Customer Reviews

Hardcore Jollies

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You know a band is classic if even their lower-key recordings are excellent. Funkadelic's first album on a major label is just that: excellent. Most reviewers, fans, and critics will dote upon the more famous of the tracks- "Comin Round the Mountain," "Smokey," "Hardcore Jollies," and a live take on Eddie Hazel's phenominal "Cosmic Slop"- and deservingly so. They're are all great tracks and album highlights. But the entire album is consistently funky and fun. Parliament/Funkadelic is one of the most underrated musical entities of all-time (though I still find Funkadelic far better than their horn-based, radio-friendly counterparts), and even though this is no "One Nation" or "Mothership Connection," it still proves the staying power of George Clinton's band of funkateers and freaks.

It won't matter if this is your first exposure to the band or not; it's still catchier than wildfire and you'll be hooked for life. Check out their early "Westbound" stuff, too. Overall: 7 out of 10.

This album has everything you want from Funkadelic, nasty guitar work, great melodies, and long jams that will make you never want the music to stop. There is some serious Sly and the Family Stone influence on this album, even using the opening riff to "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey". This is a top notch album, and really shows the groove and diversity of this legendary band.

This might be the last of the great Funkadelic albums. It was the last of the nasty guitar sound that drove nearly every album they'd made up to that point, as the very next Funkadelic album (on Warners Bros. as was Hardcore Jollies)ended up being One Nation Under A Groove. For my money side one is the most cohesive sequence to grace a Funkadelic album and side two has a live 6 1/2 minute version of Cosmic Slop pimped out by Michael Hampton... kid funkadelic himself. Why not own this now because if you got funk you got style this music will make you move better and more often.

Wow. This disc kicks off with a psychedelic funk explosion and only loses intensity when you turn down the volume (which I wouldn't recommend - Funkadelic is best when cranked). Fantastic writing and musicianship coupled with clever lyrics is something we've come to expect from George Clinton, and this album is one of his best. "Jollies" is a very much guitar-driven affair, with no real horns and minimal keyboard presence, and Funkadelic's guitarists are more than qualified to be your sonic tourguides on this funkalogical safari. A must-have for those whose @$$es need a good shaking.

Pretty good CD. More guitar-usage for a later "Funkadelic" album, as they had dived into pure funk right before it with "Let's take it to the stage", and right after it with "One Nation..." George Clinton also is more at the forefront with a couple of lead vocals on some songs. Worth having for "Smokey", and "Live version of Cosmic Slop"

F the dummy, this is Rock and Roll pure and simple. I feel sorry for all the AOR fans who were robbed of this gem during the 1970s. Eddie Hazel, Michael Hampton and even Gary Shider shredding with the best of them while Bootsy and Jerome Brailey kept the groove. Evidence? Witness "Hardcore Jollies" dual guitar soulful rock shred heaven, "Comin' Round the Mountain" more of the same, "Cosmic Slop" a live, slightly faster tempo of an absolute classic with Michael Hampton working out his own expression of Eddie Hazel's riffs and "Soul Mate" much like 1970's soul music uptempo ballads. Also "If You Got Funk You Got You Got Style" the one real funk track and "Smokey" bluesy and moody with Glenn Goins incredible vocals. A classic you most certainly missed thanks to mainstream rock radio whitewashing. This is Rock and Roll pure in simple...peer to your Stones, Clapton's, Beck's and LedZeps...and with all the bravado of 1970s Isleys and 1960s Hendrix. One of my desert island "discs"...do yourself a favor and check this out! (btw, One Nation Under A Groove and Maggot Brain are up there with this one).

The live version of Cosmic Slop on here is great. That and 'Comin Round the Mountain' alone are reasons
worth buying it. I forget the names of some of the other songs, but they rock too! The cd has a great mix sound.
One of my favorite Funkadelic cds, and I have almost all of them.

In kingdom Clinton proper, there is no such thing as a "bad" album. No need to trace why this music is so good or Clinton so important. I would rather listen to Funkadelic tread water than most bands break new ground, which usually means they have added strings or horns.


But Hardcord Jollies is exactly this: fat jams we associate with the great George. There are some killer live numbers here--Cosmic Slop is one--and the meaty, annimated funk which always radiates from the P-funk mothership, one of the most special places in music.

But Hardcore does not have the invention of the first three albums, the bite of Cosmic Slop, or the conceptual grip of One Nation Under a Groove.

If another funk band had released this, I would probably label it a classic, but Clinton and co have set the standards so very high, with each album packed end to end with invention, Hardcore seems patched together by comparison. In the 1970s, an album a year was the standard for a top flight band, and the wear and tear shows here. How can you really blame any band for putting out a place holder, and in this case, one that more than does the job.

Hardcore is a great record by any standard, except those set by its creators. If someone asked me to turn them on to P-funk and I only had this at hand, I would be more than happy to use this as King George and co., 101.

Then I would take out Maggot Brain, Cosmic Slop and One Nation, and class would REALLY be in session.

This was one nice Funkadelic debut album for the Warner Brothers label. I love the live version to "Cosmic Slop" on here. "Comin' Round The Mountain" was definitely the jam as well.

man funkadfelic was the greatest rock band in my opinion and this just improves the legacy the first song comin round the mountain is hot with a solo from eddie hazel that's on fire his fans should check this out and the title track hardcore jollies is another instrumental where eddie goes for his includes adolescent funk with bernie doing his keyboard wizardry and just this man was a keyboard genius and made p funk the way it is with eddie and also contains a live version of cosmic slop which is okay and other cuts include smokey, and you scared the lovin outta me all classics and worth the money if you like p funk.