Review Summary: A solid landmark in a remarkably consistent, funky, crazy career.
This is my first review, so I would ask you to bear in mind the words of that great moral figure George Michael when he proclaimed: 'read without predjudice' (to paraphrase a little).
Anyway, that wimpy pre-justification out the way, I'll follow the time-honoured path taken by many other reviewers and do the old track-by-track breakdown, but first, a short introduction. This was a mid period album, coming a few before their percieved magnum opus 'One Nation Under A Groove', and bears much less of a disco influence, for some part sticking with the hard funk of 'Standing On The Verge Of Gettin' It On'. However, this album possesess much more of a playful spirit, and the music is indeed more eclectic, with heavier use of synths throughout. Bootst Collins, Eddie Hazel and George Clinton of course are all present.
Track 1: Good To Your Earhole. A great opener. A stomping, tight monster of funk, with multiple guitars flying, twirling, noodling all over the place. Ride cymbals clang, and the group reveals one of their best vocal hooks. This is most redolent of the previous album, but better.
Track 2: Better By The Pound. Bounces in with a typically funky Collins (tm) bassline and clattering percussion, before settling into an uptempo ska'ish groove with the standard melody like scatting over the top. That's the song pretty much, but enticing nontheless.
Track 3 - Be My Beach. Classic Clinton lyrics, as what appears to be the crew's version of a smooth ballad is enhanced hugely by intonations of 'let me be your bridge over troubled water' and 'mama be my beach, beach/what's in the sand ah, ah'. The sad thing is, some pop artists actually use these kind of lyrics seriously. Kudos for the stonsey middle part, as well.
Track 4 - No Head, No Backstage Pass. The lyrics do what is says on the tin. Seedy tales of backstage groupies ('She said I know the drummer/will you let me in') + brilliantly menacing Clinton vocal x Spiralling Hazel arabian guitar riffs (squared) + another oddly catchy chorus = one of the highlights of the album.
Track 5 - Let's Take It To The Stage. Some more genius scatology (upbeat lyrics about bestiality as a euphemism for society, anyone?), plus a laidback chicken scratch groove and 'snoopus'. Love the ultra camp 'Ha!'s' every now and then. Songwise, almost like an interlude, but still engaging.
Track 6 - Get Off Your Ass And Jam. Along with track 1, the other hard funk stunner on the album. Wailing intro leads into 4 to the floor drums, and then......the funkiest bass playing around kicks in with an insanely simple riff, along with the title chant. As if that wasn't enough to blow your pre-frontal cortex, Hazel stomps in and burns the place down with a white hot solo. Yet it's only 2:27 long. (sampled by public enemy, among others)
Track 7 - Baby I Owe You Something Good. Ok, so it's a bit of a comedown. I mean, Clinton isnt really a great SINGER of sorts, more a speaker, and though the song does posses heft, the odd switches between cod-operatic chorus and folky picking doesn't do anything for me, really.
Track 8 - Stuffs And Things. And Things And Stuffs, actually. I mean, this is DEEP, man. Mind you, references to 'livin your life on credit' are perhaps relevant to the recession? or maybe not. However, the group locks into a very nice groove for the first time in ooh...2 tracks, and the title chant really is an earworm. Then a synth comes and urinates all over it. Oh well.
Track 9 - This Song Is Familiar. Yes, George, you're right. The Intro sounds exactly like track 7! Luckily, the band drag him kicking and screaming out of another pained vocal, and the song basically develops into a serious version of track 3, smooth keyboards lapping away behind the sweet vocal. It also contains a boogie piano led part in the outro. A nice place to 'take a breather', as it were.
Track 10 - Atmoshpere. Rounding off these ten shots to the dome (any LL Cool J fans here?) is a truly mental/silly/inspired/indulgent 7 minute epic of cheesy fairground organ. A full seven minutes. A typical way to end the album, and though not really a song as such, it seems fittng. The last two minutes of this sound oddly like the *** Buttons, minus the toy microphones.
So there you have it. In conclusion, a very good (but not quite great) album, wonderfully zany in the true Funkadelic spirit, that suffers a little from a side 2 dip. The good points though, are Everest like.
That was my very first review, hope you enjoyed it, please comment etc. Personally, I think I did quite well not to use the suffix '-on acid' once, therefore disqualifying me from a job at Pitchfork.
Choice Cuts - 'Good To Your Earhole'
'No Head, No Backstage Pass'
' Get Off Your Ass And Jam'
