Ranking Funkadelic's albums

xxxxxpost - maggot brain is their most overrated album, yeah. not sure why its so popular in so many best albums ever charts. i think it was even in mojos best guitar albums ever but its when they were still trying stuff out. not worthy of quite *so* much adulation. hazel is good but he kinda overdid it (without sort of knowing what he was doing) on tracks like super stupid.

i still cant sell my funkadelic cd reissues. i keep meaning to put them on ebay cos i could do with the money but then i look at them and put them back on the shelf.

"hazel is good but he kinda overdid it (without sort of knowing what he was doing) on tracks like super stupid."

I find it hard to criticize Super Stupid. That song kills.

Yeah, the retributive Maggot Brain slams make no sense to me. It's a great album, every bit as good as the world seems to insist, opened by one of the most stellar pieces of guitar wank in rock/funk history, followed up by Can You Get to That, which might be Clinton's most indelible pop tune. To say nothing of Hit It and Quit It, You and Your Folks..., Super Stupid and Back in Our Minds. Though I could do without Wars of Armageddon, it's probably the most musically consistent and consistently mind-blowing album in the band's catalog (this side of One Nation, anyway).

^^^^yes

honestly I prefer the Wars of Armageddon version on Toys without all the sound effects+vocals slathered on top of it. Totally made me re-evaluate that song.

I knew you would. I told you the Toys version was amazing.

its always been my least favorite on Maggot Brain - too fussy or overdone or something. But stripped of its adornments the backing track is REALLY fucking heavy.

Maggot Brain sucks cock. My god is this piece of shit overrated. There is just no excuse for a long guitar solo as the first song on an album of 8 lame songs.

― Stoner Guy, Tuesday, July 5, 2005 1:12 PM (3 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

btw i know this guy isnt around anymore but i suggest band him on principle

What band?

fake fictons & i

I guess I need to hear that Toys thing...

i don't think maggot brain deserves any kind of backlash, jeez. listening to that unbelievable opening track is like experiencing zeppelin or hendrix for the first time.

I guess I need to hear that Toys thing...

Toys is good, but it's really not that S/T or Maggot Brain trip you've been lusting for.

I nominate One Nation Under A Groove for a proper backlash. That's the overrated album.

Electric Spanking is by fucking far the most underrated Funkadelic album. That record converted me for real. Maggot Brain is prob. the most overrated - for me it just doesn't work that well as a record even though half the tracks are absolute classics. It's certainly the best of the early Funkadelic records, though I'd argue that this was a period when George Clinton was still getting his shit together. ESWOB was my favorite Funkadelic record for a long time, oddly enough, though at this point I'd say "best" is a toss up between "Standing on the Verge" and "Let's Take It to the Stage". Every Funkadelic alb is worth getting - only "Standing on the Verge" is end-to-end brilliant, but all except "Uncle Jam" are pretty great to varying degrees. And "Uncle Jam" does have the full version of "Not Just Knee Deep," even if that's about all it's got.

That's a good assessment of their work although I haven't really clicked with Electric Spanking but I know a lot of people really rate it, I should give it another go. I always thought Computer Games was a much better album. I do agree that Maggot Brain is a bit overrated, it's a good album but I think they have a few albums that are better and more interesting. Completely agree that Standing on the verge and Let's Take it to the Stage are both up there.

I'd rank their 70's output like this.

1.Standing on the Verge of Getting it on
2.One Nation Under a Groove
3.Let's Take it to the Stage
4.Funkadelic
5.Uncle Jam Wants You
6.Maggot Brain
7.Cosmic Slop
8.Hardcore Jollies
9.Electric Spanking
10.America Eats It's Young
11.Tales of Kid Funkadelic

Haven't heard Free Your Mind.

Electric Spanking would be fourth or fifth for me.

Not a ranking, but just a celebration of Let's Take It to the Stage, by me:

http://thequietus.com/articles/18221-funkadelic-lets-take-it-to-the-stage-review-anniversary-2

nice

So let's get off my ass and jam!

I've got a CDR with Maggot Brain and the US (United Soul) record that was done as a early spinoff of Funkadelic that I have been listening to for the last couple of weeks.

That US Music with Funkadelic is not a bunch of outtakes, it's real good if you haven't heard it and love the early LPs. "Rat Kiss the Cat on the Navel" is up there with the best acid guitar tracks they ever did.

I refuse to accept that “funner” is a word

Funner is not a fucking word and we who know better have to fight back on this whenever and however we can

That's a typo, not sure how that made my cut.

I fought my own war against an adult who breathes oxygen using "picky" to describe her (non-allergic) eating habits ("Just admit, 'I'm an unadventurous eater'").

Great stuff

Standing On the Verge of Getting It On used to be underrated but not so much anymore, I don't think. It helps that it's energy really never flags and all the different things Funkadelic did best are well-represented - the anthem, the spacey guitar epic, the goofy joke, the sex jam etc.

I would've given more love to the mid-period albums (Cosmic Slop>Standing on the Verge>Let's Take it to the Stage>Hardcore Jollies>Tales of Kidd Funkadelic), but that's just what I return to most these days.

I nominate One Nation Under A Groove for a proper backlash. That's the overrated album.

― Fastnbulbous, Wednesday, April 1, 2009 1:03 AM (nine years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Been revisiting all of these albums chronologically and I totally agree with this

it's still great, it's just not a top 5 funkadelic album. grooveallegiance and the title track are two of the best they've ever done.

Yeah agree ‘One Nation’ is over rated...’Let’s take it to the stage’ is the unloved child

One of many. Cosmic Slop also doesn't get nearly enough love, which has always baffled me

cosmic slop is my favorite p-funk record, i think

Speaking of ignored, on the underrated tip is "Electric Spanking of War Babies", and "Tales of Kidd Funkadelic" is pretty great for a contractual obligation filler.

"One Nation" is not overrated and "Grooveallegiance" is the worst track on it!

One Nation is maybe *slightly* overrated, but still great. Also Groovallegiance is the BEST track on it wtf. So uplifting. Let's Take It to the Stage is def my favorite Funkadelic album these days tho. Tales of Kidd and Cosmic Slop being the most underrated.

There's a tidal wave of mysticism surging through our jet-age generation...

one nation has cholly and who says a funk band - both super bangers.

Yeah agree ‘One Nation’ is over rated...’Let’s take it to the stage’ is the unloved child

― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Thursday, March 7, 2019

Christgau, Eddy, and several other critics rate the latter fairly high.

unloved child or unloved kidd?

neglected starchild