A pretesto dell'invito di Imasoulman di "scurire le pagine del sito", mi sono finalmente deciso a parlare di questo superbo disco del 1974. Ora, chi siano i Funkadelic credo ormai sia cosa arcinota; ma rimanderei comunque gli sbadati a questa pagina per sapere qualcosa di più sul doppione Parliament/Funkadelic di George Clinton.
Orbene, i Funkadelic avevano raggiunto il primo riscontro "serio" (e anche discretamente commerciale), finalmente bilanciato nel 1971, col famoso "Maggot Brain". Nei tre anni successivi esploreranno le drammatiche potenzialità delle droghe allucinogene: la loro creatività ne risentirà in maniera che definire positiva sarebbe un eufemismo. Ci si sbilancia finalmente verso un funk più pestato e cattivo possibile, unito com'è ovvio alla matrice psichedelica che da sempre li accompagna. In pochi anni i Funkadelic seppero trasformarsi da svagati fattoni, degni compagni di un altra "famiglia" del genere quanto a sballi creativi, in gruppo di punta verso la metà dei '70; guidati dal loro carismatico leader, raggiunsero con questo disco uno dei loro apici creativi.
Vengono messe da parte le ambizioni psichedeliche più disparate, per immergersi nella sporcizia di un funk più nero possibile, guidati da un Eddie Hazel ispiratissimo e padrone assoluto di tutto il disco. Se si cerca un degno erede di Hendrix senza sfiorare la bestemmia, credo che necessariamente tra i tanti bisogna pur passare di qui: la sua sei corde disegna passaggi strabilianti, frutto di un gusto che mette radici nel blues per fiorire nella psichedelia e nel soul più puro. Al funk ci pensa Clinton, padre ispiratore di una vera e propria "cultura del genere" - quel P-Funk che affiorerà un anno dopo in "Mothership Connection". E i brani? Red Hot Momma è la gemma, un funk singhiozzato, un dialogo instancabile e contagioso tra chitarra e tastiera; Alice in my Fantasies è Rage Against The Machine con vent'anni di anticipo (chiedete a Morello), nel riff tipicamente hendrixiano che sorregge il brano. Ovviamente non possono mancare gli episodi più psichedelici, il viaggio in sette minuti di I'll Stay (con la batteria effettata di Gary Bronson) o nei due splendidi della stramba Jimmy's Got a Little Bit of Bitch in Him rivelano l'anima più pazza e anticommerciale del gruppo - e che alla lunga li porterà allo sfacelo. Del funk come trait-d'union ho già detto: Hazel marchia a fuoco la sensuale Sexy Ways e soprattutto la title track, sorta di acido hard rock corale scandito da vertiginose bordate ritmiche. E la chiusura, come da copione, è affidata ai dodici strabilianti minuti di Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts: uno dei vertici della psichedelia anni '70, Hazel (ancora lui...) ci prende per mano e ci porta a spasso per quello spazio stellare ritratto in copertina che certamente il gruppo all'epoca aveva in testa.
Il mix è semplice: Hendrix + P-Funk, Psichedelia + Hard Rock: c'è altro da dire?
"Il Funk è tutto quello di cui hai bisogno in ogni momento. E' qualcosa che ti salva la vita, o è un'attitudine, o è quell'attitudine che aiuta a salvarti la vita quando senti che non ne vale più la pena. Vai in un posto dove vuoi saltar giù dalla finestra e basta. Il Funk è quella voce comica che arriva da te e ti dice: "Perchè fratello, non mancherai a nessuno". E' un attitudine. E' qualsiasi cosa di cui c'è bisogno in qualsiasi momento. Questo è il modo in cui la vedo io. Il Funk è davvero tutta la musica." - George Clinton.
Si ringrazia il sito West Coasta Nostra per la citazione.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Red Hot Mama (04:56)
{spoken:}
A luscious bitch she is, true
But it's not nice to fool mother nature
The proud mother of god like all ho's
Is jealous of her own shadow
Who is this young Vic Tanny bitch
Who wish to be queen for a day?
Who would sacrifice the great grandsons and daughters of her jealous mother
By sucking their brain until their ability to think was amputated
By pimping their instincts
Until they were fat, horny and strung-out
In a neurotic attempt to be queen of the universe
Who is this bitch?
{sung:}
Red hot mama from Louisiana
Thumbin' her way to Savannah
She been cooped up too long
Red hot mama lookin' to the city
Taxi dancers and big time spenders
She's been groovin'
Red hot mama was gettin' down
Scoping the places where fun to be found
She was smokin'
Ride on, red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Ride on, red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Ride on, red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Ride on, red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Red hot mama was really bad
She was badder than bad, bad as she want to be
Red hot mama was a real gas
Doin' it good and doing it fast
She was smokin'
Whoa, {etc}!
Ride on red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Ride on red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
(Come on baby!)
Ride on red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
(Right on!)
Ride on red hot mama
Girl, you sure look good to me
Be my dog!
You look good, girl
Carry on!
Hey!
Get funky?
Hey baby
Be my dog
Come on, baby!
Red hot mama
Right on
Play, boy
Play on
02 Alice in My Fantasies (02:30)
Hey baby, be my dog!
Owwww!
Alice in my fantasies, uh
Promised to do all kind of freaky things to me
Said she would, uh, suck my soul, if I'd lick her emotion
The freak said I would even owe her my devotion
She said she'd, uh, cover me with, uh, strawberries
And pretend that I'm a shortcake
I said, "Uh, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin"
OWWW!!!
Yeah!!!
Hey!!!
Alice in my fantasies
Promised to do all kind of things to me
Said she would, uhh, suck my soul if I'd lick her emotion
And that I would even owe her my devotion
I said "Uh, lady, be my dog and I'll be your tree
And you can pee on me."
Mama said never eat yellow snow
So away we go!
Huh, huh, huhh, huhh, huhh, huuuuuuhhh, huuuuhhhh!!!! Heyyy!!!
Be my dog!
Hey!
Baby
They call it mental masturbation
?
04 Sexy Ways (03:08)
I just want to say
that I love your sexy ways
I love you girl
Oh I love you girl
I just want to say
That I need you in so many ways
baby you're a turn on
oh you turn me on
I love all of you
you sure enough got a lot
I want to help you use
what you got
I, oh I
I, oh I
baby
I just want to say
that I love your sexy ways
come on and thrill me mama
oh thrill me girl
I just want to say
that I need you in so many ways
I just want to ffffeeeeeewwwww
all over you
I love all of you
you sure enough got a lot
I want to help you use
what you got
I, Oh I
(heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!)
I, Oh I
I, Oh I
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo
I, oh I
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo
I, oh I
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo
Oh baby
I love you girl
Oh I love you girl
I just want to say that
I need you in so many ways
Baby you're a turn on
you turn me on
you sure do turn me on
I love all of you
you sure enough got a lot
I want to help you use
what you got
I, oh I
I, oh I
(please)
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo (sing)
I, oh I (do)
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo (sing)
I, oh I (aaaaaaaah baby)
De de de de dedodedo deedeedeedoo (now)
(baby) I, oh I (baby)
05 Standing on the Verge of Getting It On (05:10)
{spoken}
Hey lady, won't you be my dog
And I'll be your tree
And you can pee on me!
(x3)
We will do you no harm
Other than pee in your afro
Hey lady, won't you be my dog
And I'll be your tree
And you can pee on me!
{sung}
Even if you don't dig it
Don't mean it's not the thing or thing to do
It could be just for you
Even if you don't feel it
Right now don't mean someday it'll turn you out
You'll be out of sight
You really shouldn't ought to fight it
The music is designed to do no harm
It's just for you
With just a little bit of effort
I can, and well we might, just turn you on
Even if you don't admit it
The time for change is here and here we are
We're just for you
Stick us in your ear and dig us
One time, one time, one time, one time and see
We're just for you
You really shouldn't ought to fight it
The music is designed to do no harm
We're just for you
With just a little bit of effort
I can and will we might just turn you on
Music is designed to free your funky mind
We have come to help you cope
Out into another reality
You will be
Through our music we bring you hope
Us is what time it is
People, what you doing?
Standing on the verge of gettin' it on
Really gettin' it on
(x3)
Song out tonight
Oh, my soul is out tonight
There's a song out tonight
Y'all, come on
There's a song out tonight
Oh, my soul is out tonight
There's a song out tonight
Y'all, come on
(one more time!)
There's a song out tonight
Oh, my soul is out tonight
There's a song out tonight
Y'all, come on
Us is what time it is
Even if you don't dig it
Don't mean it's not the thing or thing to do
Could be just for you
You really shouldn't ought to fight it
The music is designed to do no harm
We're just for you
People, what you doing?
Standing on the verge of gettin' it on
Really gettin' it on
(x2)
People, doing, yeah?
Standing on the verge of gettin' it on
Really gettin' it on
People, what you doing, yeah?
Standing on the verge of getting it on
Really getting it on
Standing on the verge of getting it on
Really getting it on
06 Jimmy's Got a Little Bit of Bitch in Him (02:33)
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Upsets the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Outweighs the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of she in he
But when he pee, he see
Reality can be a-stiff sometimes
But then again it can be flexible
Depending on the angle of the dangle
Increased by the heat of the meat
And with the proposition that all men are not created equal
So why frown?
Yeah, even the sun go down
We'll call it mixed emotions for now
Play on, Jimmy
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Upsets the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Outweighs the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of she in he
But when he pee, he see
Reality can be a-hard
But then again it can be a-swinging
Like I said, depending on the angle of the dangle
Increased by the heat of the meat
And with the proposition that all men are not created equal
So why frown?
Even the sun go down
We'll call it mixed emotions for now
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Upsets the Jim
Jimmy's got a little bit of bitch in him
The bitch in him
Outweighs the Jim
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