So I already have remastered "One Nation" and a very poor sounding non-remastered "Maggot Brain" -- and the later-era compilation "The Original Cosmic Funk Crew."

So, what are the essential Funkadelic albums?

What should I look for next?


AND ----- have they been remastered?"

My favorites are

Free Your Mind--horribly mixed, no idea if it's remastered, great music nonetheless

Standing on the Verge--Probably my favorite all around. Worth it for Red Hot Momma alone!

Cosmic Slop

Let's Take it to the Stage--starting to sound a bit more like Parliament here. This one is easy listening, high quality songs, not very psychedelic.

Didn't we just have this conversation? Like earlier this week?

AlexdeParis said:

Nope. I've been grooving on "(Not Just) Knee Deep" a lot this week; the one I mistakenly thought was "Freak of the Week." And I've just been getting deeper and deeper into the Funkadelic.

But --- no, I didn't ask for everyone's favorite Funkadelic albums at that time.

My faves are:

Free Your Mind
Maggot Brain
Hardcore Jollies
Tales of Kidd Funkadelic
Let's Take It To The Stage
Cosmic Slop

They're all worthwhile but i think their best is Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On. It smokes pure and simple.

I've been getting back to the whole Funkadelic thang myself. I only have Maggot Brain and One Nation Under A Groove in my collection, but I too am interested in listening to more of their output. I just went to Amazon.com and I saw that they had a collection that came out in 2006 called Motor City Madness: The Ultimate Funkadelic Westbound Compilation. Is that any good?

I was also interested in checking out Free Your Mind. Is that any good?

silverchild said:

yes to both questions

Also --- anyone recommend a good source for Funkadelic CDs. I just went on the Amazon.com and it were pretty limited.

???

I love them all,but if I could only
pick one I'd say "Standing on the verge of getting it on"
From the titletrack thru "I'll stay" to the hypnotic guitarplaying
from Eddie Hazel on "Good thought bad thought",the whole album is
brilliant and probably the one I've listened to the most.
/peace Manki

manki said:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...r3EGpIToOA

I don't know anything about this 2006 "Ultimate" compilations, but I think this, "Music for Your Mother", should be in every serious music collection that seeks diversity.

Then this can largely inform where to go next.

I like Takes of Kidd Funkadelic, and recommend it if you haven't heard it. The title track is long, spacey and very, very cool. Actually, Funkadelic albums are kind of like Prince's - you should get them all eventually because they are all special in some way.

fms said:

I second that!

What's their funkiest album? I own Cosmic Slop and Maggot Brain - both of which seem more rock-influenced than funk. ONUAG has the title track and Cholly which are funky... but other than that I haven't heard much else in the way of funk...

MattyJam said:

Well, if you want to hear their funkier side, listen to Parliament

sro100 said:

The funkadelic remasters are very good i'm happy to say.

Free your mind is indeed horribly recorded and mixed; the music is fantastic. I would love to hear a remix of that ear bleeding album

I love the production of maggot brain. The atmosphere is unique; especially compared to today's processed shit.

Music for your mother has the best mixes and i would recommend that.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Yeah, I do have a few Parliament albums... I was just wondering which of Funkadelic's is the funkiest....

MattyJam said:

That would be three albums; Hardcore Jollies, Tales of Kidd Funkadelic and One Nation Under A Groove

fcukthepolice said:

So, they remastered the Westbound catalogue? my "Maggot Brain" sounds like it was taken from a cassette full of hiss.

Why the funk are Funkadelic albums STILL so hard to get? After all these years you'd think folks would've worked out their differences.

And --- what's the best source to buy their catalogue?

sro100 said:

well baby you ain't done yet get a remastered Maggot Brain disc cause Maggot Brain is the quintessential Funkadelic album love! It's worth it!

sro100 said:

Again, yes.


Amazon.

AlexdeParis said:

More clarity is needed. The WESTBOUND catalog wasn't quite remastered. It's just a British reissue with the tracks from MUSIC FOR YOUR MOTHER chronologically padded into the individual releases. ACE Records UK are the culprits involved at http://www.acerecords.co....rtist=3303.

There were some bad screw-ups along the way with bad edits & shitty sound, but it was eventually cleaned-up. The liner notes are new and may warrant a purchase. Still be wary if you're paying full retail import prices.

My suspicions are Westbound owner Armen Boladian entered inot an illegal contract with the label. He did a similar program with Ohio Palyers.

PFunkjazz said:

Thanks. The link you provided is for Amazon in the UK. When I went on the Amazon, here in the U.S., the first CD I looked for wasn't in their inventory. Is going through Amazon UK the only way to go for new, not used, Funkadelic CDs?

sro100 said:

That's why I have suspicions. There are outstanding legal issues between Clinton and Boladian so a foreign reissue program is Boladian's way of cutting through the morass. American distributors would be sued if they tried that crap. I can guarantee there'd be lot of hoopla once Clinton regains rights for a proper US release.

For the record, I did not link to AMAZON UK. I went directly to the issuing label. You drilled down to the Amazon ZUK retailer BUY button.

The Mothership Connection, live performance