The absolute pinnacle of funk, with a healthy blend of rock and psychedelia. I would give my left leg to be invited to a 1970's George Clinton party, and I don't even like parties.
One Nation Under a Groove is the tenth studio album by American funk rock band Funkadelic, released on September 22, 1978 on Warner Bros. Records. Recording sessions took place at United Sound Studio in Detroit, Michigan, with one song recorded live on April 15, 1978 at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe, Louisiana. The album was the first album to include keyboardist and frequent songwriter Walter "Junie" Morrison. One Nation Under a Groove was Funkadelic's most commercially successful album, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Magazine Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, number 16 on the Billboard 200, and being certified platinum in the US. It reached number 58 in Canada. It was one of the band's most critically lauded albums, and ranks at or near the top of many "best album" lists in disparate genres. The album was later featured on Vibe magazine's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century list. The album is ranked number 177 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in both 2003 and 2012 editions, before moving to number 360 in the 2020 edition. The album is listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
The absolute pinnacle of funk, with a healthy blend of rock and psychedelia. I would give my left leg to be invited to a 1970's George Clinton party, and I don't even like parties.
Another one that is so insanely elevated above the general pack. Not enough great music is also genuinely funny.
Who says a jazz band can't play dance music? Who says a rock band can't play funk? Who says a funk band can't play rock? Real simple, real groovy, real funky. Fantastic Funkadelic music from front to back.
Fried ice cream is a reality!
Just another funk album, with all the songs going on way too long. Some parts sound nice, but it's hardly an experience.
I must admit before pledging my allegiance to the funk I was suffering from moral and mental diarrhea. Under the groove of this album I finally had the musical bowl movement I’d been waiting for. Now I no longer fear being eaten by a sandwich. Hallefunkinlujah!
It didn't inspire me to dance in the office at 10am on a Monday morning. Top funk would have. The whole office would be up off their seats, with every demographic represented, in a rainbow-coalition of dancing.
A hill I will die on: Funkadelic is one of the greatest American *rock* bands. Easily in the top 5, if not top 3.
Such awesome sounds, one nation under a groove man. Incredible guitarmanship, rythems and bass lines make this musically tight. But it's the craziness the songs they go in place you don't expect all while a kind of dogmatic lyrics of absurdness play out. You cannot underestimate one bands devotion to one word and one concept Funk and this is it.
Funk fathers
Wonderful and fun, with such interesting layers and texture. No surprise to learn how influential this group and its related group, Parliament, are in the world of funk music and music generally. All the musicians are incredible, and I always gravitate guitar because that's the instrument I play, and wow, Mike Hampton and Gary Shider are superb.
Ce mélange de funk et de rock m'a parfaitement diverti à un moment où je faisais la vaisselle.
Totally influential and you can hear so many later artists inspiration in here but for me personally it gets too long, both per song and the total length. Maybe I have a short attention span but the extended jammy-ness doesn't do anything for me
Lacking enough cohesiveness to work as a full LP, reads more as a scattered collection of (sometimes catchy) B-sides Aside: This is my ~180th album and the first not available on Spotify
Eh. A bit out there for me.
I find this underwhelming. There's a lot going on but for me, it just doesn't click. The wacky song titles made them seem like a novelty band.
I really wanted to like this one but it just kept on going. Nothing really noteworthy here.
Excellent album, plein de sonorités classiques et originales, paroles amusantes et réfléchies.
Funkadelic's album "One Nation Under a Groove" is a joyful celebration of funk in its purest form. From start to finish, the album exudes a free and loose tone that invites listeners to let go and groove along. What sets this album apart is its unapologetic embrace of fun, exemplified by tracks like the hilariously titled "Doo Doo Chasers." I now have the fear of being eaten by a sandwich. Musically, Funkadelic showcases their mastery of the funk genre, effortlessly blending infectious grooves, soulful melodies, and electrifying instrumentation. Lyrically, the band's messages of unity, liberation, and the power of music to uplift resonate deeply, creating an immersive experience for the listener. But perhaps what truly stands out about "One Nation Under a Groove" is its sonorous richness. Each track is a sonic journey, filled with layers of funky basslines, psychedelic guitar riffs, and dynamic vocal harmonies that transport listeners to a world of pure funk bliss. This album is a must-listen for anyone seeking to immerse themselves in the irresistible groove of funk.
“Which one’s George Clinton??” Not quite as good as the other Funkadelic album I had earlier on. But still quite good. The concepts behind the songs are at the very least interesting and creative. I appreciate that they don’t just write songs about partying or being in love or whatever. The songs are about enemas or taking a dump or whatever the hell some of them were about. It makes it interesting and keeps you on your toes. And besides, who can deny the grooves, man? 4 stars. For some reason this wasn’t on either major music streaming service so I found it on YouTube. Weird. Standout tracks: One Nation Under a Groove, Who Says a Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?, Cholly
A very good friend of mine had me download this album for him a while back. Had a listen and it took me by storm. Instantly became a fan. Mixed this in with my steel pulse and third world playlist, it's like my own personal spliff love it.
Wow. Albums like this are why I started this project. Easiest 5/5 I've given so far
Best funk album is a deserved title. Would be a 4.5 just because I couldn't listen on spotify, and availability should matter.
I want the funk.
George Clinton, the mastermind behind both Parliament and Funkadelic, the man who pushed Funk Rock into a new sound and additionally created P-Funk with both of these bands. And after having multiple albums out with this new sound including the legendary "Mothership Connection" with Parliament, he returned to the greatness that Funkadelic had in its earlier years of 70's and made this album which in eyes of many stands at the top of the Funkadelic discog with the rest saying it's Maggot Brain... With other words: this is a Funk record of high caliber even if you don't enjoy it as much as others. I personally think that a good portion of these tracks here are a bit "too much" with many ideas thrown into one tracks without really having a bigger structure to it which ultimately means that there are many moments that lack scaffholding. Still, it is a fun album with also many interesting and great moments. The Disco-Funk title track 'One Nation Under a Groove' with a... well, groovy track that gets things started immediately by having both the vocals enter right at the start and not waiting long before going into the incredibly catchy chorus which is played with a bit before returning to the verse. Throughout this first half, the song establishes some "hook words" that later make up a bigger hook, nearly a new chorus in on itself. The instrumental parts also have really great deliveries with the bass as well as the synths and the guitar. All together is just exactly what you'd think people were listening to in 70's Disco bars. I do think that some parts do need a bit too long to fully establish themselves and create a tension that isn't needed or a good kind of tension. It's still incredible but I wouldn't dare to call it perfect, because it just isn't. On 'Groovallegiance' they add more P-Funk as well as some Jazz while still being very catchy. The chorus and some of the vocal deliveries sound very inspired by music outside of the US although I can't really pin it down to a certain region. But it still is a very interesting style which doesn't mean that it works all the time. Sure, some moments are really groovy and funky with some great instrumentation but I just think that some parts are a bit too much in terms of throwing stuff into one pot. Some parts are great, including the "doo-doo doo-doo ahh" parts in the middle but a lot more are on the verge of annoying. It's a decent song nontheless but with a bit more focus, this could've been so much stronger. The Funk Rock on tracks like 'Who Says a Funk Band Can't Play Rock?!' is something that sets Funkadelic a bit apart from Parliament because they did much more Rock especially in their early years. They did Funk & Rock and Parliament did Funk & Soul. This difference between them seems to have a certain weight in either band which is the reason that there have been multiple tracks that mention the fact that Funkadelic do "Rock". It's pretty funny to look at. The song itself is, who would've guessed, Funk Rock with some added Soul vocals here and there but most of the time, the catchy guitar riff has more to offer than the vocals. To be totally honest, if they decided to only have vocals on the chorus and make the rest purely instrumental, it would've been better as I think that multiple times, the vocals distract from what should've actually taken main stage presence, the guitar. But apart from these few verses, it is a really catchy and interesting song with a blend of ideas that sometimes work together perfectly and other times not as much. Overall, I think this is a pretty good song that's just a tad bit too long. The 11 minute Psychedelic Funk Rock epic 'Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers)' comes along next with one of the craziest titles I have ever read. It starts off with a mix of stinging guitar and relaxed rhythm sections that have some Spoken Word passages added on top as well as some Soul vocals underneath that. This start is absolutely everywhere. There is so much happening and put on top of each other that you can't really get too deep into it without being turned away from it because it is so totally incomprehensible. It does settle a bit after some time but it goes back into this "everything at once" mentality every half minute or so and after some time you just don't want to hear deeper again because all you find is more stuff that doesn't fit with what there was before. This is most noticeable around 4:30 where there are some beautiful vocals that could've made this so incredibly beautiful but then they add more Spoken Word stuff that lets the vocals drown out. The instrumental: perfect, the vocals: perfect, the songwriting: perfect but these weird choices of adding talking just destroys all of it and leaves behind a genuinely bad song. If they all had just shut up, this could've been the best song on the album which makes it even more tragic that it ended this way. 'Into You' goes more into R&B, Soul and of course Funk and finally has intelligible parts that do have a really nice groove to it. The chorus is really great, the vocals are nice and although the structure can be a bit weak and the mixing plays around a bit too much with and makes it sound like the loudness lever was used by a toddler, it still is a nice song. It's fun to listen to, not too much, not too boring. It's good and catchy but not too crazy or out there. The albums first half, the first LP, ends with 'Cholly (Funk Getting Ready to Roll!)' which returns to the more Disco sounding P-Funk approach that results in a catchy and groovy track that seems to flow from one hook to the next without stopping the Funk to lead the way through the track. I do think that with the amount of ideas that were put in here, they do come of a bit too "low-key" and not as strong as they could've been but it's nontheless a good song. Their originally 1971 released song 'Maggot Brain' is put here in the form of a live recording that was done earlier that same year. There's nothing Funk about this, it's just a Psychedelic Rock song of (og: 10 min) 7 minutes that is based around a repeating theme on which solos are added with minimal vocals. It's a really spacey and hypnotic track that is so different, yet the same at it's core to what previous tracks did that it baffles me how this song seems to fit with the Funk without being Funk. This live recording is absolutely amazing, perfect even. Just a wonderful and enticing listen from the first second to the last and I'm going to be honest... I might prefer it over the original studio recording but I haven't heard that one in a while so maybe their equal... Still, perfect! The second part of that recording is made up of a short Spoken Word section titled 'Chant (Think It Ain't Illegal Yet!)' which is less than a minute long. It doesn't do much at all. I guess it was supposed to hype up the show but on an album? I mean this closed Side C... What does it hype up? The flip of the vinyl? Useless but not bad. The Funk Rock returns in a very heavy way on 'Lunchmeataphobia (Think! It Ain't Illegal Yet!)' which is heavy enough to be considered Funk Metal by many. In that way, this might've been one of the first songs to ever blend Metal and Funk and to be honest, I am there for it. It sounds amazing and both aspects are brought up enough to feel both catchy, loud and just crazy. I really, really like it and I think it's a great song. The album closes with 'P.E. Squad / Doo Doo Chasers' and finally, this is what the first 'Doo Doo Chasers' tried to be but failed. If this had the added singing, oh boy! This is (just) an shortend instrumental version so it does feel like it lacks something but it's still a really, really good song and easily one of the sonically best worked out tracks on the album. favourites: Maggot Brain, One Nation Under a Groove, Lunchmeataphobia least favourites: Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers), Chant Rating: light to decent 7 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes
Fried ice cream IS a reality! I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected, it's just so fun!
[Strangely not available on Spotify despite other Funkadelics being there. Managed to hunt out most individual tracks there through search.] Not my favourite album of theirs: 1971's Maggot Brain holds that title. This album feels a little less... fresh? raw? Still, it has some solid grooves & some great synchro guitar/bass on 'Cholly'. I also very much enjoyed the taunting string bends on the opening bars of "Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock?"
Delightful. Dense, complex, balanced, beautiful. A shame this album seems hard to find.
This is a fun one, a Funkadelic album I’m less familiar with. Definitely not as good as Maggot Brain or Free Your Mind, but a fun way to start the day.
Fried ice cream is a reality! Fried ice cream is a reality! Fried ice cream is a reality! AHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOO
Nr. 33/1001 One Nation Under A Groove 4/5 Grooveallegiance 3/5 Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock 3/5 Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis 2/5 Into You 3/5 Cholly 3/5 Average: 3,0 Couldn't really get into this. Felt like a lot of these songs could have been great, but weren't completed
I feel like everyone knows about Funkadelic but only a rare handful of audiophiles have listened to their entire catalog. I learned today that they made 15 albums across 14 years; I imagine that is as dense as one can get in terms of making music. I've always carried an affinity for jazz but for some reason whenever the genre leans into funk I find myself liking the music less. I don't like the quick "pokes" of every instrument and while the music as a whole doesn't have that problem, it feels like every individual part of the song is waiting to start. I also really don't like the way most funk singers choose to sing; the squeakiness loses its piercing affect quickly and just sounds annoying. As expected, my favorite parts of the album are the walking basslines and jazzy guitar licks. I will also say that I am honestly surprised at the drums never really leaving the basic rhythm of each song. extremely boring and disappointing.
Not being on spotify might have effected the ratings some having to listen to YouTube commercials in between each track... But I also wasn't really getting that into the groove with each track. Maybe it was the mixing, but just wasn't really digging it.
# 295 : Funky. Better then their other piece I've listened to. This was ok, but nothing that grabbed me. The title track was good, but the rest was unlistenable, and way too long, that they had to split it over two CD's!
I remember somewhat enjoying some Funkadelic cuts in the past, but their music never really touched me. This album doesn't do much for me either. It doesn't help, that I find a lot of funk music to be pretentious. I just feel like often times weird sounds and instruments are used just to be different, not because they sound cool.
I don't know -- I guess I just don't "get" funk music. This was totally fine but nothing that grabbed me.
I don’t think I’m into funk enough to enjoy this
Not my cup of tea
forgettable
92% Best: One Nation Under A Groove; Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock?; Into You; Cholly (Funk Getting Ready To Roll) Must-Hear? Fuck yes
Echt lekker, rare funk, af en toe wat jam-achtig.
I want to be able to play bass like this. Personal enjoyment: 5/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5
Brilliant.
LOVE IT! Absolute vibes!
High potency funks administered direct from the Mothership. Unavailable for conventional streaming...probably too funky.
So FUNKY!!! I dig. Just a fantastic album as a whole. Not a single bad song on the album. A little disappointed it's not on Spotify, and had to listen on YouTube with adds.
Fried ice cream is a reality.
Chefs kiss. It is THE groove.
If I could give this 6 stars, I would! Outstanding!
Perfect blend of repeated grooves and traditional song structure, hooks for days, and some killer guitar solos-- now all we need is for Spotify to get its act together!
I don't make it a habit to listen to funk yet here we are once again. I can't really explain the pure awesomeness of this band. Yeah, I typically listen to electronic/ synth/ techno and move out from that base all around, but to get to funk/ rock is a few steps removed. It does not mean I don't like any genre even at the fringes, but they usually don't peak my interests. But here we are with Funkadelic and for some reason that I do not understand, they have a singular ability to make me very emotional every time I listen. When a band puts out instrumental songs that make me cry from their pure beauty... it CAN'T get any better than that!
The funk machine is off the charts with this one, as expected from George Clinton and Funkadelic. This is an amazing funk record! The songs are very catchy with amazing choruses throughout. The lyrics definitely play a part in that, and in the whole album. The performances here are amazing as well, the instruments just feel like they fit so well with one another. The bass on this album is so good dude! The vocals are also a definite highlight, they’re very memorable. I don’t have an issue with the long song lengths! It lets me groove to the songs more. While I may not have a lot to say about this album, it’s an amazing funk record that i’d recommend. Stay funky y’all.
Funky as hell, such a fantastic experience. It just had such a good flow to it.
It's too bad this album is nearly impossible to find streaming anywhere. Still, was able to listen to it by piecing it together from YT uploads. Anyway, I loved this album when I first heard it almost 30 years ago, and it still holds up. The title track and "Who Says..." are really accessible for casual listeners. "Promental..." is a fantastic slow jam. Its lyrical content, and its overall sound remind me of some of Frank Zappa's humor-laden, socio-political satire slow-jams. "Cholly..." has one of the funkiest bass lines I've ever heard. Enthusiastic 5 stars.
INCREÍBLE. De los grandes descubrimientos que me va a dar esta lista. Todas las canciones son geniales, tienen un nivel de funk y una onda que he escuchado pocas veces en mi vida, y solo me pesa que el disco no esté completo en Spotify y solo pueda escucharse en YouTube. De esos álbumes que todos deberían escuchar. Amé. (¡Y hasta en un track entra “los marcianos llegaron ya!). Imperdible.
A+
Funky and groovy - not even all the weird scatological stuff can knock off a star! Fave tracks - "One Nation Under A Groove" is a great opener, and gets the party started. "Cholly" and "Lunchmeataphobia" are great. And of course, any version of "Maggot Brain" is always welcome...
If you ever wanted a case study in just how joyless and incurious 60% of 1001 Albums Generator users are, check out the reviews for this classic. Page after page of “waah, this is too long and weird and funky!” Like that isn’t the point you stupid motherfucker Five stars.
5/5
Comenzamos la última semana de septiembre con éste disco de Funkadelic. Con su primera canción me recuerda a Outkast, lo que da entender lo adelantados que fueron para llegar tan lejos. Yendo más lejos, "Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock?!" podría ser una canción de Brant Bjork. Mención especial para el último tema, que parece una canción de Pink Floyd. Todo el disco lleva a un trance hermoso: a perderse y a encontrarse. Cualidad difícil en las músicas actuales. Buena semana, gente.
HOLY MOLY I have never funked so hard.... I do indeed promise to funk, the whole funk and nothing but the funk. They didn't really leave you much choice. Note to future self, since it's (tragically) not on spotify, the part at 41mins on yt goes HAAAARD. I was still vibing even through the prawn ice cream cult... just so much fun
guys will see this and think "hell yeah"
Eindelijk. EINDELIJK!!!! Weer eens een goed album (al had ik Zappa laatst, maar valt in een andere categorie). Ik denk dat het 100+ albums is geleden dat ik er eentje van dit niveau had. Ik hou van Parliament/Funkadelic, George Clinton is geniaal. Dit album ook. Kort, maar krachtig.
I pledge groove allegiance to the flag and the united funk of Funkadelica, one nation under a groove.
Love P Funk. This album was just good fun.
That was a journey to the center of funk and I’ll be damned if I didn’t enjoy every second of the ride!!
The cover of this album looks like it was drawn by a 13 year old and, unfortunately, only a few songs from it are available on spotify. I managed to find it on YouTube and it's as good as the cover art is bad. At first I found the songs a bit overlong, but the more I listened to it, the more I got into its borderline prog funk. It's a pain that it's not available to stream. I'd probably listen to it a lot more if it was.
oh I love
This was very good and had some variety/flow that felt like it added up to a largely solid album. Excited for when we get Maggot Brain hopefully, though interesting to me that this came out after that, maybe this is a sleeper that is even better? Much better than so many of the albums here that are a few hits and collections of okay songs. Sad this isn't on Spotify.
Great funk. I hate that this is unavailable (due to label disputes) on any streaming but YT, but it's a classic.
insofar as they are a real Band, i think funkadelic p much has to be in contention for Greatest Band Of All Time, not just for their ability to make transcendental music but to have that transcendence coexist with the pure brazen confidence it takes to name a masterpiece something like Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo Doo Chasers)...whatever clinton and co had, its what frank zappa wanted! trite to even say for funk, but so much of the appeal rly is that every single idea feels totally mined for all its worth, hypnotic and colorful sonic painting to get turned around and lost in. im not super familiar with the bands various lineups (much less their cross-pollination with parliament), but this feels like it has to be one of the best theyve ever had...a million things to notice and plenty of time to appreciate them. the fact they can pull off a live version of maggot brain without eddie hazel and make it distinct and exciting is unbelievable. this discog (and parliament by extension) just seem like a treasure trove
An amazing, fun album. Infectious energy, genuinely funny, but so sharp on the musicianship.
Title track is one of the greatest things ever
Still swinging Still surprising Still special Still impressive Still worth listening
Fantastic
Peak genre blending.
I pledge allegiance to the funk!
Brilliantly bizarre and cosmically chaotic. "Fried ice cream is a reality" indeed. And a record like this seems to similarly stretch the boundaries of what's possible. So fun and funky, so openly entertaining yet so oddly elevating and philosophical (to the point of being metaphysical), so utterly messy and yet ultimately magical. Eddie van Halen's got nothing on the riffs here. It aims to be The Leaves of Grass and George Clinton the Walt Whitman of pop music. The add-on track of "Maggot Brain" is mind-meltingly awesome, every cuts offers a plethora of layered pleasures and intrigues, such is the effect of such danceable maximalism.
oh wow! how many hundreds of times have I listened to this! P-Funk is a top 5 on my all-time list. I own everything!!!! I will be way to biased to rate this fairly. Easy ass 5 for me!
Great, great album. I haven't listened to it in years and it's even better
THAT WAS AWESOMEEEEE i just wish it was on spotify
I went into this pretty positive because I knew I was going to have a good time. Second Funkadelic album and they just do not disappoint. I rated Maggot Brain 5 stars but this one might be even better? Oh well, in retrospect plenty of ratings I'd change. Only disappointing thing was having to listen to the album on YouTube so I can't add a bunch of stuff to Spotify albums.
Who says a funk band can’t play rock indeed? Funkadelic is Mr. Clinton’s guitar experiment, and it pays off here with perfection. So much going on. A wide range of styles, but nothing seems confused or complicated, and the masterful groove never ends. An all- time favorite.
I had Mothership Connection by Parliament and was a bit iffy because it seemed like that album was more of a skit than music. Now I get Funkadelic and I have to say this blows Parliament out of the water. Funkadelic's got the funk. I'm mad this album isn't on Spotify and I had to listen on YouTube and I can't ever randomly hear these songs on Spotify again which is a shame because I actually really liked this entire album. Sorry Parliament, Funkadelic funked me up.
Funky
TOPTOP
5/5
amazing!
Just brilliant. It's easy to forget the sillier and more outre performances in later years but this just reminds you not only what amazing players they are but what great songwriters they are too. Maggot Brain. Classic.
of course it's 5 stars, please, it's funkadelic, i would allow George clinton to cut my head off, you are silly if you expected a different rating
I believe in the funk, the whole funk, and nothing but the funk!
So good, exceeded already high expectations and also made sense of a lot of songs that I'd heard sample it over the years lol
The Mothership brought us The Funk. This album is irrepressible and cannot be denied. Equal parts groove, fun, and genius.
This album made me dance across the house Sunday morning and also made me realize how few albums on this list, at least so far, have made me stop what am doing and just be in the groove. This was one of them.
What a great album for many different reason. A nice mix of genres, great funk short but powerful and not one wasted moment. Love it!
PUT THIS ALBUM ON SPOTIFY!!!! IT BANGS!!!!
love funk music <3
This was the first album that I had to buy a physical copy of in order to listen to and I have zero regrets about that. I got a vinyl reissue with the bonus EP, as George Clinton would want me to. My toddler and I danced like lunatics to this and he shouted "I LIKE THIS MUSIC" and it brought me great joy.
Love this band, and this album is just phenomenal
Rating: 9.5/10 So fun, so funky, so groovy, and so amazing. Favorite songs: pretty much all of them. Least favorite song: Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad.