Reviews (page 3 of 14)
Cover 7 Funk rock! Yes! Love it! Groovy, Funky. Not Rock n' Roll. Rock n' Soul!! Definitely will check it their discography.
This album deserves 5 stars alone because of the title track with Eddie Hazel providing one of the best guitar solos of all time. Little known is the contribution of George Clinton to this who apparently messed with the effects simulationously from the studio while Eddie was playing. The other songs? Also great and the crazy P-Funk stuff you need. So let's say that without "Maggot Brain" the album would be 4 stars but with it I give it 5!
Now we're talking again. What a find this has been. From the entrancing 10 minute psychy, proggy epic which ushers in proceedings, to the bouncy, soul-infused funky bops which follow and never really degrade much in quality from there on in, this comes in at a tight 36 minutes and it breezed by for me. "Back In Our Minds" is perhaps the one track here which didn't immediately blow me away, but it was still a pleasure to listen to nonetheless. This is absolutely the type of funk I can get behind rather than the self important, overwrought exploits of later bands which I've never warmed to. At its core, it just wants to rock out and have a great time, and that really shines through in the compositions. That solo (you know the one I'm on about) in that title track is truly mind-bending. Onto the vinyl wishlist this goes, and I will be investigating these further.
Love it love it love it. Always will.
From the searing genius guitar solo that opens this to the funk-freak show (and bodily function?) saga that shuts it down, this is awesome. Psychedelic without that earnest showiness, weird, rocking, funny, incisive. Brilliant record.
I imagine I will listen to this album again many times, very nice.
I like it for 4.5 , but let's round it :)
Brain-melting intense bookends in ‘Maggot Brain’ and ‘Wars Of Armageddon,’ with five of the heaviest, haziest, alien-sounding psychedelic soul/funk/R&B/rock songs you’ll ever hear wedged in between. Kids, this album is what happens you take too many drugs.
Amazing record. SO funky but so subversive. Highlights: Can You Get To That, Hit It and Quit It, Me and My Folks, You and Your Folks, Super Stupid Wars of Armageddon is a hilarious closer (fart sfx?!).
Oh hell yes! I always have some time for more Funkadelic in my life!
It’s time. The guitar work alone on this album is enough to give it a 5 but sprinkle in like 3 hits and an incredibly tight band and you have this beautiful album. I am glad I was forced to listen to this a few years back, it’s a great album that I never gave any credit to because I hadn’t been exposed to it. It’s experimental it’s fun it’s exciting it has a fart section. 10/10.
Listened before, this shits fire
Great starter, better than the rest of the album
Classic!
Шикарный альбом!!! Всегда ловлю под заглавную песню музыкальный трип. Какой же всë-таки Джордж Клинтон шикарный музыкант и продюсер - живая легенда! А Эдди Хейзел очень яркий и живой гитарист!
Hell yeah
Incredible album. The title track has some of the best guitar work I can think of. Funkadelic is amazing and this is on the list for a reason. Go listen.
Only the mad acid genius of Funkadelic could come up with a song that uses synth bass to make fart sounds that also hit the groove. This is pure psychedelic nonsense and it’s fucking phenomenal. Zappa only wishes he had this level of creativity oozing from his pores. I knew I’d generally enjoyed Funkadelic but this made me an instant super fan.
Funky psychedelic genius
thoughts: this opening title track is not what i expected at all, but it’s insanely good. the guitar work in general up and down this record is impeccable. fantastic album, super groovy, no skips. songs: “maggot brain”, “can you get to that”, “super stupid” rating: 9.4/10
absolutely
I think about half of the albums on this list deserve to be on this list. This definitely deserves to be here.
A tantalizing mix of funk and hard rock, reflecting the turmoil and uniquely American strangeness of the late 60s / early 70s. The title track is indelible, and I found the rest of the album to be in support of it in one way or another. Birth and destruction, all while still maintaining some fun.
Very funky, psychedelic and heavy. At times it's quite experimental, starting with a long, emotional guitar solo and ending with an epic jam. But both are enjoyable and the middle tracks are all fantastic too. Can You Get To That is the pick of the bunch, but it's close.
Funky
I like the driving guitar. Easy to see how Jimi Hendrix influenced them. I enjoyed it so much I bought it.
Funktastic. And surprisingly heavier than I expected. George Clinton always brings the gold.
fun stuff!
Great album. I've listened to this before as it's on a lot of lists. I love the intro and the outro, the songs keep your head moving constantly. When I imagine what things were like in the early 70s in American cities, this is a great soundtrack for that. Don't know if that's influenced by or genuinely reflecting the reality of that. But it still transports me to a place that may have existed when I didn't.
FUNKY
Just wonderful funk that set my day off on the right foot. Will definitely be back for more listens.
Als je je plaat met een ongelooflijke dikke gitaarsolo van 10 minuten kunt laten beginnen, dan ben je wel een flinke baas. En het knappe is, dat het me niet verveelt. Ik vind het gewoon heel dik. De hele plaat gaat eigenlijk gewoon lekker zo door met dikke gitaren. Het rockt, het swingt, het heeft soul. Het is Lenny Kravitz meets Living Colour meets Jimi Hendrix meets Led Zeppelin. Het omvat op deze manier de 60s, 70s, 80s en 90s. Ik zet het de volgende ochtend weer op en geniet weer met name van de gitaren en de lekkere funky ritmes. Er zitten af en toe wat vervelende geluidjes tussen, daar zou ik in een zure bui punten aftrek voor moeten geven. Een iets te makkelijk gegeven 5, maar ach, laat ik niet moeilijk doen.
Genius. An album that works together and apart. The musicianship is world beating. Eddie Hazel's playing on the title track is heart-wrenching. Someone truly exposing their soul through a guitar. A classic record that I believe does not get the recognition or adulation it deserves.
The track “Maggot Brain” itself was good enough for the album to get a 5 from me. Check out the Ween song “A tear for Eddie” which is a tribute to Eddie Hazel.
La primera vez que escuche este álbum algo cambio dentro de mi. No fui el mismo desde ese momento.
Literally probably top 3 albums for me
Holy moly. This was awesome. I have not enjoyed any of the 70's funk that I had listened to through this list, so my expectations were low. Track 1 was amazing! This sounds like a mash-up of funk and rock. So good and a great surprise.
Man, so good. I was familiar with Parliament but enjoyed this a lot more - the rock/jazz/funk combo just makes me happy
Love it
Never going to forget covering the eponymous opener to the good people of Meridian’s garage. Thank you Billy. I’m sorry Neha.
I've been listening to this for years. Some of the best guitar ever on an album??
Z chęcią wysłucham bo nie znam
Eureka!
Title track sounds closer to Pink Floyd than any PFunk album I’ve heard before. The other songs are a sprawling eclectic mix of soul / funk / rock and experimental music that is infectious. A great listen!
I really only knew Can You Get to That. Incredible album.
Far out man. There’s a statement in this album somewhere. I don’t know where or what it is. It’s mostly made of far out and funky diversions. And I can get to that. I dig.
Really great record, Maggot Brain is such an incredibly good guitar song and is a main feature of the Shredd Aquarium. The other songs can be more soul than funk but are still great. Can. You. Get? (Bass voice— I wanna know…)
Excellent. The guitar solo on maggot brain is such a sick start to the album.
I hate the cover so much.
It's just amazing. Opens with a 10 minute guitar solo that has just souch emotion it's hard to put into words. Like he is trying to express grief using only his guitar. Hendrix came back from the dead to listen to it gave it a ten minute standing ovation then died again it's that good. The best part is rest of the album is great too. Hit it and quit it is impossible not to move to. I was sitting down on a dreary Saturday morning and it came on and my head started to bob and the rest of my body started moving. Couldn't help myself. I wonder how long Clinton spent in the mixing bay for this. It's all clean and tight, he plays with some effects but it doesn't drown anything out or make it sound off. Seriously it's great. I can't say that enough. If you have good headphones put them on for this. I wish I had a great speaker set up in my place for albums like this.
Loved it
was great and funky
54min flew by. Really enjoyed this. It was a vibe. Weird sounds mixed into tracks (farts,babies crying,scratching noises) but not enough to ruin them.
George Clinton is a madman. Love the album. Lots of cool sounds and tempo changes. Maggot Brain is such a weird/cool/atypical way to open an album….and it works! Love Super Stupid too. Bring on the P Funk!
I'm definitely not alone in thinking this, but the title track alone is worth 5 stars. I can never get tired of it. Other tracks like Hit It And Quit It or You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks are all groovy and catchy as hell too. I don't even care that it all ends with farts. They earned it.
Genre classic. No notes.
Up there as an ABSOLUTE CLASSIC
🧠🧠🧠🧠🧠
Geil Top: Can you get that
Great
One of five Funkadelic albums (and three Parliament albums) I listened to on the weekend and it's one of their very finest. Some great - and heavy - guitar work on this album.
Awesome. Short and cool.
I love parliament funkadelic and this is a great funk album, though my favorite is the clones of Dr. Funkenstine.
Heard Maggot Brain a few years ago, great to hear the whole album, very varied
great
It's exactly the kind of crazy I like.
Funkadelic was so ahead of this time. The perfect mix of soul, funk and psicodelic rock. Perfect to listen when you are sick to be sad and complain about the life. Maggot Brain is a kick on the ass when you want to come out of feeling down.
5 out of 5. Another album that I have to ask, "What else is there to say?"
The best psychedelic funk I've ever heard. Every song is 10/10
Funking best album ever
Not bad
one of the best of all time
Y'all done knocked me up
First song’s first riff sounds like Radiohead’s “a wolf at the door.” Second song clearly sampled in sleigh bells’ “rill rill.” Loving this so far, not just because of these connections. Oh there’s another one — Atmosphere’s “Los Angeles” uses the same PA announcement that’s in wars of Armageddon. Almost like this is an influential album. I’m between four and five but I listened to this probably five times this weekend, so I think I’ll round up.
Funking fantastic.
ooh this was great!
Absolute banger of an album, some insane solos in here and this is probably one of the best lo-fi albums of all time. Mid 5.
Hell. Yes.
I love Maggot Brain! Wish I had found this gem sooner, but so glad to have found it when I did. I can't remember if I stumbled upon it, or if my dance teacher recommended I check out P-Funk, but we shared many good times over their music and saw George Clinton's last (?) tour with the band. 5/5
Klarer Fall von nicht bestellt aber abgeholt
Allein der erste Song verdient 5 Sterne
There are 7 songs on this record and 4 of them are among the most important songs in the foundation of multiple genres of music. In so many ways, an unprecedented album.
I mean, come on.
Everything on here is a 5/5
This album shreds, slaps and fucks. Man does it fuck.
FuhKingAmazBalls Good! This is required listening
This record is incredible. So layered and so varied. Its funk, its rock, its psych, its soul, its jazz. Its sooooo heavy throughout. Each song just takes you on little trip. Sometimes you're deep in the dirt, and other times you're up in the stratosphere. The guitar solos are insane, the bass lines are so groovy. The production is wild too. So many weird sounds in the background, they pan the speakers in and out. Its super trippy and interesting to listen to. There's like cow noises, and car crashes and farting noises?!?! Its so wild. This genre is so hard to nail too. Its either cheesy and a total flop, or its the best shit you've ever heard. This is a good example of nailing it. In fact, this the source code that everyone should fall back on. This is incredible.
Love it. Eddie Hazel is terrific. Heard it many times before and still love it.
I knew the album as it's a regular on my listening list. It's a super album for me. Almost experimental prog funk. I CAN get into that.
I think I just have a soft spot for soul/funk music because I loved this. From the 8 minute guitar intro to the percussion outro and everything in between, I was having a blast and enjoying what I heard. They were grooving and they had me grooving in the meantime too. I loved it.
Maggot Brain is such a cool sound, like Floyd meets Prince, such a good jam. Also, I never realized where can you get to that came from, which I realize is ironic as it’s probably the most popular song by Funkadelic. I have heard it on a Mt. Joy live album (on “Julia” I believe) and never put together it was Funkadelic but that was an awesome learning. Really good psychedelic/funk/rock album. I grew up listening to “Maggot Brain” in the car with my dad since he loves any and all instrumental guitar riffs no matter how long but never listened to the rest of album so glad I got the chance to do it.
Holy shit, it’s “Rill Rill” by Sleigh Bells! This rocked harder than a lot of albums on this list, and had not one, but two super long songs that justified their runtimes. Great listen. I spent years thinking they were the same, but that’s very much not the case. Not sure the reasoning, but Funkadelic > Parliament.
From another world. I found this record in my grandparents basement when I was 10 and have been mesmerized by it since.
Epic. An outstanding blast in the ears.
This felt like a good continuation to the Chicago album. Not as funky as I expected but still very enjoyable. 5* Highlights: can you get to that (wow that bass voice)
Blues soul funk
It was a cool late summer/early autumn night. I was a freshman in college. As usual, I was stoned out of my gourd and listening to music. I'm not sure how I stumbled across Maggot Brain, as I was pretty unfamiliar with George Clinton's music at that point. Regardless, I was mind blown. That title track is an all timer, it's an added bonus that the rest of the album matches the high expectations set by the intro. A must listen
4.5/5
Genius
Funk, Rock, Blues, R&B all blended into a sonic wave that enthralls the listener. Tremendous music.
Best memory of this album was a friend's birthday last year at a burlesque show and as soon as the first echoy "clack ck ck ck ck" hit I knew I was in for a good dance.
🤙🏻
Brilliant album. I like Maggot Brain and Can you get to that best, they are all timer tracks absolutely.The rest of the record almost drags but it's still super funky. 4.5
Fucking excellent album. Found this about a year ago and have had it on repeat ever since. 10/10
Funking Transcendent
I thoroughly enjoyed this trippy funk spectacular. Great guitar riffs and rhythm. Certainly could discern influences in lots of contemporary funk music from Lenny Kravitz to RHCP. Definitely keen to explore more Funkadelic.
Awesome ish
Masterpiece
FIVE STAAAAAAARS
Great album. Sufficiently weird and guitar wails.
The first 4 songs were absolutely incredible. The rest (especially Super Stupid was reaally good) was good too. I'm sooo glad that I listened to it. 9/10 Best song: Maggot Brain Worst song: Back in our Minds
That was almost too good to be believed.
I hit it, but I could not quit it. Two plus listens, and I want more. They bring the psychedelic, then the funk, and then the psychedelic again - and it’s brilliant!
Funky, trippy, cool from start to finish.
i still like this blurb i wrote a while ago: "cannot be emphasized enough, title track is Literally more tuned into The Reasons To Make Music then maybe anything else ever. the most effortless possible combination of the Creation Of Sound as pure pleasure and emotion for both the performer and the audience, with no other bullshit in the way. yes it technically ascribes to Some conventions because all music does but it feels plucked from some kind of immaculate vacuum of undiluted artistic thought anyway." just in general, the most fun the End Of The Universe has ever been. funkadelic have to be in contention for greatest band of all time
Absolutely essential. Guitar solos both weeping and blistering. Folk jams, funk jams, farts. A little bit of something for everybody here. 9.5/10
Opening track is awesome!
I knew about this album but had never listened to anything more than the title track. Loved it. Every second. Yes, even the one with the fart sounds. It was just a great album all around and at 36 minutes it never feels like it overstays its welcome even with two songs at about 10 minutes a piece.
Funky with a side of funk and a tall glass of funk to wash it down with.
One of the first albums I owned courtesy of my uncle. 5 stars for the guitar tone on the title track alone And the rest is also genius.
What do you get when you cross James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and Miles Davis? I present to you, Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain".
All albums will be 1, 3 or 5 stars, with no further commentary or explanation given. Played via streaming, re-listen.
With a title like Maggot Brain I thought this would be dumb but wow this was fantastic. Huge influences on fantastic bands. Would be great live.
bangers across the board
Last song goes a bit off the rails but great album!
The first half of this album is impeccable, and the second half ain't too bad either. The title/opening track is killer, despite consisting essentially of an extended guitar solo with a two-chord muted bass arpeggio underneath. It's soulful, full of expression, and it sounds great. Any ten-plus-minute song that keeps you mesmerised the entire time is impressive in its own right, and the fact that it makes up almost a third of this album has to be acknowledged. (The first third of a (relatively) mainstream album being flawless psychedelic guitar noodling? Insanity!) The album closer, Wars Of Armageddon, is essentially a brasher and more texturally crowded version of the first track. The remaining five songs are chock-full of harmonised 60s-esque vocals, a solid funk rhythm section (including some great basslines), and elements of rock and jazz. In this middle part of the album, the atmosphere is almost party-esque, particularly in the songs Can You Get To That and Hit It and Quit It. Although I found that some of the later tracks were compositionally and tonally weaker than the opening trio, it's pretty dang tough to keep up that quality. And I daresay that this album would not have its legendary status without the mixture of "hook" tracks and "boys, do whatever you want" tracks. These guys are jamming, and you've got to hand it to them: they really pull it off. Note: Listen to this with headphones. My second listen was without headphones, and it was significantly worse. 5/5 Key tracks: Maggot Brain, Can You Get To That, Hit It and Quit It
A genre less masterpiece and that Eddie Hazel solo!!!
The title track alone. 🤌
MAGGOT BRAIN.
I've seen this album cover around and always imagined it would sound like Wu-Tang Clan or a funkier Beastie Boys. I was not expecting the psychedelic blues metl your face guitar solo to start off. I love the first track, I am a sucker for Clapton type guitar wails, and this had it. I think the tracks on the interior of this album are all very solid with a nice variety of styles and sounds. The closing track strays towards noise rock but stays firmly psychedelic and interesting. I was prepared for this to be a classic and it met my expectations. Super out there and the checks that it writes are cashed. I'll need to listen to this more before I really get a sense for it. This album took what Hendrix and co were doing and fused it with modern urban RnB and funk and made something boundary pushing that to my ear has really stood the test of time. Nice Job Mr. Funkadelic.
Fucking hell, the title track is so sick lol.
Tectonic. Nobody hits shuffles this _hard_
I mean, it's fucking Maggot Brain. A drug induced whirlwind of absurdly tight playing and some of the most absorbing soundscapes you'll ever hear. The way this group uses the inherent fun and groove of funk to underscore the cutting, biting anger present in this record is both unnerving and cathartic.
Fuck yea. Funkadelic is great and Maggot Brain is an all time psychedelic-funk adventure. The title track is effectively a 10 minute free-form guitar solo built on top of a clean back and forth guitar progression. Mixing on it reminds of early Sabbath in the way that there is a ton of dusty depth to it, while the guitar work calls to Hendrix in its delicious use of fuzz. If this were another 10 minutes I wouldn't complain -- the guitar work is so passionate and lyrical it gets me every time. Quick pivot into structured funk with Can You Get To That. Such a great goddamned song. Love the vocal harmonization and layering through the chorus. Hit It and Quit It is also one of my favorites here -- opens on a single groovy guitar riff that the whole band wraps around. Makes for an incredibly catchy and jumping number on which the organ gets room to explore in a solid solo. Super Stupid almost could be mistaken for a Lenny Kravits song in its structure. Fun little bopper that is almost completely propelled by the guitar work. But as with most songs on here, its the tightness of the whole package that makes this great -- the drums are satisfying, bass and organs play solid support, and the vocals are powerful. Interesting that this album has at least 5 different lead/co-lead vocalists across 7 tracks. If a song dedicated to hitting and quitting wasn't enough indication that Funkadelic didn't take themselves too seriously, Wars Of Armageddon removes all doubt. This sprawling jammy outro is a foil to the passionate, serious tone that Maggot Brain set. I don't think that "dancey" is quite the right way to characterize this, but it certainly evokes motion. Similar to the title track this is a free form jam over which Hazel solos come in and out of focus along with incoherent babble, fart sounds, and other various elements. End result is a damn good time. I love this album more every time I listen to it. While it is certainly a bit chaotic, I think that is part of the point. Funkadelic shows they can transcend the space of pschedelia and funk while still churning out some tunes that could have pop appeal and garner radio play. George Clinton is the man, but Eddie Hazel burns this one down. 5 / 5
Title track absolutely SLAPS. John Frusciante's song Before the Beginning is a direct take on this and I love it. Some serious emotion behind that guitar. What a psychedelic ROMP that was. Pretty much every song had a serious groove to it with different instruments sticking out on each. I was bumping along to the whole thing. Idk if I've ever done two 5's in a row but today is the day! Go music!
One of the great works of American art
was worried during the middle that I was going to like this less than it deserved, but “Wars Of Armageddon” brought me back 🙏
I love this record, funk with psychedelic guitar
MORE. POWER. TO. THE. PUSSY.
Oh man, this hit the spot on a cloudy Monday. This is my second Funkadelic album, and my third George Clinton album. All of them are 5 stars albums. My younger self was missing out big time. This one in particular starts off so strong, Brain Maggot's shredding guitar pulls you in, and then they hit you with Can You Get To That. It's not the most cohesive album I've ever heard but it all the tracks are great.
Really cool album. Never heard them before but it was great to hear the song Maggot Brain as it is the song which inspired John Frusciante's Before The Beginning.
This album has a real 2112 thing about it. Which, what I mean by that is that while the whole package is a great, 5/5 time, it's kinda hard for me to not place all my focus on the title track. "2112" and "Maggot Brain" are both the first tracks on and centerpieces of their respective albums; are both one of, if not **the** most famous things these groups ever did; and are, in their own ways, absolute tour de forces. In the presence of these songs, the others just can't help but fall under the "and also" category. Like, "Maggot Brain" is just... Soul-rending. The most emotional guitar solo I've ever heard since Frank Zappa's "Watermelon In Easter Hay". Even if you don't know the famous story where Eddie Hazel was told to play like he was just told his mom had died, you can still feel what this song is about in every note, tone, flange and wah. It sounds like the world's ending. Seriously, if this song caught me at just the right or wrong time... As for the rest of the album... Well, I'm not sure if it's as consistently strong as 2112's "rest of the album," but all the same, there's nothing here that'd make me dock the album a point. Not even "Wars Of Armageddon" and the actual fart sound effects it has over halfway through. The grooves and guitar playing are just that strong throughout. Especially "Super Stupid", which I'm picking as my "deep cut favorite." Pitchfork's absolutely right in their analysis; it really **does** sound like a tune Black Sabbath would be proud of. And with this kind of guitar playing, too — oof, my goodness. It's absolutely the hardest yet I've ever heard Funkadelic go. And, like, I kind of don't like to place so much focus on the guitar playing over everything else. The vocals, the lyrics, the grooves — y'know, all the other members of the band... They're all doing great work, too; I don't wanna undersell them. But, knowing about how George Clinton deliberately de-emphasized the other members on "Maggot Brain"... Like, they're there, and they're important to keeping the beat and melody. Eddie Hazel's guitar playing would be incredible even if it was just screaming all by itself, completely freeform. With that steady beat and melody underneath it, though... Well, it's just even better. But again: the other members were deliberately de-emphasized on that song. And it can be hard for me to not apply that to the rest of the album. But regardless, MAGGOT BRAIN as a complete package is a 5. The title track alone grants it that, and thankfully the rest of the album supports that. Y'know, I'm just thinking back to the first review I ever did with my group, which was also of a Funkadelic album, ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE. Even as far back as that album, I was praising MAGGOT BRAIN's title track... And it's also really a contrast in how I've grown in regards to talking about music. That review was only just one above 30 words, versus here, where I'm already at 524. And in under 11 months, too — goodness. I'll say as well, I think I like this album better than ONE NATION. ONE NATION was more about, well, the grooves and vibes, whereas this had more focused songs. I can dig a good vibe, but at the same time, hey, y'know, gimme some good focus So, yeah, as a homecoming to the group where this whole journey started for me... Well, I don't think there woulda been any other options, but regardless, I'm happy it's with an album as great as this one. Big R.I.P. to Eddie Hazel: April 10, 1950 to December 23, 1992.
George Clinton is back to show y'all how funky things can be with a solid 7 tracks of goodness. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
I’m at a 5. Well, that felt a lot less like Funkadelic and more like… I dunno, Led Zeppelin meets Hendrix meets Eno, or something like that. That was an eclectic blend of every type of rock & ambience & funk there was. I've seen the album cover plenty of times, but I've never heard anything from this album. I enjoyed all 37 minutes of that, save for a few minor things: the mix in Hit It and Quit It wasn’t as friendly as the rest of the album felt, Back in Our Minds felt a little too short and perhaps a little empty, and Wars of Armageddon goes on just a little too long – could’ve trimmed down some of those final 2 minutes where it started to feel endless and directionless at the same time. Regardless of any minor complaints I have, this is just good fucking music. It’s not as funky as some of their other stuff, and I think my ear is still slightly more attuned to the Parliament side of the George Clinton coin, but… damn, this stands up pretty well to a lot of its rock contemporaries of the time. The guitar solo on Super Stupid blew me away, and I think everyone deserves to hear that at least once. There’s smaller moments like that throughout the album, where the soundscape just overwhelms in the same hypnotic way that “One Nation Under A Groove” did some 326 days ago, but with a higher success rate; sometimes, that album knocked me out of the zone, but I was in it for almost the entire way through here. I really liked this, and it’s a pretty easy 5.
This album has a lot more than just funk, despite the name of the artist. A phenomenal listen with impressive instrumentals, especially the guitar.
iconic! no other word for it highlights: maggot brain, can you get to that, hit it and quit it (jun 28 2023)
Absolutely not what I was expecting in a fantastic way. The first track was perfect - it's like Hendrix and Zeppelin and Pink Floyd all got together and made a song. "I have tasted the maggots in the mind of the universe. I was not offended, for I knew I had to rise above it all, or drown in my own shit" is just *chef's kiss*.
Forgotten what a classic this album, back in our minds is probably the only sort of dud here rest are all classics 4.5*
This was such a great album. It was fun and interesting the whole way through. No notes. I’ll absolutely have this in rotation (but I might skip the title track moving forward)
Agh! This album was INCREDIBLE. Do you ever get the feeling, listening to a record, of… delight and sadness at the same time? Delight, in discovering yet another sweet, wonderful new flavor. An album that proposes a whole new genre, a new way of thinking of music. And sadness when you realize, as the album nears its end… this is all you’re probably gonna get! The feeling that, with 20 minutes remaining, we’re probably never gonna get a record that sounds quite like this, works in the same way this one does. You could search far and wide for influences, contemporaries, b-sides. But… this really is it, isn’t it? Nothing’s gonna sound like these 40 minutes. That’s how I felt with Maggot Brain. I don’t have to have a doctorate in this blend of funk/soul/psychedelic music to know that this is one of a kind. Creatively explosive, high energy, yet strangely paced. Experimental but lovably homey. You get the sense that all the backup singers are cousins of cousins, and they’re all having a blast doing this. No idea censored. Just feels un-replicable. Shades of Hendrix, of course, maybe (later) de la soul? And that guy who did “it’s a family affair” and did all the vocals lying down in bed. Too lazy to look up his name. But… way more fun! That perfect blend of weird, experimental, funny, and somehow kind of important! I would give this record as homework to anyone trying to understand everything from soul to funk to the encouraged weirdness of the early 70’s, all the way up to Bootsy Collins and Thundercat and Kendrick Lamar. It’s all there! What a fucking cool, cool record. 5/5
This album is phenomenal from front to back. The song Maggot Brain itself is a perfect song and intro to the album, taking you through a well sequenced rest of the project ending in another experimental and instrumental track. 5/5
The way this fantastic funk album ends with a chorus of flatulence has got me at a loss for words. Truly iconic. Sub 1 hour total ripper of an album.
Loved every second of this. What an album.
Amazing
I mean… 5/5
That was much better than what I expected. I expected it to be good but it was great.
Wow, this really surprised me. Rocking funk! Great guitar!
Great fusion of funk and rock. "Maggot Brain" remains one of the greatest guitar tracks of all time and the rest of the album is strong too. "Super Stupid" reminded me of "Voodoo Child" and the Hendrix influence makes a lot of sense.
The middle of this album is merely, for good or ill, very good funk. But those framing tracks? Genuinely transcendent, the opener is one of my favourite guitar tracks basically ever.
And with this, the "listening to the Parliament-Funkadelic albums on the album list" chapter of my life has come to a close. I started with Funkadelic's One Nation Under a Groove way back in January, then listened to Parliament's Mothership Connection in June. Now, I'm going back to Funkadelic for their acclaimed 1971 album, Maggot Brain. I've gotta say, this is my favorite of the three albums. On first listen, I was kind of thrown for a loop. This album isn't really a traditional funk album. There's a much stronger psychedelic influence on here, with the tone even being somewhat somber at times. But you know what? Once I knew what the album was going for, I went back to some of the earlier songs and it clicked for me. This album's amazing. The sound is excellent. As stated earlier, there is a significant psychedelic sound, especially in the album's earlier songs. Of course, there are still funk elements. Songs like "Hit It and Quit It" and "Super Stupid" definitely feel like funk. And yet, there's still something special there that makes the sound stand out. The instrumentation is just phenomenal. The highlight for me is Eddie Hazel's guitar work. It's great all throughout, but it peaks with the guitar solo at the beginning of the album. I can see why people have called it one of the best guitar solos ever, because it probably is. And I've listened to the one from Megadeth's "Tornado of Souls," so that's saying something. The writing is pretty good, as is the singing. The general tone is all over the place in the best way. This might be one of the most unique, inspired albums I've heard. It's great. Light 5/5.
Iconic. Obvs Maggot Brain is a GOAT guitar solo song, but don’t sleep on the rest of this album! Faves: Maggot Brain, Can You Get to That, Hit It and Quit It
Getting an album you know and love is like a little Christmas Day treat. It’s a bit out there, but in the best possible way. I loved it and would always return to this album.
This album has one of THE classic guitar solos in the title track. Hit and Quit It and Can You Get To That are also solid 5s, can't keep from bouncing in my seat while listening. I used to dislike the other four songs, but they've grown on me in recent years and with repeated listens. Either way, Maggot Brain on its own gets this album a 5
Phenomenal album which manages to alchemise an entire spectrum of genres without ever failing to be anything but a cohesive statement. Clinton is an absolute powerhouse at the mixing desk, and a visionary to boot. Everything from funk and blues to heavy metal sounds totally original under his aegis. The band’s name tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the sound (with emphasis on the “-elic”), and in the process you get a totally unique (and often uneasy) fusion record that hasn’t aged a millisecond. Completely undercut the stereotypical boxes black groups were supposed to be ticking. Love, love, love.
Love this album. The title track alone is worth a five star. Great guitarist, great funk great rock. Plus the album cover is just so iconic.
Incredible
Očekivano da će prije ili poslije naletiti 😊 ovaj cover mi se nekako oduvijek urezao, sjećam ga se još kao dijete, baš mi je jedan od boljih općenito. Malo me šokiralo sad kako je snimljen album zapravo jer prvi put slušam na slušalice pa nije toliko došlo do izražaja dosad - šumovi i čudna L-R ravnoteža, zanimljivo. Lude 70-te! Uvijek su mi zapravo bili više Psychedelic nego Funkadelic 😁 Vrh mi je isto što album traje 36min, a Maggot Brain i Wars of Armageddon same po 10min. Psihodeliji uvijek treba vremena 😂 Klasično Can you get to that prva pjesma njihova koju sam čula ikad, i dalje mi je baš posebna, uvijek ju volim ponovno čuti, iako je isilovana. Tako mi dobro zvuči to sve skupa, svašta se događa, ali nije zamorno ni overwhelming. Iako baca na funk, mene zapravo puno više asocira na acid rock i GD djir - da nema tih tipičnih vokala, nisam sigurna bi li mi išta zapravo u toj pjesmi bilo funk. Ali kužim da su to sami začeci žanra, tako da jako uzbudljivo! Hit it and Quit it mi je mrvicu dosadnjikava, ali zato iduće dvije ubijaju 🔥 ova rokačina na Super Stupid diže iz mrtvih. I onda nešto sasvim drugačije sa Back in our Minds. Odlična mi je stvar i izuzetno čudna, što ju čini zanimljivom. Zadnja stvar mamma mia ♥️ ovaj ritam, predivni bubanj, orguljice, ma sve, njam. Ona mi, pak, više gura u neki jazz djir koji se pretapa u psihodeliju, a da ne komentiram uopće prelude zvukove krava, sirena i bogznačega. Dobro da slušam na slušalice jer da mi je Jazz čuo ovo skvičanje mačke sad, brijem da bi me raskasapio. Ma meni je ovo za apsolutno remek-djelo, definitivno jedan od najboljih albuma koje ću imati prilike poslušati s liste. Velika petica ili 10/10.
Ma to mi radi jebote. Ono to mi radi. Ajmo krenuti s fun fact Maggot Brain" was recorded in one take when George Clinton, under the influence of LSD, told guitarist Hazel during the recording session to play as if he had been told his mother was dead: Clinton explained "I told him to play like his mother had died, to picture that day, what he would feel, how he would make sense of his life, how he would take a measure of everything that was inside him." Teško mi je opisati koliko puta sam prvu pjesmu preslušao u ranim dvadesetima, jako jako napusen Ono, ima jedan dio negdje na sredini te prve pjesme, gdje je toliko glasna gitara da je snimka raspadnuta, toliko je u peak išlo da je samo buka. ahh, rokenrol Ostatak albuma slušam s pola mozga dok radim. Više kao super pozadinska glazba pa malo i gruvam glavom uz ovo Teško mi je bit objektivan kod ovih albuma za koje imam zvijezdice čim ugledam kaver Sve u svemu, ovo ima sve što mi prija: Fuzz gitara Opaki groove Hammond orgulje Fanka koliko hoćeš Snimljeno početkom 70ih Nije zadnji put da slušam ovaj album 9/10 5
The last 15 mins. of this album is psych-jam band stuff that I'd rather just ignore, but the first half of the album is on point. Sure, all the internet sleuths identified Rill, Rill's shameless sample of Can You Get to That which really diminishes Sleigh Bells artistry if you think about how much of that song is really just this song with different lyrics. The truth is that Funkadelic is sampled everywhere from De La Soul to EPMD to Kelis, The Ramones and Celine Dion. I grew up listening to Living Colour after Cult of Personality hit the radio. I think I bought pretty much every album of theirs and most of it was because of Vernon Reid's guitar who was inspired by this album and specifically Eddie Hazel. So, I'm making an excuse for that last 10 mins., and quite frankly ranking this so I get to look at that album artwork every time I see my page. Pretentious. Yep, I know! I can get to that!
Dans mon top 10 album of all time. Un classique de la funk psychédélique. Maggot Brain (la musique) m'a littéralement sauvé la vie. Je suis mort et j'ai repris vie durant cette musique. C'est sincèrement la meilleure oeuvre musicale écrite par un humain de tous les temps et à jamais. Les émotions transmises par la guitare de Eddie Hazel sont indescriptibles. Juste me remémorer du début de la musique et les larmes me viennent. Quelle sorcellerie a été utilisée par ce mec sérieux ?
Title track is a stop what you're doing moment. Every time. The rest is mad, psychedelic, weird shit. A proper classic
Hell yes. I love Maggot Brain. Such an incredible eponymous track and album as a whole. Aside from the emotional turmoil in the first song, the rest of the album is fun and funky. Some songs borrow from others in a way that makes the album feel like one whole work.
My only issue here is that the title track is the perfect way to end the album, not begin it. Pretty much perfect otherwise.
A legit classic by any measure.
The discomforting cover by Joel Brodsky is as famous as Eddie Hazel’s incredible 10 minute opening guitar solo and foreshadows to the neophyte the dirty gritty funk guitar rock contained within.
This could be my new favorite album, except for the fart song, could've done without that. Everything else is amazing!!!
Freaky. Excellent. Would be 4 stars if it didn't have the farts.
I've never listened to music like this before, I surprisingly like it a lot. The instruments, the vibe, it just fits into a spot in my brain I didn't know existed.
Love. Psychedelic soulful. Eddie Hazel guitar solo is just amazing and classic 10/10
Incredible, one-of-a-kind record, full of funk and all kinds of psychedelic music. 5 stars
Amazing
Loved this album.
Good
Great
I'm almost 100 albums into this and this is the first album, that's not already in my collection, that I might listen to again!
This is bonkers. In a good way.
Holy moly, Maggot Brain is such a good song. One of my favorites of all time. The rest of the album is pretty darn strong as well, not all five star songs, but overall strong enough with the title track’ epicness for the album to get five stars from me.
Finally a perfect 5 star album for this week. Thanks Funkadelic!
I’d consider myself a fan of George Clinton and all of the projects he’s led. I’m pretty familiar with this album, having listened to it on several occasions, the last time being within the past year or so. It’s great! I really enjoy the playing on this, especially the guitars. And I think this has a lot of really fun, interesting percussive sounds in it.
Funk, Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Soul. Let's just call it P Funk babayyy. These cats created their own genre. And it is holy. I couldn't ask for more. And I couldn't ask for less. For a split second I was wishing this album was 'tighter', like if they could trim some of the excess here and there. But nah, it's the vastness of space in Maggot Brain that makes Can You Get To That such a star. No rush y'all. These folks can chill. They can jam. They can shred. They can chart. And this is just half of the yin yang! At any moment they can become Parliament and tear the roof off the sucker. Thank you, George 🙏❤️🖖👽✨🛸 PS Spotify doesn't have the bonus tracks but those are hot as well.
I never heard them before and this is hell of a record. The title track itself deserve a 5! It's full of funk, rock, experimentation, it's all over the place at some point, they don't hesitate to jam but without losing the listener. Great album, great discovery.
Funk classic with an iconic cover that inspired Redman's Dare Iz A Darkside cover.
One of my favorite albums of all time. Eddie Hazel is doesn't nearly get the recognition from the general populous as he should. Title track is an absolute masterpiece.
The stars have aligned in such a way that I am aptly naming today a Funkadelic Friday. Thankfully, this was one of the better parts of an otherwise pretty average day. Mothership Connection was a really solid album that showed the flashier and more mid-70s synth funk sound of Parliament, George Clinton’s other group. But Funkadelic is really where it’s at. And Maggot Brain really embodies funk rock at its purest and its most well-executed. I was actually introduced to this group from an episode of the TV show Atlanta, which featured Hit It and Quit It. Before I am really able to discuss anything else going on, I have to speak on that opening track. The titular song is definitely one of the most impressive ways I’ve ever heard a band open an album. Up there with the best of the best. What a bold move on their part to start this record with something so drastically different from the rest of the songs. And the fact that it’s entirely improvised is mind boggling. Eddie Hazel really creates his own universe with this solo, and each note, pumped full of delay, just rings out into the ether. There is a reason this album is more remembered for that song than anything else. It’s just that good. Thankfully, the rest of the album is fantastic as well. Both songs that follow Maggot Brain are probably up there as some of the best material on the album. It manages to be a funk rock album that really embraces the inspiration from rock music of the 60s. It’s a hypnotic collection of well paced and ultra catchy bangers. It’s all very well paced as well, not even reaching the 40 minute mark. I like that it also ends with an instrumental song, which is almost equally as impressive as the opener. It’s far more adjacent to the rest of the record though. I’ll admit the production is a little off in some places, but it was never enough to fully ruin a song for me. With an iconic cover, and equally as iconic music, this is a timeless funk album that completely knocks it out of the park. Rating: 9/10
Wow! At first I was like, "Damn, I've never heard this shit before ... it's like a fever dream of Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, and a generous side of funk." And then I remembered that I listened to this back in the 90s with some friends but we were all high and I forgot.
Very good album, though the last song was a bit too experimental for me to get behind it
I love everything about this album.
The first true classic we’ve gotten. As fresh and original today as when it came out. Listening to this makes you feel like you’re losing your mind a little, but in the best way. Huge influence on so many musicians from all types of genres, from hip hop to Prince to (one of my favorite bands) Ween, who’s ‘a tear for Eddie’ I just realized is a tribute to Eddie Hazel.
Very nice
Wow. Where to even begin describing this LP? From the haunting, ethereal title track with its dark atmosphere and soulful guitar playing, down to its final song ‘Wars of Armageddon’ with its psychedelic backdrop to a brilliant sound collage; this album is a masterpiece. From a musical standpoint you’re getting R&B, soul, psychedelic rock, hard rock, funk, folk, rock ‘n’ roll, to hints of prog rock. All fused together to create this strange, yet endearing selection of 7 songs. It takes you on this eclectic journey with absolutely no apologies; and I love it. While this was released well, well before my time. Lyrically it feels like an honest critique on society at the time. Its simple lyrics are humble, yet raw and undeniable; topping its diverse explosion of genres with a layer of punk rock attitude. ‘Maggot Brain’ is an absolutely mind blowing album. When this came up on the list I listened to it another 2 times throughout the day because it’s just that damn good. Easy 5/5.
One of the best funk albums.
Que manera de abrir un álbum, cada segundo que pasa se vuelve mejor. Increíble lo que puede hacer un hombre con una guitarra y lo mucho que hace sentir.
Delicious funk with guitars holding biblical powers
I've been listening to Funkadelic before knowing they were Funkadelic. I had parents who didn't do their #due #diligence in #putting #me #on to shit and making sure I knew it so this was a later listen in my life but from the title, to the cover, to the sounds that, Maggot Brain scratches itches in me that I didn't know could be scratched, especially solidified in a 9-minute closing song sprinkled with baby coos, yelling, screams and farts. 10/10
Like song 1 on the Album. Over all really good listen. I was born in 1992 so before my time but I like it!
Great Diverse Album the variety reminds me of seeing Funkadelic live each song differing from the previous won and descending into wonderfully adept and fun jam sessions.
If you do not like this album then you are super stupid !! Ha like the song
BLUEPRINT
I mean…
funktastic!
5/5. Maggot Brain. The best guitar solo in the title track. It's a 5 by itself but then it is followed by 5 very funky tracks akin to the funkadelic we know. I will say, the only mid song here is the last track but even then, it's not that bad just super experimental and still has great licks from Eddie. It's a crazy album front to back honestly but no complaints, and amazing musicianship and vocals throughout. Best Song: Maggot Brain, Can You Get To That, Super Stupid
Great album, well paced and tracks that sound as fresh today as when released. There is some guitar noodling, but it isn't excessive
Impossible to not give 5 stars to an album with that opening track. The rest is very good, too.
This might have the best intro song Ive heard. This is the best one Ive heard so far. Wow, I havent just laid back or sat down for a full album without getting bored in a while. If an album doesnt completely blows my mind, Im often doing an activity that still doesnt distract me much but this, the first album in a while (by so I probably mean 3 or 4 months) that just hits. Music wise, its so well made and so perfect. If shrooms had a sound, this is probably it.
The opener is a beautiful solo blanketed in effects and unusual mixing. Khruangbin undoubtedly seems inspired by this song, there were times I could see them playing this song in my head. The middle of this album is solid funk music with this kind of sinister undertone throughout it set by the first song. This becomes overt by the end of the album, climaxing in the final song, which is one of the weirdest things I've ever listened to, in a good way. Seriously, that last song feels straight out of Eric Andre at times.This album really tells a surreal story that rises above any individual song on here (or rather, falls to the depths of hell given the tone). I think that's very uncommon, and for a funk album, I never would have predicted it. I'm glad my preconceptions were shattered with this, I generally feel more interested in funk now because of this weird album.
woah
Eddie hazels guitar work on this album is in the pantheon of performances
Maggot Brain? Pure Eddie Hazel genius melting your face off (in the best way). Essential, mind-bending funk. Get into it.
Classic.
A psych funk rock short opus
4.5☆/5 07.01.2024
A classic album usually has everything right from cover art to track listing and this album certainly hits all those spots. The sounds on this are both of their time and pointing out to many future sounds and even genres. A true gem. 5/5
Love this album.
Classic album, zesty guitar solos and pumping drums. easy rating
I really regret not getting into Funkadelic earlier. Another really great album. This is basically the spiritual successor to Jimi Hendrix and the spiritual predecessor to Outkast. The psychedelic concepts, Eddie Hazel's ridiculous guitar playing, the funky soul. Love it. Best tracks: Maggot Brain, Can You Get to That, You and Your Folks Me and My Folks 5/5
FUNK BABY
Almost too funky. And this has to be one of the best album covers of all-time.
YES!
The best album ever made with cow moos and fart sounds on the final track.
This is an amazing show of versatility and once again it shows why P-Funk are the Beatles of Funk music. The album opens and closes with two long, sprawling, captivating, epic songs. The first sounds more like prog rock than funk and would be the envy of King Crimson. The last is somewhere between jazz fusion and funk and there are also songs that feature the rhythm and percussion of juju music. It is an amazing document of a band at the height of their powers.
This was all over the place in the best way. The band clearly had a lot of fun writing this and that transferred to the songs on the album. So glad to have found this
The title track earns the 5. The rest, well, they're o.k., but pale in comparison to what Eddie Hazel did on Maggot Brain
Fantastic sound in this album. Favorite track: Maggot brain other picks: Super stupid
I uncovered this album a few years ago, loved it then, and love it now. It's worth 5 stars just for the title track alone.
This should be a 5 for me as it fills one of the main criteria for that august accolade: it's one I have loved for decades and always return to. It's also one of the more consistent and tune-packed albums from the scatological Parlia-Funka-Delic-Ment-Thang. They are on top form here and this is the best and purest form of the original band(s). The actual highlight of this album is 'Super Stupid' which really does live up to the band name, hard psychedelic funk par excellence, and containing the Eddie Hazel guitar solo you actually want to listen to. But the title track is not as good as people think it is and 'Wars of armageddon' is just silly and boring. Nah fuck it, this is still getting a 5. Hit it or quit it.
Very enjoyable album. The guitar goes wild. The grooves are very fun. I particularly like "Can you get to that" into "hit it and quit it." "Super stupid" just goes insanely hard on guitar. "Back in our minds" kind of grated my ears with the weird, i don't even know the instrument were they hitting glass or something? But it gets so catchy that you just kind of lean into it. This is just a generally fun vibe kind of album that doesn't skip on muscianship or songwriting. I really wish I could've seen these guys in their heyday it seems like a good time.
Hit it & Quit it
An album I can listen to over and over again, soo smooth, lively and satisfying.
one of my favorites of all time, desert island type shit 5/5
Top 5 album for me from any decade and it might be my favorite album from the 70's.
What's not to like?
This is such a great mix of rock and funk. In a word, eclectic! Liked songs added: - Can You Get To That - Hit It And Quit It - Super Stupid - Back In Our Minds - Wars Of Armageddon
Amazing album which I discovered as a kid. 5 damn star!
As a guitarist I’m biased, but I spent countless hours soloing over the maggot brain chord progression, I must have listened to it 50 or 60 times I absolutely love that song it’s an s teir song for me. The rest of the album is great too, the last song was a little weird for me, and keeps it from s. A teir
You give this 5 stars just for the title track. Eddie Hazel wipes the floor with a true face-melter. The rest is so heavy, so dark, so perfect.
I don't know whether I love this album or hate it. Therefore, 5 stars.
This album had no right to hit as hard as it did. My goodness. What a phenomenal album. Not a single bad track, just absolute top vibes beginning to end.
Day126 - that’s a good album
This was a fantastic album.
What did I just come across? This album starts with one of the coolest guitar driven improvisations ever! 10 minutes of fuzzy, thick solos, over a soft arpeggiated guitar lick. This song is 10 minutes of a 37 minute album. Wild! I did not think this record was written in the 70s based on that intro song. It has a modern feel to it. Then it switches to an acoustic funky, disco song? Vocals are incredible. Low baritones and high falcettos? This album hits on every mark. Followed by a funky psychedelic rock song? The bass guitar is tasty... The organ is driving the song, while the rest of the instruments are just going insane! Honestly, I'm at a loss of words to describe what I'm hearing. This record has everything. Everyone is bringing everything they have. Vocals (lead and backing) instruments... Everything. The recording is crisp and sounds amazing. This is by far the best record that I have come across on this list that I have never listened to or heard of before. This is added to my music rotation. Playlist/staylist.
loved it
"I knew I had to rise above it all or drown in my own shit." An unstoppable, all-time great funk record. The performances and composition are immaculate and full of passion. I could do without the sound effects tacked onto the closing track, and I actively dislike the bell (?) sound on "Back In Our Minds," so alas this wasn't quite a perfect listening experience for me. But I'll be coming back to the rest, absolutely--and I can't begrudge it a five-star rating just because I was a little annoyed for a minute or two. Highlights: Maggot Brain, Can You Get To That, You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks, Super Stupid
great, funk/disco from the 70's is apparently my new fav genre
Track one is an awesome jam. Love the guitar tones in the entire album but they shine thru in this one in particular.
Eddie fucking Hazel.
I have heard some of the songs, but have never listened to the album. It was a good experience, so good I did it twice. Liked a lot of the songs and loved the guitar, so much I had to lookup the guitarist, it's Eddie Hazel. I will have to file this one away for whenever I am feeling funky.
Seminal doesn't even begin to cover it. This album broke through generations by helping bring about funk in the 70's G-rap and other styles in the 80's / 90's, and is still one of the most sampled pieces of art to exist. From the burgeoning solo of the title track through the heavily political Armageddon, there's so much to unpack in 37 minutes. Not always easy, but always good
A bona fide classic! The title track is beyond epic. Eddie Hazel is the guitar hero no one knows but man, can he sling the axe. The rest is excellent. More of this please.
All killer no filler
Astounding instrumentals and PERFECT sound mix. Title track is obviously legendary and every element on the rest of the album seamlessly, effortlessly fits together. Incredibly modern sound for its time. Listened to: hiking down Acatenango. Favorite tracks: Maggot Brain, Hit It and Quit It, Super Stupid
Hmmmm yum yum yummmyyy. Love how certain aspects were drumming forward without it dominating the whole albumn. Plus themes of freedom and resistance that the lyrics capture slay alongside the very decadent and hectic instrumentals. Cool synth/organ vibe solo and lics plus ofc the lovelllyyyyy guitar solos. Especially in war of Armageddon. Normally annoyed by that waaaa waaa guitar tone but here it worked so well. Loved the drums in WoA too, like super janky but really drives it. Plus you know this girl loves a cowbell
faves: maggot brain, can you get to that, hit it and quit it i love it but idk when i can play it in a social setting 🌟
Not sure how much I need to say about this one. Perfect blend of influences and it’s one of my all time favourites.
amazing
Eddie Hazel's masterwork
5.0 + The idea of beginning any album with a 10-minute guitar solo is generally a non-starter but Eddie Hazel plays with such devastating sadness that somehow those emotions set the stage for a raucous runaway locomotive ride to armageddon. There's no other record like "Maggot Brain", and in this age of AI, I can't imagine anything will ever come close to this bizarre, funky alchemy of moods and genres.
This spoke to me. Initially, I rated this 4 stars. But I keep coming back to it and it just keeps speaking. So I used the edit feature for the first time to make this 5 stars.
awesomes
Immediately jumping off with one of the all time great guitar solos, Eddie Hazel opens the album on a somber but sprawling note on the title track. The oft-sampled Can You Get To That brings things into brighter hippy-washed grooves that carry for much of the album. Great songs and a million ideas being explored throughout the album by bandleader / producer George Clinton.
Absolutely awesome mash of funky soulful rock . The cover used to scare me as a kid :D
If I had the talent to make music then this is the music I would make. Funky psychedelia with a sense of humour. Eddie Hazell on guitar is as blistering as Van Halen or Hendrix. Wonderful.
Eddie Haze's guitar solo on the title track is the greatest recorded guitar performance of all time. It destroys me every time I hear it. The rest of this album has some of my favourite tracks by P-Funk. Fantastic album.
I actually just discovered this album recently after writing off Funkadelic as the inferior group to Parliament for all these years. Holy shit, what an album. Worth it alone for Eddie Hazel's guitar playing, especially on the opening track. This might be my favorite "psychedelic" album of all time.
Early on in my reviews, I got Parliament's Mothership Connection, and I loved it. A few weeks ago, I got Funkadelic's One Nation Under A Groove, and I didn't care for it much. I was really bummed that I didn't like ONUAG, because I knew that Maggot Brain had good reviews, and I was worried I wouldn't like it either. I'm delighted that those fears were dashed by the funky psychedelic sandwich that was Maggot Brain. The title track hooked my attention right away with its spoken word intro, and I loved the extended guitar solo that made up the rest of the song. But "Can You Get To That" absolutely blew my mind. In 2009, my brother got me a copy of MGMT's Oracular Spectacular and Vampire Weekend's self titled album. Those two albums completely changed the trajectory of the music that I listened to. In 2010, Sleigh Bell's Treats came out, and like a lot of people, I was fully on their hype train. When "Can You Get To That" kicked in, I froze. Did Sleigh Bells sample this for "Rill Rill," or was my brain just trying to connect to this album? As the song went on for a few more seconds, I realized that it had to have been sampled by Sleigh Bells, and I couldn't believe I was learning that fact almost 14 years after Treats' release. With music, I feel like I'm always chasing that high you feel when you hear a song for the first time and immediately fall in love with it. Hearing "Can You Get To That" was the closest I'll ever get to being able to hear "Rill Rill" again for the first time again, and it delighted me in a way that I don't think I can put into words. I literally teared up because I was so happy. Indie music in the early 2010's is so special to me because it's symbolic of the start of my "real adult life" after college, and it was great to have that connection with this album. Now that I've written a dissertation on my weepy sense of nostalgia, I'll try to be more succinct in discussing the rest of the album. I loved that this album had longer and more experimental songs to lead off and close the album. "Wars of Armageddon" was weird and dissonant at times, but I liked the sense of unease that it was able to build with its frantic pace and odd (see also: farting) sounds. The songs in the middle of this funky sandwich were fantastic too. The guitar arrangements were fantastic, the keyboards were groovy as hell, and the vocals rounded out the sound perfectly. Unlike One Nation Under A Groove, these songs made me want to dance. There was a really great bass and drum sound on "You and Your Folks, Me And My Folks" that I'm having a tough time describing; it sounds like an echo from those dollar store microphone toys, and I loved the way that it thumped along to the bright keyboard melody. This album was fantastic from start to finish. This is exactly what I wanted from Funkadelic, and then some. Not only was listening to this really enjoyable, it's a treat to listen to something that was so influential and groundbreaking.
Has any album ever started off better than "Maggot Brain"? Eddie Hazel was really on one writing this album, a masterclass on being a guitar god
Psychedelic funk's bible. A true legacy produced by a legend of the genre in George Clinton.
A definite classic, and it holds up quite well to this day. The quality of the songs is a bit up and down, but it never dips below 'good' or 'very intriguing'
Top 100 material.
Own
Every 16 year old who has sat noodling on a guitar for hours at a time has, directly or not, been channeling the excellent title track to this excellent Funk album. I'd heard good things about the song years before ever actually checking it out, and when I first went to listen to the track itself I was trepidatious, but it really is that good. The rest of the album feels as if it should pale in comparison, but it holds it's own pretty well, managing to incoporate Funk, R&B and Hard Rock into an enjoyable and cathartic blend of protest music
One of the best funk albums, and one of the best albums ever made. Sick as hell!
I don’t see a damn thing wrong with this album and a whole lot right about it. Production brings out the incredible instrumentation and vocals the band lays down. The guitar on these tracks are so full of emotion. Vocals are infectious. Lyrics are often repeated for the effect of highlighting important lines, but it doesn’t feel forced. The album is sort of the result of a mad genius at work. There’s no doubt everyone on this project knows a hell of a lot about music and the fact that they all decided to go crazy gives it a passion that complements the intelligence very nicely. My personal opinion is this project is best enjoyed as a whole rather than listening to individual songs, but I would never mind throwing any of these tracks on at random. 5/5
I feel like it would be wrong to rate it a 5 just on the incredible title track, which is so obviously a 5 that it doesn't even need saying, what an insane solo. But then again, everything else on here is super funky, easy to listen to, makes you want to dance around while listening. So I guess it is just a 5 after all.
Loved the intro, and thoroughly enjoyed the arrangement of soul and rock that followed
Never has funk been so dark, moody, and horny.
Cool! Really good instrumental.
Iconic. From the epic opening to the raw funk of wars of Armageddon, this album takes you on a journey. My only criticism is that it was only 37 mins long.
Fantastic album - filled with blues twangs and fantastic funk. So far ahead of its time.
Classic!
Would have given this 100 stars if I could based on the title track alone. Maggot Brain (the title track) is a masterpiece of emotions. If you're not moved by it, you may be dead. The rest of the album is just some good funk/rock. Highly recommend this album to anyone. One of my favs.
the world was changed forever
It doesn't get any better than this. This is a fucking banger of an album, a masterpiece.
This album is awesome. Maggot Brain the song is a long trippy guitar solo that is just awesome. The second song may be my favorite when laid back guitar and drums turns into some cool 70s funk. I need a bigger car (like a Cadillac) when listening to this one.
I have never really liked funk. But for some reason, I always had a gut feeling that I would like this album. And I was wrong. I absolutely LOVED this album. This is just the right amount of funk without being annoying, but enough to still be funky as hell. The opening track was a huge surprise, I never expected a 10 minute long Pink Floyd type song on an album I always thought was pure funk. The rest of the album is dynamic, diverse, and remains interesting and keeps my attention all the way through. Absolutely phenomenal stuff, I'm so glad I finally got round to discovering this.
When other albums give you a side A of singles and a side B of weird, Funkadelic feeds you a singles sandwich on weird bread. The title track, a 10 minute wailing guitar dirge, and the final track, a 10 minute psychedelic second line freak out, are the weird bread that hold this meal together. The middle songs bring their own funky flavors, with "Can You Get To That" and "You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks" being my favorite cold cuts.
Might be a new favourite album
The first time I heard the title track (once I recovered) I got mad at everyone who had known about it and hadn’t told me about it for 40+ years. Not since Watermelon in Easter Hay had an extended guitar solo felt that way. So… yeah, big fan. And the other tracks are pretty groovy too. Tracks added to Spotify: 2
Beautiful album. The solo is the most emotional solo ever made
Hoooly shit. Kende de cover al (iconisch) maar had m nog nooit geluisterd. Wat een leipe combi van stijlen i ain't seen anything like it
George Clinton's opening lines on the title track here have always haunted me, in both their delivery and placement within this song. Without any context, Clinton gives you an ultimatum of sorts, either accept the filth exuded by humans or rise above it all and see through it. Clinton seems to take the latter route with Hazel's ascending piece of serene and minimalistic psychedelic guitar that goes through several different phases and facets. I don't understand "Maggot Brain", as a descriptor, song, or album (although it was supposedly the nickname of guitarist Eddie Hazel). This opening title track certainly stands out here because there's no other song like it on this album. "Can You Get to That" is an insanely catchy funk track. I love how deep the vocals get on the refrain (I assume Clinton's?). The drumming done by Tiki (who also plays them on the entire album) is superb here. "Hit It and Quit It" is equally as catchy and musically dense with more psychedelic elements mixed with typical funk organ and synth passages. I love the way the instrumentation builds and hits on the refrain to fill the sound. I don't think I can express enough how amazing the production is on this album. Entering the new decade, Funkadelic knows how to merge all the most impressive, forward-thinking sounds of the '60s and elevate them to another level. The instrumentation is so lush and just builds on so many of these tracks. "You and Your Folks..." with Billy Nelson on vocals and "Super Stupid" both show the album going in a more funk-rock direction when compared to the previous two songs. I love that subtle evolution this album has. I also love the slightly humorous, yet tragic tone the lyrics take on "Super Stupid" recounting a supposedly real story regarding Hazel's coke and heroin mixup. "Wars of Armageddon" has one of the most killer drum beats on this album, and eventually builds to this incredible groove. The organ and bass are complemented by what sounds like a diverse set of samples and eventually an incredible guitar passage. This is like an incredible plunderphonics track from the past and the mere fact that something this insanely hard, punchy, and chaotic exists in '71 is beyond me. I don't get this album. I don't know whether it takes itself seriously or not. There's always been a sort of mystique around this thing for me. It just sounds so far ahead in the future and so far above its time in so many ways it's surreal, and I love it for it. This album rests alone in a soundscape so far above and ahead of anything.