Customer Reviews

Standing on the Verge of Getting It On

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

 

 

Note that this reissue has shorter versions of at least two key tracks. Both "I'll Stay" and "Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts" are each cut short by about three minutes. It's a real bummer for the serious P-funk fan... While the sound on this reissue is cleaner, the EQ seems soft and lacks the strong 'punch' of the previous issue of this title. I am unsure if this is a result of too much high end, not enough bass, or what... While the artwork is an improvement, the bonus tracks do not offer anything that was not already available on Music For My Mother.

This is an awsome album - however I cannot recomend this version... Seek out the previous issue. On Amazon this older listing does not include 'remastered' in the title (however the sound is great).

Funkadelic is certainly an underrated band-And not only in the R&B world, but in the rock world as well. Regardless of the name of the band and the fact that you usually find them in the R&B or Soul section of the store, Funkadelic is actually a rock band, especially the early to mid-70s albums like this. You get some pretty rocking songs, guitar solos and even a tad of progressive rock. They easily earn a spot along side of any classic rock band from the 70s. Of course it's funky as well! Don't buy a Funkadelic album thinking it's gonna sound like the theme music to Shaft, but it's definitely got a groove to it. It's great to see these cds finally getting the remaster treatment coz some of the original cds sounded pretty bad. This particular album is excellent and a great intro to the band, unless of course you want the more dancey sound, then I'd suggest One Nation Under A Groove or Uncle Jam Wants You. I must give a warning to anyone who wants to ditch their original cd copy for the new remaster. Yes, it does sound better and there are a few bonus songs, but I was very disappointed when it got to track 3(I'll Stay) and the song ended halfway through! I remember this song being at least 3 minutes longer. This really bummed me out coz the whole song is good. Imagine listening to Time from The Dark Side Of The Moon and having it fade out halfway through. There is really no reason for this, it's totally unacceptable, and that is why I give this 4 stars and not 5. It is a 5 star album all the way for sure. Those not familar with the album won't be aware of anything, but fans will be like, "What the hell?". I mean, it's not like there isn't enough space on the cd, it's a 37 minute album to begin with. With minor edits(including the last song too actually) and two bonus tracks, it's now 38 minutes!! So you may not want to toss your old cd if you want to keep the entire song. Still a great album though.

Standing On The Verge is easily one of the P-Funk triumphs. Eddie Hazel is where he belongs, ripping up the guitar for Funkadelic. He was somewhat present for America Eats Its Young, and I think was in jail during the recording of Cosmic Slop, but he returned for this bit in full form... making it almost like the fourth installment to the acid trilogy; and possibly the most consistent of the lot. BUT WAIT A SECOND? What gives with the track edits on this remaster? I was listening to one of my favorite cuts, the soulful I'LL WAIT, when I noticed that the whole second half of the song is gone. Thats about three minutes of the crew singing "bup-bup-bup-bup, ba,ba,ba-bup, oh oh oh oh oh" ...The edit still sounds nice, but I really dig the bup bups... whats the story? A good three minutes have been chopped off of GOOD THOUGHTS BAD THOUGHTS also... however, it's not quite as noticable on that one, but still... is there a point for this?
The running time for the original press of this album is like 35 minutes, short even for vinyl, let alone for CD. Like most of the most recent Westbound remasters, this one contains pair of bonus cuts... one is the 45 version of the title track, which is useless since the album version is included (one of Funka'D's best... thankfully included in full) and a groovy instrumental that I dig... but even with those two bonus cuts added, the running time on this CD is still actually SHORTER!!! than the original vinyl release. Can somebody explain what the funk is going on here? Song for song this album is an absolute classic, even if RED HOT MAMMA was a lot harder when it was a Parliament recording a few years earlier... this updated version is still with plenty of its own merit... and the spoken words behind Good Thoughts Bad Thoughts constitute for owning this thing alone... but edits??? Nothing makes me angrier than track edits. Two of these stars are getting pee'd on, cuz I'm a little P'd off! ...Super stupid!

Funkadelic-Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On *****

If one true statement about rock n' roll was ever made it was by the man who first said Eddie Hazel is the most underrated and overlooked guitarist in history. Much like on Maggot Brain, the groups finest album, Hazel dominates this album with a passion and attack unmatched by any other player in history. What would have been just an average Funkadelic album is transformed with the help of Hazels guitar playing into one of the strongest, most enjoyable, and downright funky albums in all of history.

Clinton's humour helps save the album from being to serious on songs like 'Red Hot Momma' 'Alice In My Fantasies' and 'Jimmys Got A Bit Of Bitch In Him.' 'Standing On The Verge...' the albums title track is one of the most outrageous and incredible tracks in the music. It's funky, and multi layered with different parts. Great musicianship all around, especially from Kidd Funkadelic himself Eddie Hazel. Bernie Worrell plays some of the best licks of his life. 'Ill Stay' is basically another Maggot Brain with Hazel playing the hell out of his axe, and Gary Shider and Worrell doing the same to their guitar and keys. 'Good Thoughts Bad Thoughts' is pure bliss.

Making sure you get the version of the album with the full length time of the tracks and not the edited versions may be hard but is way worth it. Both versions are great though. What is really amazing about this album other than Hazels amazing playing is the fact that even the cover art is amazing and among the bands best. Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On is the total package.

After the more R&B flavored 'Cosmic Slop', Funkadelic came back hard with 'Standing On The Verge...'. The heavy metal flavor of this LP was more in the vein of the 'Maggot Brain' LP. After a weird, speeded up, then slowed down, version of the 'America Eats It's Young' monologue (interrupted by a Bernie Worrell prank, which leads George to call him a "gross motherf***er", all in chipmunk voices), the festivities open with a rockin' version of Parliament's 'Red Hot Mama', although Parliament's original version was a bit heavier than this one. There's a nice inclusion of the 'I'll Bet You' guitar line in this one. Things go a little further off the chain with 'Alice In My Fantasies'. Excellent guitar work on this one. George's lyrics about a crazy sexual encounter with a wild freak are hilarious. He even brings back the old 'Mommy What's A Funkadelic' lyric: "Suck my soul, and I'll lick your emotions...". Next up is 'I'll Stay', a mellow, soothing reworking of The Parliaments' 1969 B-side single 'I'll Wait'. Unfortunately, as was stated in previous posts, the remastered version cuts off the second half of this song. 'Sexy Ways' is a nice, upbeat R&B tune, giving us a glimpse at what was to come with the 'Let's Take It To The Stage' LP. The title cut, with it's weird, chipmunk intro of "Be my dog, and I'll be your tree, and you can pee on me..." is a Funkadelic classic. The song aptly explains what Funkadelic is all about. The next song, 'Jimmy's Got A Little Bit Of Bitch In Him', is hilarious as George monologues about an aquaintance who obviously has a little too much sugar in his tank. This song is a lot like 'No Compute', sleazy lyrics over a good ol' fashion blues rhythm. The final song, 'Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts', is a masterpiece. Too bad that the remastered version chops this one up, too. The tune itself is in the same vein as 'Maggot Brain': a beautiful, haunting guitar solo, which fades and then returns with a profoundly deep George Clinton monologue that touches on the themes of 'Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow'. This classic album would be the last of the old-style Funkadelic LP's (long guitar driven songs, slowed down vocal monologues), as the group would change gears with their next LP, 'Let's Take It To The Stage', and give us yet another classic LP on a whole different level. 'Standing On The Verge...' is a tribute to the genius of both George Clinton and Eddie Hazel.

I'm too young to have been a funkateer from way back -- got into the Parliafunkadelicment Thang in 1996 when a couple of people introduced me to it as a senior in high school. I was given the CD remaster of this album as a gift, and I already owned the non-remastered 1990-or-so CD release (along with every other piece of music P-Funk has ever released going back to the Parliaments days on Revilot).

I cannot compare this to the original LP. However, one thing I CAN say is -- my copy of the remastered CD does NOT have the shortened tracks the other reviewers have written about. I took it out of the shrink-wrap an hour ago and listened to it in its entirety. "I'll Stay", "Sexy Ways" and "Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts" are not edited on my copy, even though the listed running times on the packaging suggests that they are. Maybe I just got lucky. Anyway, fly on!

I have the original lp and it is one of my favorite in the Funkadelic catalog. I don't know what happened when they remastered it, but they did shorten 2 tracks in the process, "Good Thoughts Bad Thoughts" and "I'll Stay "are both edited down in track length. Also "Sexy Ways" is also sounding bad. The chorus now drowns out the track. It isn't like that on the lp or the original cd issue. The big plus with all the reissues are the liner notes and photos. Do not buy this "remastered" cd. I hope the flaws are fixed on future printings.

While it's no secret that this album is something special and that it is heavy on the guitar of Hazel, it does appear to be a secret that the remastering problem has been fixed. I ordered and received this less than a week ago, and people let me lay you straight; "I'll stay" and "Sexy Ways" are not the edited versions. While listed on the cover, still, as about four and two minutes respectively, each is much longer. "I'll Stay" is at least seven and a half minutes long, and "Sexy Ways" is longer than it's listed time, too. Please purchase this with confidence if you've been holding back because of remastering, and join the masters in standing on the verge of gettin' it on, brother gettin' it on!

I love everything about this album especially the way it showcases one of the most incredible musicians to ever pick up an instrument, Edward Earl Hazel. He's my favorite guitarist of all time and really takes center stage on this album much the same way he did on "Maggot Brain". I find it hilarious when I hear critics downplay his influence due to they think he sounded too much like Jimi Hendrix?

First of all, many of the top guitarist of that era sounded in some way like Jimi as he was THE major influence on what rock/funk guitar would come to be in popular music. Secondly, while Eddie was influenced by Jimi, he had his OWN unique style that still stands on it's own even today. No one quite sounds like Eddie Hazel and that's a true testament to any musician of any genre or time period.

Songs like "Red Hot Momma", "Alice in My Fantasies" & "I'll Stay" display Hazel's incredible ability to pull out every ounce of power and feeling in a guitar. His blues/funk/rock/jazz offerings are extrordinary and are a true testament to the great musical force that was Funkadelic. They were the under-appreciated side of the P-Funk army but were my personal favorite as they displayed how diverse George Clinton's writing/production skills really were.

It seems most people have this idea that black artists can't play "rock" music when that genre was birthed out of jazz/blues both of which were created and heavily dominated by black artist then and now. I highly recommend this ablum to any one looking to explore the early years of both Parliament-Funkadelic as they truly were one of the most outstanding bands of the 20th century.

"Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts" is one of the best songs I've ever heard. This album is a great feel-good funk album with lots of funny improvs and great songs.