Happy 85th Birthday George Clinton!

Celebrating the 85th birthday of P-Funk mainman George Clinton with a few clips and interviews. Cheers George! 

Remembering Funkadelic guitarist Eddie Hazel on his birthday

Raising a glass to Funkadelic guitar Eddie Hazel on his birthday with a 1985 performance of "Maggot Brain" and a jam from 1979.

R.I.P. Billy Bass Nelson, 1951-2026

Sadly, founding Funkadelic bassist "Billy Bass" Nelson has passed away days after his 75th birthday. Billy played on many more recordings than you know. 

Session bassist Bob Babbitt shared his memories of Billy Bass...

Story Time: Billy Nelson recruited Eddie Hazel to join the Parliaments rhythm section on August of 1967. About a month later they picked up Tiki Fulwood at the Uptown in Philly. A few months after that those three decided to become their own group Funkadelic. But a year later they all left Detroit. Tiki went to work for Tyrone Davis. Eddie & Billy tried a thing called Sparky & the Pimpadelics (with Brad Innis & Herb Sparkman) that didn't work-out. Billy went to work for Bill Doggett. And Eddie went back to Detroit to put a live "Funkadelic" band together while studio musicians (Babbitt, Monette, Coffey, Hunter, Van Dyke & Andrew Smith) played on the the sessions for 6 of the albums 7 tracks (Music for My Mother was already done). Tracks like What is Soul & Mommy What's a Funkadelic were jams Billy & Eddie put together in rehearsals during the summer of '68. GC took the entire writing credit for both!

Studio musicians were used because there was NO band at the time, not because they couldn't play. Anyhow, when Eddie Hazel returned to Detroit in early '69 he brought Tawl Ross with him from Plainfield to play bass. They picked up Mickey Atkins (organ) and drummer Zachary Frazier (or Slater) from the 20 Grand Lounge house band. But the band never really clicked like before. GC begged Billy to come back and sort out the band as the album was being completed. Billy took bass, Tawl moved over to rhythm, Tiki agreed to come back and Billy recruited Bernie Worrell from Plainfield. Billy, Eddie, Tiki, Tawl & Bernie became the band. Those are the five pictured on the back of the first album even though they played on little of it. Frazier-Slater was free to go join McKinley Jackson's Politicians where he was the drummer on a number of H-D-H & Motown sessions through the mid-70's. I've never heard any more about Mickey Atkins.

Funkadelic stayed intact for about two years recording Free Your Mind & Maggot Brain as well as Parliament's Osmium album & their singles Red Hot Mama & Breakdown for Invictus (uncredited until a few years back), they were also recorded on most of the sessions for Ruth Copeland's two Invictus albums, although others did participate. Again uncredited until just a couple of years ago. Its often claimed that the Parliaments sang on Free Your Mind & Maggot Brain but Funkadelic did their own lead vocals. In the fall of '71 it ended, period! Tawl left the group, Tiki Left the group. Billy & Eddie quit to go work for Motown. Eddie was there for about seven years, Billy over 10. Funkadelic's '72 follow-up "America Eats its Young" was in part recorded from rehearsal tapes by the made original band.

Billy Bass & George Clinton with Chairmen Of The Board

While at Motown Billy & Eddie can be heard on the "finished" recordings by so many well known artists and on so many hit records. Norman Whitfield loved Funkadelic especially Billy and used him on tons of sessions from '71 - '83. Norman never saw fit to give Billy a single credit until the Tempts Back to the Basics LP in '83!! 12 Years!! The only proof we have that Billy played Bass on Car Wash is that his name is listed at the end of the movie. But he plays bass on nearly every Rose Royce track from the film. Norman used Billy & Eddie on Undisputed Truth & Temptations albums all the time. But it wasn't until the Jeffrey Bowen produced A Song for You & Wings of Love LPs (as well as Bonnie Pointer's '78 solo LP) when they got FINALLY got credit. Billy got that bass sound on Happy People & Shakey Ground by plugging directly into the mixing board. The sound was so out-front that they had to give him credit. Billy is all over the Commodores stuff. He had to play a majority of the bass lines on their first three albums (Machine Gun, Caught in the Act & Mobvin On). After that, Billy had to often teach Ron LaPread the bass-lines to songs like Brick House note for note, and Ron gets a writing credit!! LaPread even went as far as to go out and get himself a BC Rich bass like Billy's to try to copy "his own" sound. They either recorded or re-recorded the bass & guitar parts on so many sessions.

Yet, so many think that the only thing they played on was A Song for You. Of course who'd believe they're on Love Machine, Eddie Kendricks, Smokey Robinson, Rose Banks, Jackson 5ive, Willie Hutch, etc. Same thing at Invictus after the earlier studio guys went either east or west. Guys like Billy, Eddie, Bernie & Donald Baldwin stepped-in and played on a lot of sessions recorded for Invictus during '73 & '74 including the Chairman of the Board's Skin I'm In LP which features the hit Finder's Keepers. Again, no credit. I spoke to Billy about 10 days ago, and the bruh is still working and struggling. We have a very good mutual friend who was present at many of the sessions that Billy played on including just about all of the Commodores sessions. (professionally speaking) I've been asked to look into a few "financial" matters and I KNOW EXACTLY how much Billy has made from residuals & Royalties for all his contributions to P-Funk, Invictus & Motown.

So I got nothing but empathy for Bob Babbitt & so many other musicians who've added so much to the enjoyment of our lives because, other than a band salary while on tour and the session fees they were paid 25-30-35 years ago MOST of these players NEVER got paid anything else. And they don't have the face or name recognition to trade-on, like singers or vocal groups. They only have their resume's, which appear to be a "pack of lies" on the surface because there's no credit to be found hardly anywhere.

 

One For The Weekend: Lee Fields and The Force Field Band

Here's a boogie gem "Shake It Lady" – co-written by P-Funk's Bernie Worrell – you won't hear at Lee's upcoming Toronto show. 

Happy Birthday Eleni Mandell!

Celebrating the birthday of singer/songwriter extraordinaire Eleni Mandell with some performance footage worth checking.

Happy 75th Birthday Tawl Ross of Funkadelic!

Celebrating the birthday of Funkadelic guitarist Lucius "Tawl" Ross who co-wrote "Super Stupid" & "Wars of Armageddon"

R.I.P. Parliament/Funkadelic vocalist Fuzzy Haskins, 1941-2023

Sadly, Parliament/Funkadelic vocalist Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins has passed away at 81. He'll be greatly missed.

Special 50th Anniversary edition of Funkadelic's Maggot Brain due in March

The 50th anniversary edition of Funkadelic's Maggot Brain includes an extra disc with two alternate versions of "Maggot Brain"

Here's the scoop...

1971 and Black America was luxuriating in the soft soul of the O’Jays, the Temptations had just left behind their flirtation with psychedelia, James Brown was explaining Soul Power, Sly & the Family Stone were having a Family Affair, and Marvin Gaye was asking ‘What’s Going On’.

In their own inimitable way, Funkadelic were laying down their own statement about the ecology of the planet in the opening of lead and title track ‘Maggot Brain’, turning it into an elegy for the Earth in the ensuing heart-wrenching extended Eddie Hazel guitar solo – one of the most radical records of the period.

The album also spawned two Top 50 singles with the usual Funkadelic wry observational humour of ‘You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks’ and ‘Can You Get To That’. And just in case you think things have normalized, the set closes with nine minutes of the chaotic sound collage ‘Wars Of Armageddon’.

This 50th anniversary edition (out March 25th) includes a second 12” with two versions of the title track. Side A features the live version from Meadowbrook from the same year that the studio album came out. Jump forward 46 years to the “Reworked by Detroiters” release and side B has the BMG Dub, showing the enduring quality of one of the great guitar records of all time.

This issue is mastered from fresh transfers of the tape.

Facsimile gatefold sleeve.

Coloured vinyl (Disc 1 – Blue & Splatter Red / Disc 2 – Clear).

You can pre-order a copy of the 50th anniversary edition of Funkadelic's Maggot Brain directly from Ace Records right here. Have a listen following the track listing. 

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

Side 1

01  Maggot Brain

02  Can You Get To That

03  Hit It And Quit It

04  You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks

Side 2

01  Super Stupid

02  Back In Our Minds

03  Wars Of Armageddon

Side 3

01  Maggot Brain (Live 1971)

Side 4

01  Maggot Brain (BMG Dub)

Happy Birthday Garry Shider

Remembering P-Funk singer/guitarist Garry "Starchild" Shider with a performance of "Cosmic Slop" and three U.S. Music gems.

B-Side Wins Again: Funkadelic

For some reason, Funkadelic's classic whumper "Funky Dollar Bill" was originally issued as a B-side back in 1971. 

Ace is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Funkadelic's "Funky Dollar Bill" original release with a reissue of the 7-inch single.  

Here's the scoop from Ace Records...

To mark the 50th anniversary of its first release, a 7-inch vinyl reissue of the George Clinton crew’s gloriously insane funk rock song – the original single version, now with previously unheard B-side.

Originally the flip of ‘You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks’ from April 1971, this is funk rock at its finest. It first appeared in a different version on the “Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow” LP, but here we have the single version. And on the B-side of this release, we debut a previously unheard backing track.

With lyrics by Ray Davis allegedly written about his bandmates fried on drugs, and the need for those dollar bills for that and indeed a whole list of things that the mighty dollar buys, the song condemns the malign influence that it brings to bear on life. Billy Nelson rips through the vocal as apparently the most ripped member of the band.

Underpinning the whole thing is Eddie Hazel’s wah-wah wild guitar and Tawl Ross’ answering riff that echoes Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ as much as that song echoed the Small Faces’ ‘You Need Loving’, itself fairly closely related to Willie Dixon’s ‘You Need Love’, as performed by Muddy Waters, and so the vernacular tradition goes on.

Indeed, said vernacular tradition is thoroughly reworked in Bernie Worrell’s deconstruction of barrelhouse piano with the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order. Bernie had just joined the band, but was obviously a fast learner. The backing track displays the full insanity of this gloriously insane song.

Get a copy of the reissue directly from Ace Records right here. 

R.I.P. Pedro Bell, 1950-2019

Parliament-Funkadelic album illustrator Pedro Bell passed away on Tuesday. His incredible art work will live on!

LINKS
Chicago Reader: Pedro Bell Made Art To Embody Funkadelic's Grooves

Sympathy For The Devil: The True Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgement @ Royal Cinema, Monday

The film screens at 8 pm followed by a Q&A with director Neil Edwards and church member Brother Luke.

Funkadelic reworked by Detroiters

Hear Moodymann's update of "Cosmic Slop" & Alton Miller's tweak of "You Can't Miss..."

Funkadelic Reworked by Detroiters (Ace Records) 
Side 1 
Sexy Ways (Recloose Disco Flip) 5:51
You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure (Alton Miller Mix)  5:19
Get Your Ass Off And Jam (Marcellus Pittman Remix)  6:44
Side 2
Cosmic Slop (Moodyman Mix) 9:28
Music For My Mother (Andres Wo Ahh Ay Vocal Mix)  5:22
Super Stupid (Dirtbombs Version)  4:32
Side 3 
Music 4 My Mother (Underground Resistance Mix) 5:39
Undisco Kidd (Gay Marvine Edit)  5:42
Take Your Dead Ass Home (The Fantasy Version)  7:52
Side 4
Let's Take It To The Stage (Amp Fiddler Laughin @Ya Mix)  6:17
Standing On The Verge (Anthony Shake Shakir & T Dancer Remix) 4:51
You And Your Folks (Claude Young Jr Club Mix)  7:26
Side 5
Be My Beach (Mophono & Tom Thump)  6:16
You And Your Folks (Claude Young Jr Dub) 5:56
Let's Make It Last (Kenny Dixon Jr Edit) 7:30
Side 6 
Looking Back At You (Ectomorph Stripped And Dubbed)  6:16
Maggot Brain (BMG Dub) 10:13

George Clinton & P-Funk @ Nathan Phillips Square, Friday

George Clinton and crew play a free show at 9 pm. Here's a P-Funk recording you may have missed.

The Living Sisters vs. Funkadelic

Here's the Living Sisters' cover of George Clinton's Can You Get To That? followed by the Funkadelic original.

What was Funkadelic doing in Toronto?

That's the first question many people ask upon discovering that Funkadelic's fourth release America Eats It's Young was largely recorded in Toronto by George Clinton and company while residing in the Big Smoke. Yes, after the 1971 release of Maggot Brain, Clinton and much of his P-Funk posse moved the base of their operations from Detroit to Toronto which would have a significant impact on the sprawling double album America Eats It's Young and alter their consciousness in strange and unexpected ways. You have to wonder what would inspire songs like Miss Lucifer's Love and A Joyful Process.

Toronto journalist and DJ David Dacks explores what the members of Funkadelic were up to 40 years ago while residing in Toronto The Good in his new audio documentary Funk Getting Ready To Roll, featuring interviews with George Clinton, Bernie Worrell, Frank "Kash{ Waddy, Cordell "Boogie" Mosson, Prakash John and others. Funk Getting Ready To Roll will air on CBC Radio 2 as part of Inside The Music on Sunday, August 12 at 3 pm (EST)  and again on CBC Radio 1 at 9 pm (EST). Check out the teaser clip below.

Incidentally, selecta David Dacks will be spinning as part of the Ghostlight and Eucalyptus double bill at Magpie (831 Dundas St. West) on Wednesday (July 25) starting at 9 pm.

Here's the Funk Getting Ready To Roll teaser clip:

   Funk Getting Ready To Roll promo by Dacks


Miss Lucifer's Love from America Eats It's Young

Happy Birthday Tiki Fulwood

One For The Weekend: Black Bananas

She's baaaack! Jennifer Herrema of Royal Trux and RTX (Rad Times Xpress) infamy has returned with a hard-pummeling vengeance in the form of the Black Bananas' debut album Rad Times Xpress IV for Drag City. Although singer/producer/journalist Herrema – the original poster girl for Calvin Klein's controversial "heroin chic" ad campaign – is a proud product of the Chocolate City, this new release reveals, like never before, the irreparable damage done by years of listening to Parliament and Funkadelic records at wall-shaking volume.

Check out Grant Singer's behind-the-scenes video for Overpass followed by the dope promotional montage created for the album release. By provocatively intercutting film clips of biker violence, surfing and snake handling with a roaring tiger and people being chased by vans at night, the Brain Drain crew give you a reasonably good idea of what you can expect when Black Bananas open for Sleigh Bells at the Phoenix on Monday (March 26).     


Overpass by Black Bananas



Rad Times Xpress IV promotional video