Where the hell do I start with Parliament/Funkadelic?

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It comes on at different times in different areas...I think tomorrow night up here. It's supposed to be pretty great@

The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 15:15 (twenty years ago)

Dom I posted it on this thread! (Ok admittedly this was probably not the best place to post it)

George Clinton - What the Hell is he on about?

Keith C (lync0), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 15:52 (twenty years ago)

I was flipping back and forth between it and Nip/Tuck, but it seemed...okay. The footage of a baby Bootsy (with the world's nastiest Afro) taking a bass solo with James Brown was fantastic. That whole set, if it's all on film, should be released on DVD now. But they pissed me off by talking about how great a guitarist Eddie Hazel was and then cutting to footage of Michael Hampton playing "Maggot Brain." And the animated bits, with narration by Eddie Griffin, were annoying.

pdf (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and the 2CD Funkadelic comp Motor City Madness is a not-bad starting point, but that's all it is - a starting point. You need the first six Westbound albums in their entirety, especially now that they're remastered with bonus tracks.

pdf (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 15:56 (twenty years ago)

The footage of a baby Bootsy (with the world's nastiest Afro) taking a bass solo with James Brown was fantastic

That and the TV footage of Funkadelic performing "Wars of Armegeddon" were the best parts.

Vic Funk, Wednesday, 12 October 2005 16:13 (twenty years ago)

On the thread's original topic, I just want to chime in with another vote for Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome. Wasn't the first one I bought, but it remains my favorite of the seven or eight P-Funk LP's I've accumulated to date. ("Mothership Connection" is runner-up, but I've always hated "Handcuffs"...) Incredibly tight yet inventive and exciting music, lots of surprises and weird cross-connections and GREAT backup harmonies/choruses. One of the most fun discs I own by anybody.

Doctor Casino, Wednesday, 12 October 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...
I'd recommend listening to two recent shows from WFMU's Good Doctor -
November 13 + 20 were "A History of P-Funk", parts 1+2

Archives here:

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/GD

That's 6 hours of music to explore...

Matt Sab (Matt Sab), Monday, 5 December 2005 16:10 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...
Live/P. Funk Earth Tour (1977) !!!

the ending live version of night of the thumpasorus peoples is the hookiest song ever, i think :)

yijiao, Thursday, 22 December 2005 01:35 (twenty years ago)

dom leone hits nail on head

waldo jeffers scenario (haitch), Thursday, 22 December 2005 01:45 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...
Quick poll without starting a poll:

How many Parliment/Funkadelic/George Clinton albums do you have? Is there such a thing as a completist with these bands? How many records would that be altogether?

Mark Rich@rdson, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:12 (nineteen years ago)

I have about 8, all Funkadelic.

Scik Mouthy, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:36 (nineteen years ago)

a rather legitimate answer to teh original thread question must be also: "on the one".

t**t, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

Shitloads. I'd need to count them tho. I have loads of the spin offs too.

But i have all parliament and funkadelic. a couple of clinton solo. Which should answer your question and save me the arithmetic :)

Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:47 (nineteen years ago)

A dozen, at least.

Alex in SF, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:51 (nineteen years ago)

That's as complete as I need to be, anyway.

Alex in SF, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:51 (nineteen years ago)

9 Funkadelic albums, plus a shitty Funkadelic set called The Best and an amazing 2CD set called Parliament Gold.

abanana, Monday, 23 April 2007 20:35 (nineteen years ago)

...and Osmium, how could I forget that!

abanana, Monday, 23 April 2007 20:38 (nineteen years ago)

Hmm...as best I can figure, and counting all the spin-offs etc., I'd say I've got roughly 35 - all but a handful from the '70s. Nothing 'newer' than Computer Games.

Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 23 April 2007 20:54 (nineteen years ago)

Five Funkadelic, but my only Parliament is The Parliaments, the R&B Clinton joint (which some ILMer whose name I've forgotten sent via YSI during those Wild West days).

I eat cannibals, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 02:36 (nineteen years ago)

I have none but I once smoked up with George C at a Parliament show when in college. Once of the most surreal things I've ever experienced.

ENBB, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 02:40 (nineteen years ago)

One Nation Under A Groove is so damn overrated. The first seven Funkadelic albums were nearly perfect. Cosmic Slop, Standing On the Verge and Let's Take It To the Stage are the best entrypoints for most people who have been typically only exposed to Parliament.

Fastnbulbous, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 04:06 (nineteen years ago)

Bulbous OTM totally.

Bill Magill, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:42 (nineteen years ago)

I think i have all the 70s albumS.

Frogman Henry, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:55 (nineteen years ago)

let me count
all the Funkadelic studio albums (12)
all the Parliament studio albums (9)
most of the Bootsy studio albums (4)
Parlet (2, a best of and a copy of "Pleasure Principle")
Brides of Funkenstein (1, "Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy")
Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns (1, "A Blow For Me and a Toot For You")
Eddie Hazel (2)
Fuzzy Haskins (2)
Sweat Band (1)
Mutiny (2)
George Clinton solo (1)
live recordings and bootlegs (at least 6)
... and I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple things.

Rough estimate = 50

Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:00 (nineteen years ago)

ooh I forgot to count "Osmium" and the "Music For My Mother" 45s collection

Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 21:01 (nineteen years ago)

eight years pass...

http://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=etd_hon_theses

you are extreme, Patti LuPone. (forksclovetofu), Monday, 20 July 2015 17:12 (ten years ago)

one year passes...

I threw this list together of P-Funk and Clinton tracks.

the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 February 2017 17:43 (nine years ago)

no interest in any of the spinoff act stuff?

Οὖτις, Wednesday, 22 February 2017 21:59 (nine years ago)

Nice list Alfred! Please indulge me to add a few of my own favorites...

Free Alterations - From the Computer Games George Clinton solo record. Quite possibly my favorite thing he ever did.

I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody's Got a Thing - From the Funkadelic album.

Bop Gun - From Funkentelechy

Cosmic Slop (live version from Hardcore Jollies) - Completely different song than the other one, and IMHO it's far better

Red Hot Momma - From Standing On the Verge, whooo this is hot stuff

In Da Kar - Standout song from the recent Funkadelic comeback album

kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 22 February 2017 22:30 (nine years ago)

'You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure'

Working night & day, I tried to stay awake... (Turrican), Wednesday, 22 February 2017 22:33 (nine years ago)

The P-Funk live album ("Live: P-Funk Earth Tour) is great.

Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Wednesday, 22 February 2017 22:36 (nine years ago)

Cosmic Slop (live version from Hardcore Jollies) - Completely different song than the other one, and IMHO it's far better

ha I remember my brother coming to visit once and asking me if I had this song and I was like "uh which one" because there are at least four officially released versions of it

Οὖτις, Wednesday, 22 February 2017 22:44 (nine years ago)

It's one of my favourite P-funk riffs!

Working night & day, I tried to stay awake... (Turrican), Wednesday, 22 February 2017 22:51 (nine years ago)

"Liquid Sunshine" is so good.

Everything Moves Towards The Sun (Ross), Wednesday, 22 February 2017 22:52 (nine years ago)

the standout track on that album imo

Οὖτις, Wednesday, 22 February 2017 22:54 (nine years ago)

Ha, I've actually had 'Liquid Sunshine' in my head today, but my favourite track on Motor Booty Affair is the title track.

Working night & day, I tried to stay awake... (Turrican), Wednesday, 22 February 2017 22:58 (nine years ago)

Going to re-read the P-Funk poll thread(s), I may be some time.

Return of the Flustered Bootle Native (Tom D.), Wednesday, 22 February 2017 22:59 (nine years ago)

two years pass...

Pedro Bell has left us. Truly the man.

We lost the Master Mind behind the Graphic's & Artwork of Funkadelic. Mr. Pedro Bell is an American artist and illustrator best known for his elaborate cover designs and other artwork for numerous Funkadelic and George Clinton solo albums. Thxs for yr service our brother.😲🙏 pic.twitter.com/PsD8TRxlRU

— Bootsy Collins (@Bootsy_Collins) August 28, 2019

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 August 2019 02:08 (six years ago)

Aw fuck. RIP

Οὖτις, Wednesday, 28 August 2019 02:27 (six years ago)

I think my favorite cover is Hardcore Jollies... I just love all the purple and the composition is really dynamic. Absolutely idiosyncratic, one of a kind visuals that were just right for the music.

the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 28 August 2019 06:25 (six years ago)

Funny that I just listened to a podcast on him 2 or 3 days ago
https://www.designfreakspodcast.com/episodes/2019/2/22/pedro-bell
comes from February this year. One of a series on art5ists mainly to do with music.

Stevolende, Wednesday, 28 August 2019 07:30 (six years ago)

Pedro did something that is really rare imo, he made sitting down to listen to an album a real absorbing event. I can remember getting those mid-period Funkadelic albums, sitting down to listen to the album, and just poring over the liner notes and comic panels and hyper-detailed portraits and sleeve designs while listening, it was like entering another world for 35-40 minutes, not doing anything else. A proto-"multimedia" magic marker experience. From record to record there were references, running jokes, characters, recurring themes - a narrative. And not a narrative like today's where the focus is on the performer and their persona, but on this whole other weird alternate universe that mashed together horror movies, comic books, science fiction, blaxploitation, mysticism, conspiracy theories, African American lit, pornography, made-up slang, it's just so rich. There are not a lot of times I can recall where I would listen to an album and *not do anything else*, because it wasn't just an album, it had this whole other hyper-detailed (and funny!) aspect to it. Clinton got other guys later on that did their own version of this, but Bell was the originator and the best imo.

Οὖτις, Wednesday, 28 August 2019 18:21 (six years ago)

Totally agree, A+ post.

Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 29 August 2019 11:39 (six years ago)

Seconded

The Fearless Thread Killers (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 29 August 2019 12:26 (six years ago)

one month passes...

H/T to Ned for sending this to my Twitter feed:

Funkadelic LP artist Pedro Bell once told me a woman, Cathy Abel, designed the official Funkadelic logo. When I shared this years ago with folks, misogynists & non-believers thought I was making ish up. Last wknd, while looking in “El-Lay”’s P-archives, look what I found (‘72)... pic.twitter.com/DMXESax2Re

— DJ Soul Sister (@djsoulsister) October 7, 2019

Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 8 October 2019 14:01 (six years ago)

Cool.

Let them eat Pfifferlinge an Schneckensauce (Tom D.), Tuesday, 8 October 2019 14:06 (six years ago)

three years pass...

Saw 82 years old George Clinton and current version of Parliament Funkadelic at the Lincoln Theatre in DC . George was having fun, and the band was too. Sure I could nitpick them doing House of Pain “Jump Around “ rather than a PFunk deep cut , but George seemed into that cover . When I first saw em way back when I was bored a bit by instrumental solos , and decades later the same. One horn player did riffs from Fiddler on the Roof and Hava Nagila . But when they got funky, and the woman vocalist was singing well, and the horns, keyboard, guitars were grooving , it was one nation under a groove .

curmudgeon, Thursday, 17 August 2023 14:46 (two years ago)

two years pass...

Here...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doXWOHXwfaE

X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Sunday, 1 March 2026 03:14 (three months ago)

Caught a one-off symphonic gig in Detroit a few weeks ago -- Clinton and his current crew, plus Nona Hendryx, Vernon Reid, and Rahsaan Patterson (the latter in place of Bilal, whose absence must've been due to Grammy obligations). Ray Chew conducted. Hendryx and Reid on "Red Hot Mama" was especially incredible. Sitting across from KDJ was a bonus.

Finale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_NU4U1ptew

Read the next morning that Billy "Bass" Nelson died.

Andy K, Monday, 2 March 2026 03:00 (three months ago)


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