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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK But Not Great, December 16, 2002
Any live tape of Funkadelic at the peak of their reign as the greatest black rock 'n' roll band ever (the Jimi Hendrix Experience was only one-third black, while the Band of Gypsies didn't hang round long enough) is bound to be worth a listen. The problem with this album, as explained in the excellent sleevenotes, is that rhythm guitarist Tawl Ross had just gone on one acid trip too many and was (permanently it seems) out of commission while the brilliant Tiki Fulwood had just vacated the drum stool - and this was probably the first gig for their respective replacements, Harold Beane and Tyrone Lampkin. Nonetheless, Beane (from the Isaac Hayes band) acquits himself well enough, but as bassist Billy Nelson takes great pains to point out, Lampkin is all over the place. Maybe he was trying too hard to impress his new employers but Lampkin overplays to an alarming degree, he seems to forget he's playing for Funkadelic not the Mahavishnu Orchestra! Nonetheless, the version of "Maggot Brain" is pretty good, even if Bernie Worrell debunks the seriousness of the track somewhat by tootling away in an entirely different key at the end of the track (deliberately of course). Talking of Worrell, he runs the late great guitar-god Eddie Hazel pretty close on this album, his playing is amazing: funky as hell one minute, coming on like Mike Ratledge of Soft Machine. And suddenly breaking into Johann Sebastian Bach in the midst of the mantra-like "I Got A Thing" is sheer genius. The vocal performances are a little on the ragged side but given that the most of the band were high as kites that's maybe not surprising. In the end I have to dock a point because the sound quality isn't quite up to par. But, having said all that, if you loved Funkadelic when they were more of a rock band than a funk band - buy this.
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is one of Funkadelic's 
