How do you all feel about Funkadelic's 1981 lp ELECTRIC SPANKING OF WAR BABIES? I notice that it has never been mentioned on here...why doesnt it get any love on this site?

Having been around at the time it was released (and a HUGE P-Funk fan).....

It was disappointing in '81.

We had out "ears to the ground" during the preceding couple of years prior and had heard that they had a fairly massive number of tracks in the can for the album....so we were excited to get ahold of it.

The title track was (& is) awesome. That guitar is truly one for the funk hall of fame. The album overall, just wasn't what people wanted / expected, I guess. GC & the bunch were going through hard times back then...drugs..legal crap, etc.....not a shock that it wasn't their best work.

Still, with the ensuing years, the album has gotten much more love.

For me, the eventual release of the track "OH I" (which SHOULD have been on Electric Spanking, IMO)...made it a better set.

Also worth seeking out (if you don't have it yet) is "S.O.S. (Mayday)"....another track from the Electric Spanking sessions that should have been included. Good stuff.

Icka Pricka

I'm one a few that actually dug it when it first came out.
The Electric Spanking of War Babies
Funk Gets Stronger I&II
Shockwave
Oh,I
Icka Prick
Electro-Cuties
I dug them right off.

"Hey Sly - Hey Syl!". Classic.

I remember George was pissed when he wanted "Spanking" to be a double LP and WB told him no. Then down the road "1999" came out. That may have been WB's way of telling him 'out with the old and in with new'.

"Icka Pricka" was the best way to end the LP and the 1st legacy of Funkadelic.

SPYZFAN1 said:

Atomic Dawg was to be included


But I've always felt that this was more of a P.Funk All-Stars album than a Funkadelic one.


Electro Cuties is the jam
[Edited 5/3/10 17:41pm]

funkpill said:

.. and I'm all charged up

JamFanHot said:

... but "Oh I" appears on Electric Spanking. I can't find anywhere a pressed copy without "Oh I", if that used to be the case.
[Edited 5/3/10 18:44pm]

Shango said:

Yeah, Shango's right. For some reason, I recalled that it WASN'T on the first pressings. But I too have confirmed that wasn't the case (even dug my original copy from the stacks). My bad.

Much WAS left out though (as other posters have noted). Glad most of it saw the light of day eventually.

Although not one of my go to albums I still love it.
It's a hot mess.
I just wish it was a double lp like originally concieved.

I remember when this album dropped, it was like a serious left-turn out into Weirdville, lol. And I LOVED it! For me, this was one of their more edgier projects, but I never lost track of them, and always went along for the ride. I just remember smoking TONS of pot when this album came out, lol. I loved that George was experimenting with so many different kinds of sounds with this album, and the result was a seriously trippy record, lol.

In fact, now that I think of it, I haven't heard "Spanking" in a while... let me put this jammy ON! LOL.

.
[Edited 5/5/10 0:04am]

While pullin my vinyl copy of this the other night...I also was truck by how SICK Pedro's art was for this record...one of his best, IMO.

JamFanHot said:

Icka Prick is the only real jam on this album. The title track is garbage.

Icka Prick
{G Shider, G Clinton}

(let's get the cue track, ok right, what?)
Ahh-ahhh, ahhh
Oh, you ain't seen obscene yet
We gonna be nasty this here time
Check it out, huh
Can you imagine this?
Put on some protection for your ears
?pussy serving land?
Like John Henry the steel drivin' man
Who with a hammer and spike in his hand
Said it's what's up front that cunt
Lifting weights with his tits (icka prick and iron pussy)
Doing pushups with his clit (yucka fuck and muscle cunt)
Disgusting!
Icka prick and iron pussy
Yucka fuck and muscle cunt
There ain't no decent dick in Detroit
Ho, grossin out!
Icka prick and iron pussy (nasty can be ?)
Yucka fucka muscle cunt
If you think that's nasty
Follow me to the men's room
Watch me write on the wall (icka prick and iron pussy)
Graffilthy!
Suck my mind

Oh!
This is equal-opportunity nasty
Here, that helps???
Take it off, take it all off, hey!!
Icka prick and iron pussy (pumpin' to please!)
Yucka fuck and muscle cunt (without humps there will be no gettin' over)
Icka prick and iron pussy
And still, there's no decent dick in Detroit
Icka prick and iron pussy (and that's a gross point of view)
Yucka fuck and muscle cunt (oh you don't???)
Icka prick and iron pussy
Oh, serving pussy from the shoulder
Oh, yeah, you'll get knocked up listening to this (ahhh-ahhh-ahhh)
You'd better put some protection on your ears
This is graffilthy! (ahhhh-ahhh-ahh!)
Can you imagine this?
Get that thing out of here, boy
Ahhh-ahh-ahhh
Icka prick
You're sick!
Who you gonna stick? (can you imagine this?)
That's a counterfeit dick
The shape of things to come
Can you dig it
Can you imagine this?

Icka prick and iron pussy
Yucka fuck and muscle cunt
I can't ????

This ain't about penetration
It's about tenderness and concentration
Friction what gets you off
Oh, you ain't seen obscene yet
Oh!
Follow me to the men's room
Watch me write on the wall
I'll tell it all
Flush you before I go
Wash out my mouth with soap
And shit-talk some mo'!
Let's discuss disgusting
You ain't seen obscene yet
You haven't seen this ??? before
While he's serving pussy from the shoulder
She's serving dick from the head (You haven't seen this ??? before)
Let's discuss disgusting

We gonna be nasty this year (mmmhmmmm)
Elmo MacNasty, mental masturbation
Psychological perversion (hey, hey)

Can you imagine this
Let's go do a quickie
Don't take your clothes off
Follow the ho-ho lines
Freakin' behind the naval blockade
Lookin' through your belly-button window
Let's discuss disgusting
???
Whooa-ooo
Her pussy is on the steel-wool rag
?
Penetration is a drag
It seems like there's no decent cunt in Detroit
Of course, I like to watch

Ahh
Hey!
Ahhhhh, ahhhhh (x3)
She lifts weights with her tits
He does pushups with his clit
Ahhhh
Can you imagine
I lift weights with my tits, owww
Can you imagine

this album is up there with their best and seriously underrated.

Personally, I like the ELECTRIC SPANKING album...I think its a classic..its much better than UNCLE JAM, IMO

DigitalGardin said:

Agreed.
I listen to ESOWB way more than UJ. It's just a really weird funky dense hot mess. Love it! And like I stated above, wish it could've been a double album like envisioned. I wonder if there ever was a tentative double lp tracklist?

Bfunkthe1 said:

thats a good question..I wonder what the double lp track listing would have been

I'm guessing it never got to that stage. But we could always make our own double lp with songs intended for the album. Let's see...
ESOWB CD2:
Atomic Dog
May Day (SOS)

add as you see fit.

MISS LUCIFERS LOVE '81

DigitalGardin said:

Say what?
Never heard it. Is it good? Love the original. I'd be very interested in hearing this.

Bfunkthe1 said:

you never heard the '81 version?

DigitalGardin said:

Ummm...no I haven't.
Was this intended for War Babies?

you've never heard of the LUCIFER LOVE '81 version because I havent heard of it either...I was just wishfully thinking..

DigitalGardin said:

You aint right. Lol.
I hope others name some more tracks intended for ESOWB. I'm gonna make me a CD2 once I have enough tracks.

It was a throwback to the earlier Funkadelic lps. Plus Warners was pissed at George because he started Uncle Jam Records on CBS so they reduced it to a single disc lp. And released it a year later in 1981.

At the time the title track was deemed to weird for radio. Most didn't get it and years later it is only now appreciated.

Warners gave Prince a double disc a year later as a fart and slap to Clinton's face. Out with the old and in with the new.