Oh baby
I love you girl
Oh I love you girl
I just want to say that
I need you in so many ways
Baby you're a turn on
you turn me on
you sure do turn me on
I love all of you
you sure enough got a lot
I want to help you use
what you got
I, oh I
I, oh I
(please)
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo (sing)
I, oh I (do)
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo (sing)
I, oh I (aaaaaaaah baby)
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo (now)
(baby) I, oh I (baby)
05 Standing on the Verge of Getting It On (05:10)
{spoken}
Hey lady, won't you be my dog
And I'll be your tree
And you can pee on me!
(x3)
We will do you no harm
Other than pee in your afro
Hey lady, won't you be my dog
And I'll be your tree
And you can pee on me!
{sung}
Even if you don't dig it
Don't mean it's not the thing or thing to do
It could be just for you
Even if you don't feel it
Right now don't mean someday it'll turn you out
You'll be out of sight
You really shouldn't ought to fight it
The music is designed to do no harm
It's just for you
With just a little bit of effort
I can, and well we might, just turn you on
Even if you don't admit it
The time for change is here and here we are
We're just for you
Stick us in your ear and dig us
One time, one time, one time, one time and see
We're just for you
You really shouldn't ought to fight it
The music is designed to do no harm
We're just for you
With just a little bit of effort
I can and will we might just turn you on
Music is designed to free your funky mind
We have come to help you cope
Out into another reality
You will be
Through our music we bring you hope
Us is what time it is
People, what you doing?
Standing on the verge of gettin' it on
Really gettin' it on
(x3)
Song out tonight
Oh, my soul is out tonight
There's a song out tonight
Y'all, come on
There's a song out tonight
Oh, my soul is out tonight
There's a song out tonight
Y'all, come on
(one more time!)
There's a song out tonight
Oh, my soul is out tonight
There's a song out tonight
Y'all, come on
Us is what time it is
Even if you don't dig it
Don't mean it's not the thing or thing to do
Could be just for you
You really shouldn't ought to fight it
The music is designed to do no harm
We're just for you
People, what you doing?
Standing on the verge of gettin' it on
Really gettin' it on
(x2)
People, doing, yeah?
Standing on the verge of gettin' it on
Really gettin' it on
People, what you doing, yeah?
Standing on the verge of getting it on
Really getting it on
Standing on the verge of getting it on
Really getting it on
06 Jimmy's Got a Little Bit of Bitch in Him (02:33)
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Upsets the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Outweighs the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of she in he
But when he pee, he see
Reality can be a-stiff sometimes
But then again it can be flexible
Depending on the angle of the dangle
Increased by the heat of the meat
And with the proposition that all men are not created equal
So why frown?
Yeah, even the sun go down
We'll call it mixed emotions for now
Play on, Jimmy
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Upsets the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Outweighs the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of she in he
But when he pee, he see
Reality can be a-hard
But then again it can be a-swinging
Like I said, depending on the angle of the dangle
Increased by the heat of the meat
And with the proposition that all men are not created equal
So why frown?
Even the sun go down
We'll call it mixed emotions for now
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Upsets the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Outweighs the Jim
Loading comments slowly
