FUNKADELIC — Funkadelic (review)

FUNKADELIC — Funkadelic album cover Album · 1970 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
js
I think anyone who is familiar with Funkadelic as the hugely popular funny freaky funk dance band that rose to prominence in the late 70s would be very surprised if they heard this initial effort by the band. This first album, called ’Funkadelic’, is a very raw and unpolished chunk of old-school blues riffs topped with 70s ensemble soul vocals and channeled through excessive psychedelic effects that are guided by a casual experimental nature where pretty much anything can drop into the mix. If you are thinking Chambers Brothers, psychedelic period Temptations and Jimi Hendrix, you are sort of on track, but this album is much rawer and more anarchistic than anything those artists ever put out. A closer parallel might be bands like Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd and early kraut-rock bands. In music like this, staying with the main riff and seeing what happens becomes the point. There is no particular attempt to move the songs in any pre-determined direction and virtuoso solos are almost non-existent as the musicians take a relaxed approach and add complimentary riffs that keep the main riff chugging along.

Much of this album, both lyrically and musically, is a celebration of African-American roots delta blues music, a style that was considered country and unsophisticated to modern urban African-Americans. In this respect, Funkadelic’s back to the country aesthetic is similar to nostalgic hippie rock bands at this time such as the Grateful Dead. But ’Funkadelic’ is hardly a cute nostalgic album. The overall sound on here is dark, decadent and psychedelic; and the roughness of the Detroit rock scene they were participating in is also apparent. During this period in their early history Funkadelic was likely to be sharing the stage with either Iggy Pop, The MC5, Alice Cooper or Ted Nuegent.

Folks like me who enjoy the entire history of the Funkadelic experience enjoy this album, it might also appeal to fans of deeply psychedelic late 60s to early 70s blues rock and experimental jam rock.
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