Vinyl of the Week - 29 NOVEMBER 2020

Maggot Brain, Funkadelic

This week I thought it was time to get funky (bad pun bordering on dad joke, totally intended) so let’s have a look at an album that’s light on vocals but an absolute delight for those that love good musicianship. It’s hard to believe that Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain is nearly 50 years old. Released in 1971, this album was the brainchild of band leader George Clinton and remains a cult classic of the psychedelic funk era. The distinctive cover art features model Barbara Cheeseborough buried up to her neck, screaming. The work of photographer Joel Brodsky, it invites both shock and intrigue in equal measure. The title track is a favourite of mine, one of the most emotion-filled guitar pieces I know of. George told legendary guitarist Eddie Hazel to play ‘like you just got told your mother had died’, so with that thought in his head (and a fair amount of LSD in his system) Eddie went on to perform this 10-minute marvel in one take. Despite epic tracks like this, Maggot Brain was received with mixed reviews. An album so lyrically sparse was certainly not the norm and the lyrics it did have were dark and trippy with heavy themes. Now looked upon as one of the greatest albums of all time, it certainly ranks as one of my favourites. The musical influences on this recording are diverse and yet somehow flow like a well put together menu. Hints of blues, funk, gospel, pop and rock come together to form a truly awesome listening experience. Maggot Brain takes you somewhere else, which is what I love most about this album. And given how this year has played out, that’s definitely something we could all benefit from - DS