Customer Reviews

Music for Your Mother

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There are a great many albums out there by one of the 70's finest funk bands "Funkadelic", but for those maybe looking to pick up a 'Best of', or a compilation to easily summarise the band, there are a bewildering array of compilations & best of's.....for this band, that will leave all but the most determined, confused & disoriented by the whole thing.

Firstly if you are new to the whole Funkadelic (or even Parliament) sound, then you should stop reading this review, and make your way over to the reviews for "The Very Best of Funkadelic" for a no-frills compilation of their most recognised work, that although uneventful (in terms of surprises) is solid nonetheless. Those that know their "One Nation under a Groove" from their "Maggot Brain", and consider themselves either (a) highly interested in Funkadelic's work, or (B) A Funkadelic enthusiast.....will love this exhausting 2 C-d of A- sides / B-Sides and non album cuts and sublime instrumentals.

Instrumentals of a couple of the major / Strongest tracks ("Music for your mother, I wanna know if it's good to you?"), emphasises how sonically sound the instrumentation of Funkadelics work is, and it's a truly fantastic addition, although oddly it follows the Vocal tracks, rather than being placed further down the album but their inclusion is inspired. If you thought Funkadelic's work was strange at the best of times, then this collection of A+ and Oddball material, will make you strengthen that decision. With the oddball tracktitles giving some indication of the weirdness abound (Better by the Pound?, Biological Speculation??, Vital juices??), but the performances on most of the material begs the question "Why wasn't these titles given more prominence on the studio albums", as the Celebratory, Carefree and Playful lyric/performance dynamic that characterizes their work is so obviously in evidence here. None more so then "I Bet you", a stunningly loose grooved Soul-shouter that was one of the highlights on their debut album ("Funkadelic"), and only featured on a couple of compilations, and begs the question.....Why???, It is (for me) quite possibly one of the best tracks on this collection, yet it barely made it onto more than 1 studio albums, and a couple of 'best of's, yet some of the more well known stuff, makes it virtually on all the funkadelic collections.

And it's those that are interested in hearing some of the more obscure or little known tracks that will truly delight in this release. As it contains a lot of material that didn't make most funkadelic compilations or was deemed too outlandish for mainstream listeners that causally liked Funkadelic. This is most definitely geared towards a more hardcore audience, the chances are that a lot of people won't even be familiar with a lot of the material. Admittedly I'm a relatively new listener to their sound, but the quality of material here, bears up under close scrutiny and proves that some of the B-side material, could have (quite rightly), made A-side status. But again it must be reiterated that this is not for those with a causal or new interest in Funkadelic's work, for something a little more accessible try the aforementioned "The Very best of Funkadelic", or even better try the definitive "Motor City Madness: The Ultimate Collection" for virtually all the hits and listener favourites. But for those that may have these compilations (or several of the studio albums), the next logical step would unquestionably be this remarkable offering.........essential stuff!!!

Don't buy this as a best of....it's all the westbound singles (a 7" vinyl boxset would be nice) so some tracks are edited from the LP version. And then there's the non LP tracks like the amazing "Fish Chips and Sweat", and unreleased "...Can't shake loose" and its brilliant B-side instrumental. I actually prefer the "I'll Bet You" mix from the LP version....sounds better, may be in mono. The later LP edits aren't as good though, "Lets Take It To The Stage" takes away the good rude bits, as does "Red Hot Mama". I'd buy selected LP's first, then get this. Excellent liner notes included.

There's so many great tracks on "Music for Your Mother" that you're father might kick the cat across the room.

The holiest of grails for anyone who digs on psychedelic funk music. In many ways, George, Eddie, Bootsy, Bernie and the boys created the blueprint for this indulgent sub-genre in the early 70's. Music like this will never ever be replicated because the sound and themes are influenced so heavily by the times, because the all too obvious, sorry state of music today, and because in the end it would be impossible.

Of course, all of Funkadelic's genius is not contained on just these 2 discs and the one drawback is that many of their epic extended jams are edited down from their original form. But if you're looking for the quickest, cheapest and smartest way to get your hands on the most Funkadelic music you can because you just dug on "Mothership Connection" or "Cosmic Slop" for the first time - Look no further. And don't be stupid and look anywhere else. You found it man.

("Biological Speculation" is worth the price of admission on it's own!)

I must say, when I first heard this I thought it was no good. But then, understanding the context of the songs, and the condition of the artists' psyches, I came to see the light/darkness. This is creativity of the finest quality, giving no quarter to the commercial market; enduring, intelligent, fun. These guys saw things I certainly wasn't meant to see....and visited realms I will never visit, but can only glimpse through these beautiful songs. We will find, in time, Funkadelic's vision is the most sublime of all. Warped? Too oblique? Insane? Yep. Absurd? Psycho? Drenched in chems? Yep. Funk licks to die for. Vocals that veer from triumphal, heavenly choirs to voices from unsettled bodies. Funkadelic's funk is not of its time - their funk is, in the words of Cameo, eternal-funk. If we look in the right places, now and in past ages, we can find traces of eternal-funk, moving through the world. The Funkadelic mob tapped into this spirit of funkiness (Cameo again), soaked up the residues left by funk's presence, and became a medium by which funk could be.

It's a shame there isn't a single-disc compilation of Westbound-era Funkadelic available, but this collection of all their A & B sides is a marvelous thing. A little filler (a couple of B sides) can't be avoided, but all the classics are here :"I'll Bet You", "I Got a Thing...", "Music for My Mother", and so on. Extensive notes in the booklet round out an indespensible collection for fans of hard funk or guitar rock.

If your P-Funk knowledge starts somewhere around "Atomic Dog" and you want to learn more, this collection is an excellent start. A collection of singles from the band's early years on Westbound Records, these are 33 tracks of hardcore, unadulterated funk. "Cosmic Slop" is filled with gloomy lyrics, wailing vocals and a dark, menacing bassline that will force your head to bob rhythmically while you recite the chorus: "Would you like to dance with me we're doing the Cosmic Slop." The title hides the song's content: a son telling of the struggle his mother faced raising her children. Very intense. Some of the other songs to look for are fast paced "Red Hot Mama," "The Undisco Kid," which playfully pokes fun at the disco craze, the introspective "How Do Yew View Yew," These last two songs round out the double CD and show the beginnings of the cleaner funk sound that developed later in the decade. "Music For My Mother" is a great diversion into the blues, complete with some fine harmonica playing and their customarily excellent basslines and percussion. 33 tracks, all classics. If you are even remotely interested in Funk, buy this set.

Music For Your Mother is a compilation of the 45's that Funkadelic released while they were recording with Westbound Records. Unfortunately, the 45's didn't have the full length versions of the songs so several songs leaving you wishing for more. However, the flip side to that is that there were several songs on the 45's that were never on the albums (or CD versions of them). Therefore, you end up gaining some and losing some. I think, in the end, you gain more than you lose. This isn't a substitue for the other CD's of Funkadelic's music from Westbound Records but it is a real gem for Funkadelic fans and definitely worth buying.

This compilation is great! When I purchaed this CD, I just listened over and over and....This is a good CD to have in you collection when you just want to "Funkout" and not jump up and change from CD to Cd. This is good for the novice of funk who wants to get funked but too afraid to go deep. One of my favorites is "I Miss My Baby" written by Fuzzy Haskins. Over the years I understand that Fuzzy is a great guitar player. he should have gotten up there with Billy, Tawl, Tiki and the late Great Eddie Hazel! I can imagine how much more the Parliaments would have shined if they had more say---But this CD...

...would you like to dance wit me?

Embyronic funky psychedelica at its best. Wuz the world ready for Clinton, Hazel, Hampton, Tiki Fulwood, Gary Shieder and them when they came out with "Maggot Brain"?--I don't think so. Seem as if the world will never catch up. This is one of my prized CDs, hands down--I love the cuts "Funky Dollar Bill", "If You Don't Like..", "Let's Take It Too The Stage", and the legendary "Cosmic Slop"--I saw Funkadelic perform in the early 70's and I am here to tell you there was nothing like it--well...P-funk's rivals, the Bar-Kays, tried to copy the magic and madness of a Funkadelic stage show, but couldn't do it--I mean, c'mon! Ed Hazel's guitar solos were a mind altering experience alone. Get it from Amazon.com, now.

This album has a lot of great funkadelic songs. Some of them are just too funky. Some are b sides so they're not all classics. For someone new to funkadelic I'd recommend this.