#486 Funkadelic- Maggot Brain (1971)

I have a hard time discerning between Funkadelic, Parliment and P-Funk...suffice to say all are brain-child to George Clinton.  Maggot Brain was the third album released by the Funkadelic line-up.  What makes it distinguishable enough to be on the list?  Let's find out.

Maggot Brain - "Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time, for y'all have knocked her up"  I enjoy the "street poetry" that opens up this 10+ minute acid-waltz guitar solo instrumental that comprises one third of the album.  Clinton directed guitarist Eddie Hazel's to play the one take guitar solo as if someone told him his mother was dead, but then he found out it wasn't true.  For me, it's like going to see an epic 3D movie, but no one gave me the glasses, ya dig?

Can You Get to That-  An acoustic guitar groove that at first reminds me of a mix of the Black Crowes "She Talks to Angels" and The Band's "Up On Cripple Creek"... but quickly becomes a celebration of gang singing. "I once had a life, or rather,  it once had me" an allusion to the Beatles Norwegian Wood or am stretching?

Hit it and Quit it-  Could this possibly be the first time the Hammond B-3 Organ has made a prominent appearance on the blog?  Another classic sound of rock that never sounds dated to me.  Normally paired with the Leslie Rotating Cabinet, it made the keyboard player's weighty gear the most despised by touring band's road crew for years until lighter synthesizers could better emulate the unmistakable sound.

You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks-  I'm sure it sounded funky and all back in the day, but that ring modulator or maybe it's a pipe-reverb on the drums, I find it hard to listen to, and it ruins the song for me.

Super Stupid-  A marriage of Jimi Hendrix, organ, and Rare Earth's "I Just Wanna Celebrate".  Lenny Kravitz sounds like this when he's dreaming, and Audioslave has often covered this gem.

Back in our Minds-  It's hard not to laugh at the Jaw Harp (Jew's Harp) bouncing back and forth in this song.  It disarms you, and I think that's the point in this song about brotherhood and reconciliation.

Wars of Armageddon-  Crying babies, protesting crowds, sirens and more color the backing funk music.  This almost 10 minute experimental bookend to Maggot Brain makes up another third of the album.  I did laugh at the "more power to the people, more pussy to the power, more pussy to the people, more power to the pussy" sequence.

With the first and last track totaling 20 minutes, there's only about 17 minutes of music in-between.  Look, after two hours of Smashing Pumpkins, I'm not complaining, but does this album belong on the list?  My vote is no.  Eddie Hazel's guitar work is phenomenal, yes.  The 4-5 songs in-between are funky, but maybe I missed what was so groundbreaking or relevant about Maggot Brain.  It's short enough that I could re-listen to it twice more to seek enlightenment and still have 9 minutes left over from yesterday's double disc marathon, but I think this album was meant to Hit it and Quit it.

Next up-  #485  Loretta Lynn- All Time Greatest Hits (2002)

#488 D'Angelo- Voodoo (2000)

I realize you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but somewhere along the process, the writer of that book chose that cover.  I start my review by judging the album cover; a black man staring at me with his shirt off, like he's ready to fight, like he's egging me on.  OK "D", let's do this.

Playa Playa- normally at this point, I would have googled or wiki'd the artist, looking for insight.  I'm going to get as far into this album before doing this as I can.  Shortly into this song I'm pleased to hear a funky groove, and a really soulful horn section.  It's jazzy, it's not assaulting me like I thought the guy on the cover might.  It's almost Prince like in it's feel, and maybe a little Stevie.

Devil's Pie-  If Playa Playa didn't, the three part harmony vocals that open up this song now really remind of Prince's 7.  "Ain't no justice... just us, ashes to ashes dust to dust"  I am guilty of prejudging.  I thought this album was going to be angry west coast rap.  It's clearly not.

Left & Right- That's not to say there isn't rapping... here ya go there is.  So now I'm off to research.  The couple of rapped lines in this song are plenty reason for the Parental Advisory.  While I laugh at the Joanie loves Chachi reference, it's raw and I'm not sure if it really fits with the sensual vibe--it's as if D'Angelo and you were into each other slow dirty dancing, and then rappers Method Man and Redman come up from behind and start coppin' a feel.

The Line- Very Lauryn Hill sounding in its groove, and thick with soul and harmony.  Lyrically it's deep, perhaps a self-affirmation, or a promise he's making to himself, not to give up.  "Will I hang or get left hangin"  I'm hearing Al Green and Marvin all over this.

Send it On-  Oh stop already... damn... this is really good. Al Green's back and taking no prisoners, well maybe one prisoner--Prince.  Really nice bridge; I love when I can't predict the road ahead in a song, especially when it doesn't jar me with a sharp corner, but rather takes my breath like getting to the top of a hill and getting an eyefull of the ocean that's finally revealed.

Chicken Greese-  This funky morsel could have fallen from the table of James Brown, all it's missing is Maceo.  It's very much in the pocket, but I almost want to hear D rip hard in the middle of it.  The people talking in the background is reminiscent Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.

One Mo'gin-  Since I've referenced "keyboards of an era" on previous blogs, I think this is a perfect place to talk about a keyboard used here that is timeless to me.  The Fender Rhodes Piano is unmistakably featured in this song that's about longing for an old lover.  There's also a strange/wonderful tapestry of jazz that ends the track.

The Root-  harmony rich, and a swirling backwards tracked guitar solo that reminds me of Hendrix, but not overdriven, it's mellow.  I've also talked about structure in past blogs (i.e. verse verse chorus verse bridge chorus); this song defies templates, it's a wonderfully unique story told for the first time by a really interesting person, who's baked. (or maybe you are?)

Spanish Joint-  As you'd expect from the title, this latin inspired jazzy groove could have easily been taken off of Stevie Wonder's Innervisions album.  I read that D'Angelo and crew spent countless hours listening to black music, playing covers of artists influential to them, until their vibe was right and the creative juices flowed.

Feel Like Makin' Love-  Speaking of covers, mmm.  This is good, really good.  Roberta Flack called, and said that you could keep this song D, it looks better on you.  Oh, I know that horn lick about 4 minutes in... damn.. is it James Brown?  Where are my jazz-heads at?  Help.

Greatdayndamornin' - Booty-  Two songs welded together, one that reminded me of Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin as told by Al Green, and the second a march that reminded me of a Strawberry Fields Forever fade out ending.

Untitled (How does it Feel)-  was written as a tribute to Prince.  It won D'Angelo the 2001 Grammy for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance.  It's the best Prince song he never wrote.  All the singing on the song is D's, but you'd swear there was a full gospel choir behind him... as it builds and builds, into a wash of fuzz and reverb.... and then, wow.  If you've never listened to this, I won't spoil it. (But I'm listening to this track again right now, and cranking it)

Africa-  A song originally written for his newborn son, it morphed into a song about D's heritage, his mission, his religion.  The wash of chimes you hear are actually the Fender Rhodes tines mic'd from above with the cover off.

A really amazing album, one that I'm hard pressed to say anything bad about.  Taking a long four years from his first release to make, Voodoo is rich with all the musical homework he must have done during the time it takes some to get a college degree.  D'Angelo majored in Prince and graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Musician Saul Williams wrote in the liner notes "I'd pay to see Prince's face as he listens to this album."  I think that probably holds true for anyone listening for the first time, like I just did.  Maybe the look on that man's face on the cover wasn't challenging me to a fight, but challenging me to a listen.  If you haven't listened before, I encourage you to do it, and you try to keep your shirt on.


Next Up-  #487  The Smashing Pumpkins- Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

#493 Earth, Wind & Fire- That's the Way of the World (1975)

A week into this blog journey, and I'm still finding my way.  Seeking a happy balance between what a song means to me, past vs. present; what I know about an album vs. what I'm learning; sharing what insight I have about a group vs. revealing my unfamiliarity.  My only hope is that somehow through this balancing act, I have inspired you to revisit, or perhaps visit for the first time, some of the amazing and diverse works I'm discussing. Each blog has a comment section, and I do invite you to share your thoughts and insights, and help me in my musical enlightenment.

Earth, Wind & Fire's breakthrough album of 1975, was actually the soundtrack to a flop of a movie of the same name that year, that starred Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs & Pulp Fiction) as a music producer.  The band rushed to release the album before the movie came out, in fear of being associated with the bomb.  The album made it to #1 months before the lackluster movie was released.

Shining Star- Walt Disney in the 70's with a 4 inch fro!  This funky grammy winning #1 hit has it all: horn section, layered guitars, bass, fretless bass (that I can't help but focus my attention on), and an A Capella vocal break.  It's uplifting, infectious, and tight.

That's the Way of the World- the title track and second single released from the album, is a slow groove that sounds like it would be perfect opening music for a talk-show or perhaps movie credits.  More realistically I'll be using it on the back porch for sipping wine on breezy fall nights by the fire pit.

Happy Feelin'- this uptempo tune features solo's on the kalimba, an African thumb piano.  EWF named their production company Kalimba, and included the instrument on each of their albums.  I'm not sure I understand the weird organ break/transition at the end though.

All About Love- A slow tender ballad that reminds me of the Willy Wonka song Pure Imagination, that is until the HORNS BLAST IN; startled me a little.  Side one ends, with a few minutes of what seems like a drunk lounge singer chattin' you up at the end of the night "you are as beautiful as your thoughts, right on?"  Oh yeah, and there's that crazy organ thing again.

Yearnin' Learnin'- Thick and wide horns; there should be a car chase soon, or some crossfire, in what sounds like perfect plot movement music from a 70's blaxploitation flick.

Reasons- Yum, here's the gem from this album that I sadly hadn't discovered before tonight.  Soulful falsetto singing in a way that the BeeGee's would have killed for, this song sounds like it could have been a Motown hit for the Temptations or the Four Tops 10 years earlier.

Africano-  Flutes swirl around my stereo mix, and there's the kalimba again during the intro.  Trippy.  Abrupt cut to the movie chase again.  Sax solos, wah wahs, trumpet stabs; I'd rent that flop of a movie just to see if and how they integrated this song into the action.  When was CHiP's on TV?

See the Light-  I haven't been keeping track, but I'm pretty sure the 7/8 meter latin/jazz intro to the album closer is the first departure I've heard to straight time since I started my blog project.  Some of the electronic keyboards sound rough and dated to me, but it doesn't take away much from the warm smile inducing groove.  oh.. someone tell me WTF that weird organ now turned African chant thing is, and what's so funny.

I'm quickly realizing that the numerous "greatest hits" CD's in my collection provided me quick access to the likes of EWF, but they also did me a disservice by circumventing the deeper cuts.  It reminds me of how the interstate highways and toll roads made travel across the states easier, but lost was the charm and identity of the small towns along the way.  My old cassettes back then got one thing right, they were linear, you listened to songs one by one in order.  Now that everything in our world is "on demand" we tend to fall victim to our own synaptic rutting.

Next Up- #492 Pearl Jam- Vitology (1994)