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FunkadelicMaggot Brain Ace/Shock You can put this one in the "vital reissues that should have been done years ago" category. The most highly regarded of the Funkadelic catalogue, 'Maggot Brain', jumps between funk, soul and rock at will in a set that epitomises the genre-mashing tendencies of George Clinton, as well as showcasing more than a little bit of the madness. The album's reputation is built around the incredible title track, a ten-minute opus dominated by Eddie Hazel's incredible guitar work. Instructed by Clinton to "play as if your mother just died," he made his instrument drip with raw emotion as he drew out the pained notes pregnantly until they seemed unsustainable before wrenching unearthly howls from it in a virtuoso performance that single-handedly secured his place among the great guitar players. Can You Get To That has a backing that wouldn't be askew on an upbeat country rock song and more traditional soul vocals with a dash of doo-wop, but it's on side two of the original vinyl that the group's innovative nature comes to the fore. Super Stupid is a hard-rocking track that wouldn't sound astray on a mixtape between Hendrix and Led Zep (with Hazel showing his versatility in a solo that Jimmy Page would be proud of). The hectic Wars Of Armageddon is the antithesis of the opening track's slow-building, drawn-out energy as Clinton crammed bongos, cowbells, mooing cows, cuckoo clocks and anything else he could get his hands on into the driving funk workout to make it the perfect track for the band's famously extravagant circus of a stage show. The fidelity of the remasters is fantastic and the bonus tracks are well chosen with a non-album b-side and I Miss My Baby, a far slower piano-based soul track from future members Gary Shider and Cordell Mosson's group US Music in which Funkadelic had a heavy involvement. Without a doubt, though, the clincher is the alternate mix of Maggot Brain, in which the rest of the band's playing has been brought up in the mix to counterpoint the wonderful starkness created by the original. Though the additions are understated and complement Hazel's guitar work nicely, they can't fail to draw attention away from it. Even if I still prefer the original, it's rare to be given such an insight into the workings of Clinton's mind, and this opportunity is one not to be passed up.  |
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