Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

Released - July 1971

Genre - Funk

Producer - George Clinton

Selected Personnel - Eddie Hazel (Guitar); Tawl Ross (Guitar); Bernie Worrell (Keyboards); Billy Bass Nelson (Bass); Tiki Fulwood (Drums); George Clinton (Vocals); Fuzzy Haskins (Vocals); Calvin Simon (Vocals); Grady Thomas (Vocals); Ray Davis (Vocals); Garry Shider (Vocals)

Standout Track - Maggot Brain

Every now and again, sheer restlessness might drive us to change our listening habits. It doesn't happen to me particularly often, and on the occasions it does, it'll often work out that I end up regretting breaking away from the more familiar musical territories I tend to stay within - my brief dalliance with the Smiths merely confirmed my suspicions that I had no idea what the fuss was about, and only this week I gave Neutral Milk Hotel a go and was stunned to find so little to enjoy in an album that is beloved by so many people I respect. And then there are the occasions where you discover something you have no idea why you didn't find it sooner. That's the case with Funkadelic's incredible Maggot Brain, which belongs to a musical world I've investigated very little over the last few years. Admittedly, it was always going to be something that appealed to me - while I don't know much about the world of funk music itself and haven't listened to much as yet, it's a musical genre that's had a huge influence on a lot of music I do love (take, for instance, Bowie's borrowing of funk styles to create his "plastic soul" phase for 1975's Young Americans, or the fact that funk ultimately morphed into disco music as exemplified by the likes of Chic, one of my all-time favourite bands). Plus, there was the fact that Funkadelic in particular borrowed heavily from the traditions of the psychedelic rock movement of the late 60s, most notably Jimi Hendrix and others I was already a big fan of. So, yes, of course I was always going to love this album and it was only a matter of time before I found it. But listening to it for the first time did feel very much like dipping my toes into a world that, while ostensibly familiar, was actually a far more extensive thing that I had never fully embraced before, and that I look forward to listening to more of (I've already got hold of a couple of other Funkadelic and Parliament albums to set me off, and am excited to see where it leads me).

One of the biggest surprises of Maggot Brain concerned my own preconception that funk is principally built around upbeat, party atmospheres, an idea I suppose I had picked up from the fact that disco music grew out of funk and psychedelic soul and is very much concerned with party vibes. And, while several of the songs on this record do demonstrate a great deal of colour and fun, there is also a surprising and pervading sense of danger and despair to a lot of the music here, most notably on that mind-blowingly good title track, which we'll come to. Even on the more upbeat and light-hearted tracks, like the brilliant "Can You Get To That," the slickness and glitzy shimmer of disco is a long way off, and there is a far greater sense that we're listening to the raw and loose grooves of a group of musicians cutting loose and having fun rather than a polished pop act. The general loose vibe and freewheeling, occasionally lo-fi nature of the music here is all courtesy of bandleader George Clinton, who orchestrates proceedings, guides the band and co-writes the majority of the songs, although his own instrumental contributions are zero. In that way, Clinton fulfils a similar role to that of the old-fashioned jazz band leaders like Miles Davis or Charles Mingus, who might not always be a constant anchor or striking presence within the music itself, and might be doing no more than guiding the rest of the band through a lengthy improvisation, but would anchor and steer the music courtesy of their own approach and innate sense of where to lead the music.

Clinton came to lead Funkadelic after a contractual dispute arose between him and his former record label Revilot over the use of the name "The Parliaments." The Parliaments had been a doo-wop style soul vocal group that Clinton had formed in the late 50s and, as soul music had developed during the 60s, adopting more psychedelic influences and birthing funk music itself, pioneered by the likes of Sly and the Family Stone, so too did the Parliaments. By the end of the 60s, Clinton found himself increasingly interested in adopting more psychedelic rock elements into the music he was orchestrating and added an instrumental backing band to the Parliaments. When Revilot refused to allow him the rights to the name, Clinton relaunched the new ten-person ensemble as a band in its own right, named Funkadelic. This relaunch meant that by the mid-70s, after reacquiring the rights to the name, he would find himself leading two bands consisting of more or less the same lineup, a sort of branding exercise that enabled him to experiment in two differing styles of funk music via the twin outlets of Funkadelic and Parliament. Quite how that turned out for him I've no idea as yet - I've yet to get much further within their respective discographies. For the time being, though, the relaunch as Funkadelic enabled him to push musical boundaries as much as he wanted with the band without fear of alienating fans. This was a new project, and one that could follow his own vision.

As I mentioned, the music on Maggot Brain (Funkadelic's third studio album) is brilliantly unhinged and dangerous and unsettling even as it manages to be fun and cartoonish and stupid. "Can You Get To That" is probably as genuinely upbeat as things get, being a hugely enjoyable gospel-tinged pop song with joyful choral vocals, as well as a ludicrously and hilariously low male vocal at a few points that really send up its own sense of positivity. "Hit It And Quit It" is fun too, but, via a more aggressive, dirty guitar riff (as well as a particularly fiery solo from Eddie Hazel), comes across as a little angrier despite the upbeat "doo-doo" vocals. "You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks" is a slow, menacing funk groove with an unsettling, echoing reverb on its thudding bass part and militaristic drum beat, with its lyrics addressing social equality across wealth divides. "Super Stupid" is perhaps the most directly influenced by Hendrix's psychedelic rock, and is mainly an opportunity for Hazel to show off some pyrotechnic guitar soloing over a buzzing organ part and a frenetic rhythm section. Sadly, the album trails off by the end - "Back In Our Minds" is kind of fun, and has an enjoyable, spoon-like percussive sound that sets it apart but doesn't do much to really entertain the listener, and "Wars Of Armageddon" is an overlong, overly simple funk jam whose use of sound effects from crying babies to gibberish vocals to fart sounds and sirens quickly becomes annoying rather than engagingly kitsch.

I've deliberately held off on talking about the title track, because it really is one of those songs that has to be talked about in a class of its own. I've only been listening to this album for the past month or so, and already "Maggot Brain" has passed into my all-time favourite songs. It's just undeniably good, and is the ultimate proof that, while Clinton orchestrates and steers the music, the real star of this record is guitarist Eddie Hazel. His angry, incendiary solos on songs like "Hit It And Quit It" and "Super Stupid" are standout moments, and "Maggot Brain" is the moment where he ensures his place in rock history. For those who don't know the song at all, it is no more than a ten minute guitar solo. Not once does it pick up pace and turn into a virtuosic, frenetic showcase for his speed or power. It's just a slow, stately, devastatingly brilliant expression of despair, set to the quiet, almost inaudible slow acoustic guitar riff and lightly brushed drum part that underscores the whole thing. Even without knowing the story behind the song, it's agonisingly difficult to listen to - desperation and grief and sadness seeps through the entire thing, in the pained and tortuous effects Hazel applies to his playing. At the beginning Clinton recites a short verse about the need to "rise above" adversity or else "drown in [your] own shit," and other than that there's no indication of any kind of meaning, aside from Clinton's whispered "Maggot brain" near the song's end. Supposedly, Clinton came up with the idea for the song after finding his brother's dead body in his apartment, his head beginning to rot (hence "maggot brain.") When the time came for Hazel to record his solo, Clinton requested that he play it as if his mother had just died. That sense of grief, of both Clinton's real loss and Hazel's imagined one, is palpable on the finished product and it's a jaw-droppingly brilliant piece of music, and a real kick in the teeth for people, like me, who have always assumed that funk music is more about danceability and fun than about real emotional weight.

It's a shame that the band that recorded Maggot Brain, which is obviously a group of musicians very comfortable playing together and able to create music that is as edgy and exciting as it is fun and danceable, didn't last longer. Both Hazel and bassist Billy Bass Nelson quit, while second guitarist Tawl Ross was unavailable due to drug problems. The lineup shifted as the band ploughed onwards, eventually merging with Clinton's revived Parliament to become the premier funk band of the mid-to-late 70s. I've hugely enjoyed dipping my toes into a world of music I've long been curious about but have never before found the time to really invest in, so it's highly possible that as I delve further into the discographies of both these bands and their peers that there'll be more on the achievements of Clinton and his various associated acts. For now, though, do yourselves a favour and listen to "Maggot Brain." Then listen to the rest of the album. But mainly, just listen to that title track. Make sure you don't do it while you're feeling really optimistic and hopeful about something, because it will spoil it.

Track Listing:

1. Maggot Brain (Eddie Hazel & George Clinton)

2. Can You Get To That (George Clinton & Ernie Harris)

3. Hit It And Quit It (George Clinton, Billy Bass Nelson & Garry Shider)

4. You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks (George Clinton, Judie Jones & Bernie Worrell)

5. Super Stupid (George Clinton, Eddie Hazel, Billie Bass Nelson & Tawl Ross)

6. Back In Our Minds (Fuzzy Haskins)

7. Wars Of Armageddon (George Clinton, Tiki Fulwood, Tawl Ross & Bernie Worrell)