Customer Reviews

Uncle Jam Wants You

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

 

 

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!

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).

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.

A loose (and I do mean loose) concept album about rescuing dance music from "the blahs" (which demands destroying disco). Leading us on this noble quest is Uncle Jam, whose theme song is a funk anthem that's a laugh a minute - in other words, ten laughs! Actually, it's much funnier than that - think three or four laughs a minute. George Clinton was funny and funky! "(not just) Knee Deep" was massive dance hit, and it's very funky. One of Funkadelic's best dance tracks, too. And do the lyrics about the freak being the only dance that got the narrator horny, while other dance crazes from the past are mocked, mean that this also ties into the concept? I don't know, but I've been told (I don't know, but I've been told) the U.S. army's really old (the U.S. army's really old). So, right. Those two are easily the best of the album. Not only that, it's probably the best twenty-five minute stretch on any Funkadelic record other than Standing on the Verge of Getting In Your Pants (which is the best thirty-eight minute stretch of any Funkadelic album, period. Then there are four other songs. Two of 'em (jam "Freak of the Week"; guitar solo "Field Maneuvers" - I think they're the "maneuvers" that will be used to save dance music) are quite good, though they can't beat the "(not just) Knee Deep"/"Uncle Jam" pairing. One ("Foot Soldiers (Star-Spangled Funky)") is a strange song that is neither good nor bad, it's just weird - again, it follows the concept. One ("Holly Wants to Go to California") has nothing to do with saving anybody's dance music. All it does, in fact, is suck everything that possibly could be sucked. Take that how you see fit. It's another Funkadelic weepfest. Skip riiiiight over it...

THIS CD IS WORTH GETTING JUST FOR "KNEE DEEP" ALONE. MANY DO NOT REALIZE IT, BUT JUNIE MORRISON (FORMERLY OF THE ORIGINAL OHIO PLAYERS- "FUNKY WORM", "PLEASURE", ETC.) OVERDUBBED AND TRACKED THE BASS, PIANO, AND ELECTRIC PIANO PARTS ALONE WITH A BEAT BOX. THE DRUMS, VOCALS, AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS WERE ADDED LATER. THE SMOOTH YET FUNKY GROOVE OF THIS SONG HAS YET TO BE DUPLICATED IN MY OPINION.
NOW THIS DISC HAS BEEN REMASTERED. ALL I CAN SAY IS IT IS WORTH THE MONEY TO GET THE LAST OF THE 70'S FUNK BEFORE GEORGE STARTED ATOMIC BARKIN' (BOW WOW WOW) :)

I ordered this album on dec.11 2010 and I still have not received it now am being told I may get it between feb 17-28.I am very disappointed with this.

when this album was first released the p funk mob was going through lots of drama, death, members coming and leaving, folks suing and dissing george, drugs, and so on but still this isn't a rock album freak of the week is good but it was originally a brides tune since their road band at the time is playing the track the best reason to cop this is knee deep the ever party clasdic and one of the mosrt sampled p funk songs ever. uncle jam sorry can't stand this song I never liked it regardless of the fact that bootsy colllins and bernie worrell on the track. field manuevers has eddie hazel, mike hampton, glen goins, and gary shider all trading guitar licks george was crazy like this only he would put about 3 or 4 guitar players on a track confusing us earthlings holly wants to go to california showcases george and his worst singing it's hilarious with bernie's plasyuing and the funk mob cheering him on and the last tune foot soldiers is weak there were outtakes at this time that sounded better than the songs on here since george had about 100 muscians in the studio cutting up thousands of tracks.

Not as funky and eclectic as its predecessor "One Nation Under A Groove," but certainly not as drab as "The Electric Spanking of War Babies." Still, Uncle Jam has enough foot-stomping grooves and curveballs to keep the serious Afunkcionado tapping his toes til the mothership returns.

The CD starts off with "Freak of the Week," and segues nicely into one of the great funk jams of all time, "(Not Just) Knee-Deep." The overlooked gem on this CD is "Holly Wants To Go To California," which can only be described here as a curios mix of funk, gospel and something snatched from a high school musical.

Led by the late master of lyrical improv Phillipe Wynne (formerly of the Spinners), Uncle Jam's army marches us through the "Uncle Jam" anthem, "Field Maneuvers" and to the aptly named "Foot Soldiers (Star Spangled Funky."

Wanna get hipped to the funk? Then "Uncle Jam" is for you. It should be added to the shelves of any serious r and b collection, for George Clinton's body of work is as impressive and essential to hard-hitting soul music as that of James Brown and any of his funk disciples, including William "Bootsy" Collins and Bernie Worrell, who appears on this joint.

This album is worth owning only for the full version of the irresistable track "(Not Just)Knee Deep" with it's relentless groove as well as humorous and impressive vocals. The track is an acknowledged classic and it deserves that reuputation (though, Phillip Wynne's 'ants in the pants' routine wears a little thin after a while)and it is worth a star and a half on this rating alone. "Freak Of The Week" would be an otherwise unremarkable cut on virtually any other Funkadelic record, but on this one it is a standout. There isn't much to say about the rest of this album other than that it is poor bordering on downright terrible. "Holly" is one of the worst tracks ever put to record by a major artist, with George Clinton's croaking vocal only making the song feel as if it will never end. Wynne's exaggerated southern drill sargeant voice on "Uncle Jam" is cringe-inducing and frankly, embarassing. The remaining tracks aren't even worth discussing, so dissapointing and unimaginative are they. Since this CD is available at a relatively cheap price from several sources, I would suggest buying it for "Knee Deep"... outside of that, only staunch completists need bother with this album.

Track 1,2 &5, are somewhat funky 2 me.I guess my favorite funk band took a break on this one.