00-funkadelic-free_your_mind___and_your_ass_will_follow-remastered-2005-jaffa.nfo
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JAFFA
Artist: Funkadelic
Album: Free Your Mind...And Your Ass Will Follow - Remastered
Label: Ace Records
Genre: Funk
Grabber: EAC
Encoder: LAME V3.90.3
Bitrate: VBR
Mode: Joint Stereo
Tracks: 10
Time: 41:44
Size: 65.6 MB
Rip Date: June-00-2005
Street Date: May-11-2005
Supplier: Cornholio
Ripper: Cornholio
Track List:
01. Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow [10:04]
02. Friday Night, August 14th [5:21]
03. Funky Dollar Bill [3:15]
04. I Wanna Know If It's Good To You [5:59]
05. Some More [2:56]
06. Eulogy And Light [3:31]
07. Fish, Chips And Sweat - Bonus Track [3:22]
08. Free Your Mind Radio Advert - Bonus Track [0:55]
09. I Wanna Know If It's Good To You, (Westbound 167, 1970) - Bonus Track [2:50]
10. I Wanna Know If It's Good To You (Instrumental) - Bonus Track [3:12]
Jaffa notes:
A whole stack of Funkadelic - their first 8 albums, now fully remastered. Collect them all!
FUNKADELIC
Though it often took a back chair to its sister group Parliament, Funkadelic furthered the notions of
black rock begun by Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, blending elements of '60s psychedelia and blues plus
the deep groove of soul and funk. The band pursued album statements of social/political commentary
while Parliament stayed in the funk singles format, but Funkadelic nevertheless paralleled the more
commercial artist's success, especially in the late '70s when the interplay between bands moved the
Funkadelic sound closer to a unified P-Funk style.
In the grand soul tradition of a backing band playing support before the star takes the stage,
Funkadelic began life supporting George Clinton's doo wop group, the Parliaments. After having per-
Langston Booth; two years later, the trio enlisted in the Army. By mid-1967, Clinton had recruited a
new backing band, including his old friend Billy "Bass" Nelson (born January 28, 1951, Plainfield,NJ)
and guitarist Eddie Hazel (born April 10, 1950 Brooklyn, NY). After several temporary replacements on
drums and keyboards, the addition of rhythm guitarist Lucius "Tawl" Ross (born October 5th, 1948,
Wagram, NC) & drummer Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (born May 23 1944, Philadelphia, PA) completed the lineup.
The Parliaments recorded several hits during 1967, but trouble with the Revilot label backed Clinton
into a corner. He hit upon the idea of deserting the Parliaments' name and instead recording their
name. Billy Nelson suggested the title Funkadelic, to reflect the members' increased inspiration from
LSD and psychedelic culture. Clinton formed the Funkadelic label in mid-68 but then signed the group
to Detroit's Westbound label several months later.
Released in 1970, Funkadelic's self-titled debut album listed only producer Clinton and the five
included all the former Parliaments plus several Motown sessionmen and Rare Earth's Ray Monette.
Keyboard player Bernie Worrell also appeared on the album uncredited, even though his picture was
included on the inner sleeve with the rest of the band.
Worrell (born April 19, 1944, Long Beach, NJ) was finally credited on the second Funkadelic album
(1970's Free Your Mind..and Your Ass Will Follow). He and Clinton had known eachother since the early
'60s, and Worrell soon became the most crucial cog in the P-Funk machine, working on arrangements and
production for most later Parliament/Funkadelic releases. His strict upbringing & classical training
(at the New England Conservatory and Juilliard), as well as the boom in synthesizer technology during
the early '70s, gave him the tools to create the horn arrangements and jazz fusion-inspired synthruns
that later trademarked the P-Funk sound. Just after the release of their third album, Maggot Brain,
P-Funk added yet another big contributor, Bootsy Collins. The throbbing bass line of Collins (born
October 26, 1951, Cincinnati, OH) had previously been featured in James Brown's backing band, the
J.B.'s (along with his brother, guitarist Catfish Collins). Bootsy and Catfish were playing in a
Detroit band in 1972 when George Clinton saw and hired them.
The Clinton/Worrell/Collins lineup premiered on 1972's America Eats Its Young, but soon after its
release several original members left the camp. Eddie Hazel spent a year in jail after a combination
drug possession/assault conviction, Tawl left the band for medical reasons relating to an overdose of
LSD and speed, and Bill Nelson quit after more financial quarrels with Clinton. Funkadelic hired
teenaged guitar sensation Michael Hampton as a replacement, but both Hazel and Nelson would return
for several later P-Funk releases.
Funkadelic moved to Warner Bros. in 1975 and delivered its major-label debut, Hardcore Jollies, one
year later to lackluster sales and reviews. The same year, Westbound raided its vaults and countered
with Tales of Kidd Funkadelic. Ironically, the album did better than Hardcore Jollies and included an
R&B Top 30 single, "Undisco Kidd." In 1977, Westbound released The Best of the Early Years while
Funkadelic recorded what became its masterpiece (and arguably the best P-Funk release ever), 1978's
One Nation Under a Groove.
During the most successful year in Parliament/Funkadelic history, Parliament hit charts first with
"Flash Light," P-Funk's first R&B number one. "Aqua Boogie" would hit number one as well late in the
year, but Funkadelic's title track to One Nation Under a Groove spent six weeks at the top spot on
the R&B charts during the summer. The album, which reflected a growing consistency in styles between
Parliament and Funkadelic, became the first Funkadelic LP to reach platinum (the same year that
Parliament's Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome did the same). In 1979, Funkadelic's "(Not Just)
Knee Deep" hit number one as well, and its album (Uncle Jam Wants You) reached gold status.
At just the point that Funkadelic appeared to be at the top of its powers, the band began to unravel.
As is sometimes the case, commercial success began to dissolve several old friendships. In 1977,
original Parliaments members Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas had left the P-Funk
organization to record on their own. In early 1981, they hit the R&B charts with a single called
"Connections and Disconnections," recorded as Funkadelic. To confuse matters more, the original Funk-
adelic appeared on the charts at the same time, with the title track to The Electric Spanking of War
Babies.
During '80, Clinton began to be weighed down by legal difficulties arising from Polygrams acquisition
of Parliament's label, Casablanca. Jettisoning both the Parliament and Funkadelic names (but not the
musicians), Clinton began his solo career with 1982's Computer Games. He and many former Parliament/
Funkadelic members continued to tour and record throughout the '80s as the P-Funk All Stars, but the
decade's disdain of everything to do with the '70s resulted in critical and commercial neglect for
the world's biggest funk band, especially one which in part had spawned the sound of disco. During
the early '90s, the rise of funk-inspired rap (courtesy of Digital Underground, Dr. Dre, and Warren
G.) and funk rock (Primus and Red Hot Chili Peppers) re-established the status of Clinton & co., one
of the most important forces in the recent history of black music.
AMG REVIEW
It's one of the best titles in modern musical history, for song and for album, and as a call to arms
mentally and physically the promise of funk was never so perfectly stated. If it was just a title
then there'd be little more to say, but happily, Free Your Mind lives up to it throughout as another
example of Funkadelic getting busy and taking everyone with it. The title track itself kicks things
off with rumbling industrial noises and space alien sound effects, before a call and response chant
between deep and chirpy voices brings the concept to full life. As the response voices say, "The
kingdom of heaven is within!" The low and dirty groove rumbles along for ten minutes of dark fun,
that if Can were this naturally funky, they'd end up sounding like this. From there the band make its
way through a total of six songs, ranging from the good to astoundingly great. "Funky Dollar Bill" is
the other standout track from the proceedings, with a great, throw-it-down chorus and rhythm and a
sharp, cutting lyric that's as good to think about as it is to sing out loud. The closing "Eulogy and
Light," meanwhile, predates Prince with its backwards masking and somewhat altered version of the
Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23. At other points, even if the song is a little more straightforward,
there's something worthwhile about it, like the random stereo panning and Hazel's insane guitar
soloing on "I Wanna Know If It's Good for You," with more zoned and stoned keyboard work from Worrell
to top things off. The amount of drugs going down for these sessions in particular must have been
notable, but the end results make it worthy.
---
Greetings to: Noone.
Group News: The Screaming Skull left the group for undisclosed reasons. Quitter.
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