Until today, I don’t think it had ever really dawned on me that ‘Funkadelic’ is a portmanteau of ‘funk’ and ‘psychedelic rock’. However, the third album by George Clinton’s band, "Maggot Brain", clearly establishes the link between psychedelic rock, as it was popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and funk. That said, the two genres coexist almost entirely separately. The opener, the title track 'Maggot Brain', is pure psychedelic rock, much like that celebrated by bands such as Vanilla Fudge, early Pink Floyd and Iron Butterfly. The rest of the album focuses more on funk tracks: a rock-infused variant of soul music that emphasises the bass and drums. The final track, “Wars of Armageddon”, blends funk, psychedelic rock and other elements into a jam session. It’s almost as if Jimi Hendrix were improvising with the band from Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" band. Despite its inconsistency, the album is remarkably cohesive. Considering it was released as early as 1971, it's easy to see why it has influenced generations of musicians across a wide range of genres. I’m not sure if I like everything about the album, but it sure is fascinating from the very first to the very last second. A milestone for sure.