Funkadelic's fifth album for Westbound Records, "Cosmic Slop", was a deliberate effort to commercialise their sound, and while it failed to set the world alight, it created a new slicker identity for Funkadelic that allowed the album to spend 20 weeks on the Billboard R&B charts and even rise to enter the pop charts (reaching 123). However the only single from the album - its title track - failed to chart at all, possibly because of its lyrical content which told the story of a single mother, who turns to prostitution to pay for her children's upkeep.



By the time that "Cosmic Slop"'s follow-up, "Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On" reached the shops, the musicians on the record had scored an R&B Top 10 hit, but not as Funkadelic and not on Westbound. By early 1974 George Clinton's idea of a Parliafunkadelicment Thang was on the march once more, and Parliament had signed to the Casablanca label. Casablanca were a large independent, with funding from Phonogram Records who were about to be very big in the disco field. They were able to provide a large marketing budget to break Parliament, and their first single for the label, 'Up For The Down Stroke', was a hit.

The distinction between Funkadelic and Parliament was supposed to be that Parliament used horns, and Funkadelic did not. However in practice, although the musicians from both outfits were interchangeable, Funkadelic, for the remainder of their time at Westbound, were represented (rather than really being) as a compact band with the help of the original Parliaments on vocals. Parliament were a much looser aggregation.

There were probably good historical and legal reasons for this. Funkadelic had originated as the backing band to the Parliaments when they were scoring hits in the late 60s on Revilot. By the time that they had finished up their first album for Westbound they had pretty much coalesced around a five-piece of Tiki Fulwood on drums, Bernie Worrell on keyboards, Eddie Hazel on lead guitar, Billy "Bass" Nelson on bass and Tawl Ross on rhythm guitar. They had become a recording act because Parliament couldn't record owing to contractual difficulties, a problem that was sorted out soon after the release of the "Funkadelic" album.

For a while Parliament were signed to Holland, Dozier and Holland's Invictus label and, although they continued to guest on the classic Funkadelic albums of the period, a group sound developed that was rocky and far out, resulting in the classic "Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow" and "Maggot Brain" albums. However a combination of drug intake, money disagreements and personal problems saw all but Bernie Worrell leave for at least a period of time. The next Funkadelic album took two years to make, and when it did it was a double album that seemed to be the work of several bands; in fact over 40 musicians appeared on the album, including not just Parliafunkadelicment, but a whole bunch of musicians drafted in from the JBs, most notably Bootsy Collins.

"Cosmic Slop" arrived soon afterwards. As well as creating a more honed sound, a definite effort to create a band identity is apparent. Funkadelic are credited as consisting of Bernie Worrell, guitarist and vocalist Gary Shider, Cordell "Boogie" Mosson on bass (both Mosson and Shider had been members of a band called US who came from Funkadelic's home town of Plainfield, New Jersey), Tyrone Lampkin on drums and Ron Bykowski on lead guitar. All these musicians had joined in the aftermath of the release of "Maggot Brain" and while they had all played on "America Eats Its Young", "Cosmic Slop" made it clear that they were the band now.

The release of "Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On" marked more changes in the band's history. The inner sleeve of the wonderful Pedro Bell sleeve had cartoons of the whole band thatt included Eddie Hazel on guitar again, (Bykowski remained), and Tiki Fulwood on drums. The cartoons also showed the five original members of Parliament: Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, Ray Davis, Grady Thomas and George Clinton for the first time individually and clearly credited on a Funkadelic album.

The album is rockier than "Cosmic Slop". Eddie Hazel has a song writing credit on every number (using his mother's name Grace Cook), and his guitar, perhaps at its most fluid ever, is all over every track. However this album did not return to the sound of "Maggot Brain", the production is very tight, and Eddie's guitar is beautifully mixed, so that it is prominent but not over-powering.

The album opens up with a reworking of an older Parliament tune. "We would be playing these things on stage, and when we needed a song in the studio we would record it as we were then doing it" remembers Fuzzy Haskins. 'Red Hot Mamma' (originally titled 'Red Hot Mama') had been released as the second Parliament single on Invictus. Its arrangement then had been more straight-forward, sounding rather like a Rare Earth record but with a multi-part harmony vocal upfront. This time the lead vocal duties are shared by George Clinton and Eddie Hazel, and the arrangement becomes less rhythmic as Hazel and Bykowski's twin lead guitars dominate musically. Both guitarists are absolutely on fire; when the track was lifted as the album's second single the B-side, 'Vital Juices', (included here) was a continuation of the instrumental track that showcases both their playing.

'Alice In My Fantasies' was another on-stage favourite that had begun as a rocked-out instrumental with no title that can be heard on the 1971 live recording "Funkadelic: Meadowbrook, Rochester, Michigan, 1971" CD that came out in 1996. On the studio version it is still an out-and-out rocker, with Eddie Hazel once more providing the impetus behind George Clinton's vocals. The third song on the album is also a reworking of an older song, this one recorded by the Parliaments in the late 60s. Originally called 'Please Stay' its lyrics and title morphed to 'I'll Stay'. The lead vocals are shared by all the Parliaments and the instrumental arrangement, based on a solid rising bass and drum rhythm, is dominated by a spectacular twin lead guitar performance by Eddie Hazel and Ron Bykowski. It is a beautiful performance by the whole group, somewhat reminiscent of the sort of records made by Rotary Connection on albums such as "Songs" in the late 60s.

The new Funkadelic sound that was pioneered on "Cosmic Slop" comes firmly into view on the next two songs, both more uptempo, positive slices of sharp funky soul. 'Sexy Ways' is a lascivious groove of rhythm guitars and shaker-style percussion, over which Gary Shider positively squirms with desire for the lady with those ways. The second side opens with the album's title track which, as the lead single for the album, had taken Funkadelic back into the R&B Top 30. On the album the cut is extended, first by one of Clinton's nonsense (in the best possible sense) chants "Hey lady won't you be my dog, and I can be your tree and you can pee on me" and then by taking the song to its wonderful full extent. It is a glorious groove nailed completely by Tiki Fulwood's drums, Gary Shider's scratchy rhythm guitar, textured by some amazing lead guitar parts weaving their way in and out of the music. The song itself had originated from an onstage chant of Fuzzy Haskin's to the audience "people what you doing?", to which the crowd would reply "standing on the verge of getting it on". It is the vocal interplay between all the Parliament vocalists and Gary Shider that make the record feel like such a wonderful party.

Next up is a track that Shider loves, 'Jimmy's Got A Little Bit Of Bitch In Him', which is this album's slightly off-kilter track with a jazzy feel, in which George Clinton deals with a guy who may be gay. Talking to Rob Bowman, Shider told him "Every Funkadelic album had one outside song, while with everything else we would try to get on the radio. That was us telling the industry, 'Fuck you, we still stuck one in on you'. That's the stuff that kept us going."

That album ends up with the, by now- traditional, Funkadelic item - the George Clinton monologue. This one is accompanied on 'Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts' by an extended guitar solo by Hazel. Clinton's philosophy intoned is of a cosmic goodness, that good deeds will result in good things happening, and it is every person's responsibility to try for this. It seems clear that Eddie's solo is intended to be a reprise of the transcendent 'Maggot Brain', and while it doesn't quite reach those heights what does? it once more shows his mastery of his instrument.

Propelled by the success of the title track in the singles chart, the album reached #14 over a 12 week chart run. P-Funk was now becoming a chart force to be reckoned with and the extended family would soon have profound effects on Funkadelic records.

Dean Rudland, 2005