Beatles…Stones — Eat Crow, Parliament/Funkadelic is The Best Band Ever
Time to Stop Dismissing Genius
Prologue
I can be honest and say, aside from the “woo woo” song (Sympathy For The Devil), I have never rocked with the Rolling Stones. My earliest memory of Mick and Gang was the disco-esque “Miss You,” they played it on KDKO, Denver’s Black radio station. It was ok. But that’s where my Stones memory ends until I went off to college and made it a point to purchase their whole catalog on cassette at Atlanta’s Book Nook.
I wasn’t impressed.
My memories of the Beatles also go back to the days of “Miss You,” we’re talking ‘78. We had a babysitter — a sista — and she was a BIG Beatles fan, so subsequently, I became a Beatles fan. But I didn’t own any Beatles cassettes and it wasn’t played in the house.
Funkadelic — now, Funkadelic wasn’t one of my mom’s favorites either- she didn’t own any Parliament/Funkadelic or any of the Funk Mob albums. Still, there was no getting around, “Flashlight,” “Mothership Connection,” or “Sir Nose D’voidoffunk,” and I would study the Pedro Bell artwork at Fontaine Swann’s house; never really listening to anything more than the popular singles.
This is just, as you see up there — a prologue, a little background information for the cause. What we won’t be doing is recounting the history of these bands — there’s more than enough scholarship on the Beatles and the Stones; enough to fill a small library, not so much on Parliament/Funkadelic (of course).
We aim to walk through whatever measure one can think of: lyrics, musicianship, vocals, stage show, influence & impact, whatever, and demonstrate how, despite Parliament/Funkadelic being in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, they are still ghettoized to Black music and not measured against all the other so-called groups. So in the immortal words of George Clinton, “Let’s Take it to The Stage.”
Let’s Be Clear
It’s no secret that all popular music has it’s origins in Black music. The Beatles & The Rolling Stones were merely interpreting their Black influences and whites were blown away by it. Same thing that Elvis did before them and Led Zeppelin did after. They all went on to do some innovation of their own but the origin point was Black music, specifically for this writing — the Jump Blues. That’s about as much history as we’re going to deal with.
Next we have to address the misnomer that Blacks playing Rock was different or radical. Black people have always been the gods of the guitar. Whether we’re talking about the sophisticated slide guitar of Muddy Waters, the accompanying soul guitar riffs of Ernie Isley, or the supreme being of guitars, Jimi Hendrix, we put it down on that instrument.
George Clinton recognized as early as 1969 that a hijacking was taking place.
When I looked at Cream come back doing “Crossroads” and “Spoonfull” which was my mother’s music and we had given it away. We were saying by this time, we was saying Rock N Roll is white music. Blues…they was getting ready to do Blues like that. And I just realized, ‘whoah, we counting ourselves out by doing that.’ So I took the mid-tempo music and just called it funk and vowed to never let anybody change it. So when it came to time to be R&B, urban, Black, or whatever, we was all that. But we was still gonna say funk, I don’t care what they print.
Because of this, on Funkadelic’s debut album, Funkadelic (1970), we have “Qualify & Satisfy,” an electric Blues song — not a remake of an older Blues song — this is a straight-forward, up to modern times Blues cut, with lyrics like, “Now if your man ain’t where he’s at, yeah — Now if he’s as corny as that, yeah — Just tell the square to get his hat — I’m qualified to satisfy.” “Can’t Shake it Loose,” could have been a Motown standard. So let it be known, this was no run-of-the mill band.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get down to business.
Lyrical Miracle
As a child, you’re exposed to Shakespeare, Dickens, Faulkner. You’re taught that these are the powerhouses of literature. If you’re lucky, real lucky, you may get a Maya Angelou book thrown in there…but you have to damn near be in college for that. The reasons for reading literature is pretty common.
“Gaining a broad view of society, through the eyes of another, fosters understanding, tolerance and empathy and the value of these capacities cannot be underestimated in today’s world.” Sally Law
There are even more specific fields of study behind each of the above mentioned authors and the reason for reading them.
“We read Dickens because his perception and investigation of the human psyche is deep, precise, and illuminating, and because he tells us things about ourselves by portraying personality traits and habits that might seem all too familiar.” Jon Varese
A similar argument is given about why one should know and listen to the Beatles and/or the Rolling Stones.
The Stones early work consisted mainly of cover versions of obscure blues and R&B songs all but unknown to the vast majority of music listeners in the states, both black and white. But through an alchemy that even they would be hard pressed to explain, the early Stones were able to transform these rare cuts into something uniquely their own, transcending mere imitation to create the rhythmic cut and thrust of blues artists such as Howling Wolf and John Lee Hooker with the melodic appeal of early rockers like Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers. Todd Wetherington
Part of the celebration of these two bands is their ability to “translate” their influences into something “new.” The Beatles rose beyond the cover band type behavior early with John Lennon and Paul McCartney penning what many believe are some of the most treasured lyrics ever written.
Most Black people not only wouldn’t agree, they wouldn’t even give these bands a chance. Of course, if forced to learn it in the same fashion that we are forced to learn literature, we would have to capitulate to whatever was taught. Rarely, however, is the inverse true. Neither Black literature, nor Black music is presented as a window into our humanity, which, to me is of utmost importance.
Thus, if I had to weigh lyrics — the fore mentioned, “Sympathy For the Devil,” for example, could never measure up to my LYRICS example, “Cosmic Slop.”
I’m sure that what most people consider to be good songwriting is dense, poetic, language that takes several listens to decipher. People often revel in songs that “mean different things to different listeners.” I’m not one of those people. And if you’re one of those people then “Cosmic Slop” ain’t your cup of tea.
I was one of five born to my mother
An older sister and three young brothers
We’ve seen it hard, we’ve seen it kind of rough
But always with a smile, she was sure to try to hide
The fact from us that life was really tough
Off the first verse alone, I have a clear picture. A mother is struggling to raise five children, alone. I grew up watching my mother juggle two jobs and bills and life with me and my older Brother, so five children…how many bedrooms do they have in their home or apartment? How much food does she have to cook? Their life is difficult but their mother handles it with grace. Again, I can relate to this. Despite all of what I wrote above, my mother still found time to play practical jokes on us, take us to buy records or comics, watched sports with us — she made our life fun.
I’m there for that first verse. But the hook…
I can hear my mother call
I can hear my mother call
Late at night I hear her call
Oh lord, lord I hear her call
She said, “Father, father it’s for the kids
Any and every thing I did.
Please, please don’t judge me too strong.
Lord knows I meant no wrong.
Lord knows I meant no wrong
Again, this I can still relate to. It was faith, my mother often said, that kept her going. She often questioned her decisions and the affect that they had on our lives. Then the song takes a turn…
Then the devil sang
“Would you like to dance with me?
We’re doin’ the cosmic slop.”
(x3)
It’s quite clear, that there is a conflict. The mother is praying to God, asking for forgiveness, and we see why — she’s dancing with the devil. What that dance is, we find out in the next verse.
She was well known through the ghetto
Tricks would come and then they’d go
The neighbors would talk and call her Jezebel
But always with a smile, she was sure to try to hide
The fact from us that she was catching hell, hey!
Wherein the comparisons between this mother and my mama take a sharp turn. As I said above, this mother has five children — maybe the whole two job bit wouldn’t hack it, maybe she had no skills, maybe she had some form of addiction, maybe she couldn’t see her way out of her situation. Whatever the case, she decides to ply the oldest trade — prostitution.
Like the first verse, this one is five lines. Very clear. Very concise. We can see this woman. Allen Anthony in his epic 2003 release, “Alright,” dealt with the same issue saying, “Her baby has to eat — so don’t hate her for her choices — how do you think she feels inside, yeah”
The first time I listened to…I mean really listened to “Cosmic Slop,” I had to fight back tears. I thought of my mother’s struggles and what she endured. The image of mothers on my block came to mind; some whose children had joined gangs, some who got involved in crime. My childhood flashed before me. This, in my opinion, is what the best art does; it moves you, makes you think, makes you reflect…and in this case, made me grateful (for my mother).
Now, I’m not saying, “Sympathy For the Devil,” is light work (sticking with our devil theme) — by no means. The way the song unfolds, in first person, giving the listener background information of who he, the narrator, is quite creative.
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man’s soul to wasteAnd I was ‘round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
There’s four verses, so I won’t unspool each one. But I will say that, with each verse, more info is provided — by the fourth verse, we have an idea who the narrator is, all that we’re missing is his name.
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
’Cause I’m in need of some restraintSo if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah
Great writing. Excellent storytelling. I love the structure.
The end.
The song may be soulful, mostly thanks to the conga playing of Rocky Dzidzornu…but there’s no soul. I don’t get the “ham hocks in my cornflakes” feel from it. Outside of the cleverness of the storytelling and Keith Richards’ guitar, the song doesn’t resonate with me.
That round goes to Parliament/Funkadelic.
Not Even A Fair Fight
Musicianship
I mean, I could put Bernie Worrell against any of the musicians on either the Beatles or Stones and that would end any argument there. Worrell was a musical prodigy that began playing at 3…you go ahead and envision a three year old…now imagine that toddler playing an instrument. He wrote a concerto by 8. Ok — think of that goofy third grader, the one you have to remind to tie his or her shoes — do you see them composing a concerto?
Who’s your Guitar impresario? Keith Richards? I’ll even go outside of the mentioned bands. Is Eric Clapton your guy? You’re going to tell me with a straight face that “Layla” (the album cut not the MTV unplugged one) could measure up to Eddie Hazel’s “Maggot Brain?” Seriously? Now, you’re not going to do that. All you have to do is listen to Hazel’s “California Dreamin’” off of his only solo album, Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs, after taking in the harmonic Mamas and Papas original. You still going with them other dudes?
Pick a drummer: Tiki Fulwood, Tyrone Lampkin, or Jerome Brailey — I’ll put those guys against any drummer…even John Bonham. The driving force behind every Parliament/Funkadelic song is the tight pocket provided by the rhythm section and the drums are key. If you like West Coast rap…thank these three men.
Ok, I’m getting carried away bringing up the Horny Horns, neither the Beatles or Stones had their own horn section. But I mention them to speak of Bootsy Collins. Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Richard Griffith, Bootsy, and his brother Catfish (Collins) played with James Brown, a band leader known for his strong demands and perfectionism. You want to talk Hip-Hop — these men played on the first Hip-Hop anthem, Brown’s “Give it Up or Turnit Loose.”
That’s just musicianship.
Vocals
Don’t let the strange voices fool you. What people tend to forget is these dudes started out as a Doo Wop group; they kill at harmony. Listen to a song like, “Can You Get to That,” or watch one of their live concerts, and you’ll be blown away by those vocals.
Later on when they added Gary Shider and Glen Goines, you may have been listening to Funk, and they have been singing about the Mothership or Flashlights but you would swear you were being taken to chu’ch.
So, I think it goes without saying that if I had to pick a group on vocals, I’m going to go with the harmonizing brothers who could take you to church or sing in strange, nasal voices. Versatility wins every time.
Stage Show
Come on. How many bands have their set-pieces in the Smithsonian? Parliament/Funkadelic do. A replica of the revered Mothership, which had its debut at a 1976, New Orleans concert was brought into the Smithsonian in 2014 by Kevin Strait who understood the symbolism of the Mothership and the significance of that momentous tour that followed its introduction. That tour, the 1977 “P-Funk Earth Tour,” was a celebratory $275,000, 70-member road crew, multiple bus fleet, Black extravaganza — the biggest tour assembled by a Black band up until that point.
It was legendary. I was too young to attend, but I do remember later looking at the albums and hearing about how amazing the live show was. Scroll back up and watch that video and let it lead you to the rabbit hole of 1977–8 P-Funk Tour videos that YouTube has to offer. Read the comments, you’ll see people still blown away by the Mothership’s landing.
Wakeel Allah saw them along with Sayyed Munajj (his first time) and my brother, Mr. Munajj, had a hard time expressing the experience. He said it was the first time he “zoned out to live music,” in this case, a 20 minute rendition of “Maggot Brain.” Munajj couldn’t stop referring to George Clinton’s trademarked whistling…and we’re talking about the 90s. So imagine them in their heyday. You don’t have to imagine.
Lasting Impressions
If we’re talking about the impact of a group on the field of music that they were into, Parliament/Funkadelic were unlike any band or group…most because they operated under several different names, Brides of Funkenstein, Bootsy Collins’ Rubber Band, etc. and from the years 1975 to 1979, each of these bands stayed on the charts.
Let’s look at some of the songs from that era:
“Mothership Connection” (‘75), “Give Up the Funk…Tear The Roof Off The Sucker” (‘75), “I’d Rather Be With You” (‘76), “Frantic Moment” (‘77), “Ahh…The Name is Bootsy Baby” (‘77), “Flashlight” (‘77), “Hollywood Squares” (‘78), “One Nation Under a Groove” (‘78), “Aqua boogie” (‘78)
If you’re a fan of Go-Go, even if you don’t know the original, many of these songs were made standards by Chuck Brown. Who don’t know the “Wind me up…” of “Hollywood Squares?” And Hip-Hop pillaged those songs. Pillaged.
P-Funk remains the strongest influence on Black music since their zenith in 1978. Rickey Vincent, Funk, pg. 231
Mr. Vincent’s assertion is spot-on. Though his claim that “Hip Hoppers discovered the P-Funk gold mine around 1987” is off — most Black youth grew up with Parliament/Funkadelic as Black superheros. Up until Run DMC burst on the scene, rappers aspired to be like the Funk Mob…that’s the explanation for the “far out” costumes they used to wear.
Perhaps in some way, the so-called greatest Rock bands have had a lasting affect on what is current rock…but I can hardly tell. The most popular bands seem to lean towards the arena rock that U2 made popular in the ’80s. Not sure if people are clamoring for U2 to be recognized as one of the greatest bands ever. If the iTunes debacle of “Songs of Innocence” is any indication, I’d say…nah.
In the right environment, with a proper DJ, any of the above ‘75-’79 songs can still MASH UP a party…no matter the age of the partier. The Beatles, whom I love, are mostly relegated to background music, so familiar that it mostly goes unnoticed.
Epilogue
People are often so dismissive when it comes to Parliament/Funkadelic. The first thing that pops out the mouth of the dismisser is, “they were drugged out,” or some variation of that. George Clinton doesn’t help that by repeating that fact…with every opportunity. But guess what? Damn near every band that people admire from the ’60s and ’70s were stoned out of their mind. It doesn’t negate their genius.
Yet people do it with Parliament/Funkadelic.
Of course the accusation of playing the “race card” could be hurled at this author and the above writing. And if that’s your thought, you have to ask yourself, “self, why am I so opposed to the idea of this group being better or greater than the band I hold dear?”
To me, it’s simple — the Funk Mob is often overlooked because in a time where artist were striving to crossover, looking to escape the Black, segregated R&B section of the Billboard charts for the more accepted Pop charts, P-Funk was for and about Black people.
How many rock bands do you know that would go after their contemporaries like Parliament/Funkadelic went after Rufus, James Brown, Earth Wind & Fire, and Kool & the Gang? If that ain’t Black, I don’t know what it is.
Maybe that’s why it’s not as accesible as say, Bob Marley, who white folk champion. Perhaps that’s why you never hear George Clinton in the same conversation as a John Lennon or a Mick Jagger.
But that’s ok. P-Funk is ours and I’ll put them up against any Rock band on the planet. Take it into consideration. “Free Your Mind…and Your Ass Will Follow.”
