Uncle Jam Wants You [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Funkadelic | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 16, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1979
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Priority Records
• ASIN: B000069CMO
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,112 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Freak Of The Week

2. (Not Just) Knee Deep

3. Uncle Jam

4. Field Maneuvers

5. Holly Wants To Go To California

6. Foot Soldiers (Star-Spangled Funky)

Editorial Reviews

Almost as if Clinton and company wanted to atone for parts of One Nation Under a Groove, Uncle Jam Wants You takes not merely a more daring musical approach but a more forthright political stance. The cover art alone is brilliant, front and back showing C

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funkadelic's Vision of "Commercial", February 10, 2006

By 

Uncle Jam (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uncle Jam Wants You (Audio CD)

This album, though perhaps being more "commercial" than Funkadelic albums of the past, is way funkier and groovalistic than anything that was out there at the same time. If you listened to this album without knowledge of who the band was, you would still easily tell that it was a Funkadelic record by the uniqueness of it. "Freak of the Week" is an extraordinary track starting off the album in a super funky style with great vocals by George and the whole gang. Beautiful bassline. "Knee Deep" is the obvious masterpiece of the album. Running for more than 15 minutes, it can get rather repetitive at times, but from the starting seconds with that classic synth horn riff all the way through the blazing Hampton solo and to the fading vocals it just rocks some soul through your body. The Gang would try to copy this success with future singles, most notably with "Agony of DeFeet" from Parliament's TROMBIPULATION and "Electric Spanking of War Babies" from Funkadelic's album sporting the same name, but none would quite match up to this original dance monster. Philipe Wynne shines on the next song in "Uncle Jam." Bootsy makes his sole appearance on the album with some great lines that helps to propel the second song in a row that lasts through double digits in minutes. After the halfway mark in the album, it is very evident that Funkadelic had evolved to band much more like Parliament in the late 70's than the incarnation that we all saw in the first part of the decade. "Field Maneuvers" is a short but very effective Michael Hampton instrumental work out that is very catchy and is one of my favorite songs from the album. "Holly Wants to Go..." is a "ballad" that only George could do. Very forgettable track that probably was really more made as a joke rather than a serious track. (Just listen to George trying to sing, it's horrible!) Bernie Worrell makes his only appearance on the album working from a grand piano. The last song ends this album nicely and really encompasses the musical setting that George and the boys were really trying to obtain on this album. "Foot Soldiers" is more of an instrumental and chant song but done in a very appropriate way. Funkadelic struck gold with "Knee Deep," but took a lot of flack for deviating from the in-your-face funk/rock that made the band so popular in the mid-seventies. I actually feel that the musical style is appropriate. Milking the same formula to death is a problem many bands have suffered throughout the course of their careers, but the P-Funk cog seldom stayed the same from album to album during the 70's. In the 80's the P-Funk Allstars would be met with reduced success due to the lack of parity in their music, perhaps because of the critics of this album, but they always tried to evolve as a musical group. They set their own standards, and for that reason and the fact that there are some great songs here, this is a must have. However, if you are a fan of the earlier Funkadelic it does not mean you will be totally on board with this album. Funkadelic would go back to their more rock and psychotic ways on their '81 album ELECTRIC SPANKING OF WAR BABIES, but this album is a much more benign funk journey than the raunchy days of MAGGOT BRAIN. I highly recommend this as a starting point with Parliament's MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION for those wishing to start a P-Funk collection. Just remember, what Funkadelic considers "commercial" is probably pretty foreign to a lot of other people. Great and essential album all true funkateers must have.

Funk On!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Lonnnng Way From "Maggot Brain", March 17, 2006

By 

J-Funk (Stuart, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uncle Jam Wants You (Audio CD)

My my my, what a difference 9 years make. In the early 70's, Funkadelic was the most socially conscious, in-your-face, explicit band this side of The Last Poets. By 1979, Funkadelic's mission was reduced to 'rescuing dance music from the blahs'. Dance, dance, dance. And yet, they still did it better than everyone else. "Knee Deep" was, and is, one of the most funkiest tunes to ever grace the airwaves. It still sounds good, over 25 years later. I had the privilege to see Funkadelic in concert, at the Apollo, when this LP first came out. Needless to say, they turn'd the mutha out. They even had a 'Freak of the Week' contest, with George, Bootsy, and Phillipe Wynne acting as judges. But, getting back to the LP, someone once said that half of this album, put together with half of Parliament's 'Gloryhallastoopid', would've been the album of the year. I whole-heartedly agree. The LP is great up to "Uncle Jam", then it kinda meanders along. "Field Manuevers" uses the main riff from an old George Clinton song from the 60's called "Can't Shake It Loose". I think that they should have had just remade the original song with the vocals. Believe it or not, I think "Holly Wants To Go To California" fits in on a Funkadelic LP, because it's a weird and crazy song, with George straining to hit the notes, and finally laughing at his own creaky voice. "Foot Soldiers", well...the music was good. But, instead of yelling "Move it!" over and over again, George could have used this track to espouse one of his cerebral spoken dialogues. With this LP, I think George was mainly concerned with getting the word out about his Uncle Jam Records label (which has been long defunct).

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funkadelic's most commercial and successful album-not bad., October 3, 2002

By 

Brent C. Knowles (Edmonds, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Uncle Jam Wants You (Audio CD)

1979. The very peak of George Clinton's vast P-Funk empire. Bootsy had just released "Player Of The Year" and Parliament scored another great album with "The Motor Booty Affair" With numerous number 1 singles under their belt, George Clinton and Funkadelic decided to continue the formula that made their previous album "One Nation Under A Groove" so successful. Not many changes were made to Funkadelic. Resulting in a great dance album that had great potential but suffers when it becomes bland and lacking in some areas.

"Freak Of The Week" A song about a disco dancing lady, starts off the album. The beat and tone of the whole song is very commercial, but still contains that great P-Funk vibe that makes us love the music.

Next comes the number 1 single: "(Not Just) Knee Deep." An excellent up tempo dance number. Probably Funkadelic's most recognized song of all time. While this song is great, it suffers from an extraneous song length. P-Funk will later try to duplicate the sound this song in further singles and fail miserably.

"Uncle Jam" is the closest to 'true funk' you will get on the album. Written along old school Funkadelic greats Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell, ... Bootsy gets things going with a great bass line and Uncle Jam shows us why we should funk for his army. This is an excellent song.

"Field Maneuvers" is an excellent instrumental that is slightly more commercial than previous instruments, but grooves just as great. Great soloing by guitarist Michael Hampton is the highlight of this song.

"Holly Wants To Go To California" is a ballad sung by George Clinton with talking sound effects in the background. Nuff said-

"Foot Soldiers (Star-Spangled Funky)" is an alright number that features great vocals, but is not interesting enough to keep the listener's attention for the duration for the full duration of the song.

While "Uncle Jam" may not be Funkadelic's greatest album. It is still a good record and is a fine starting place for funkateers in training. If George had spent more time into this album it could have been excellent, but due to all the numerous side projects he was putting out at the time, this album was not as fully focused as previous Funkadelic greats. Get this album if you really love the later more commercial Parliament stuff.