Reviewed For TheFunkStore.com..By
Compiled For TheFunkStore.com..By:Tylard Tatt II
U.S. MUSIC with FUNKADELIC
U.S. MUSIC with FUNKADELIC
TCC/TFS Release Date:04/07/2009
LABEL: WESTBOUND RECORDS
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN : USA
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE:4/21/2009
DISC : 1
CONDITION: NEW
STOCK STATUS:*INSTOCK* USUALLY SHIPS IN 24/48Hrs
By 1958, a burgeoning George Clinton was splitting his time between Newark’s Uptown Tonsorial Parlor and a shop owned by one George White over in neighboring Plainfield NJ. This would later become the Black Soap Palace. Future Funkadelic bassist Billy Bass Nelson lived right across the street, a young Bernie Worrell played organ and piano in Billy’s grandmother’s gospel chorus.
Plainfield provided the traditionally rich musical soil out of which Funkadelic would bud and develop. It didn’t take long for Fuzzy Haskins to move there and eventually Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas & Ray Davis relocated and participated in the original Parliaments.
In 1960, a 7-year old Garry Shider was hanging with the big boys at the barbershop and got his first hair process. This began a relationship that culminated in the indoctrination of 2 of the P’s most instrumental and influential performers, himself and childhood friend Cordell “Boogie” Mosson.
The young Shider was playing clarinet, drums and piano before settling into his father’s footsteps with the guitar, which became his main instrument. He and bassist Mosson formed their first group over at Plainfield’s King Center.
It was about ‘68, Shider tells Wax Poetics magazine that all of his early gospel, jazz and R&B influences came together in a group called United Soul (U.S.). Clinton, who had gotten his foot in the door at Motown in the 60s as writer/producer, had made a lot of inroads into the Detroit scene and by this time was moving his own operations into Toronto.
According to Garry, about ‘70 George came to Plainfield and sent them to Canada. The group consisted of Mosson, Shider, drummer Harvey McGhee, Roosevelt “Slim” Edwards, lead vocalist Ben Edwards, Peggie Turner, Cordell’s brother Larry Mosson and a dude on keys named Bill. Some of the Funkadelics had already made their home across the boarder, most notably Calvin Simon and Bernie Worrell and U.S. was to be one of the first satellite acts to be signed to A Parliafunkadelicment Thang, Inc.
What we have here is essentially the creative results of that fateful move forever changing the face of the future of the funk for generations to come. Although only 5 tracks have surfaced they represent some of the most hard-edged, raw scorchers in the entire P-Funk lexicon. Based on domestic issues he was experiencing at the time Fuzzy wrote “I Miss My Baby”, a churchified love dirge that was given to U.S. The song proved a piano-drenched showcase for Shider’s unrefined vocal delivery.
What he does with it is just mind-numbing. This is the most powerful, raw street gospeldelic vocals I’ve ever heard. And this is pre-Glen Goins!! Now whether it’s falsetto, alto, I do not know, it defies any classification. It is just some kind of straight-up yeowl chyt!!!! He would later hone some of this rawness and strike pure gold with P-Funk on cuts like “Cosmic Slop”, “Groovealegiance”, “Party People”, “Rumpofsteelskin”, “Pumpin It Up”, Axiom Funk’s “Hideous Mutant Freaks”, Bohannon’s “Party Train”, his own “Diaperman” series and too many others to mention here.
The list is endless………..but U.S. represents it in it’s most embryonic, uncut state. Some of the vocals here were later over-dubbed in Detroit and featured Brandy (Thelma Hopkins & Joyce Vincent) aka Tony Orlando’s Dawn.
He puts that same stamp on the more up-tempo countrified “Baby I Owe You Something Good”. Maggots will recognize this title from Funkadelic’s “Let’s Take it to The Stage” album of 1975, but don’t get it misconstrued , this is completely otha’ chyt here. Clinton originally wrote this for Frankie Boyce over in Plainfield.
This is when Boogie starts to propelling his distinctive and quite pronounced bass strokes. The perennial jokester, his playing is an extension of his fun-loving personality. Also notable here is the addition of drummer extraordinaire the late Tyrone Lampkin, who later went on to soar with P-Funk during it’s most commercially fertile late 70’s period.
Two members of Toronto’s Doctor Music, Diane Brooks and Steve Kennedy contribute backing vox. Plenty of wah-wah and all sorts of musical experimentation on the guitars in all of the cuts. Even more astounding is that both he and Shider are 2 of the most underappreciated guitarists of our time.
Don’t know who’s stroking it, but I swear I’ve never heard an axe sound soooo durty and garbage dump as on the Fuzzy-penned “Rat Kissed The Cat On The Navel”!! This is pure Free Your Mind-era Funkadelic. It sounds like Ben Edwards is leading this although I swear Clinton adds some vocals at the chorus.
The song was completely re-worked in the 70’s and billed as Dr. Funkenstein with Parlet and the Brides or somn but this here be the sheet. Another title that appeared on a Funkadelic album is “This Broken Heart”. This is similar to the “Cosmic Slop” version only where that one cuts off, lead vocalist Edwards just lets off this agonizing, heart-wrenching wailing for another minute or so.
When he goes into his ‘carter got liver pills’ rap there is some very creative effect going on with the backing vocals. I never noticed it before but I guess this is some re-mastered chyt because it’s got a divine sound on it. He also leads on the psychedelized blues /soul rocker “Be What You is”, a Clintonian philosophical take on as one maggot described, ‘something your gramps might have told ya’.
Yes it is a shame this was never released back in the day but it makes it all the more juicy and enjoyable now. Welcome maggots into the realm of U.S. Music With Funkadelic.
Noted Cincinnati-OH Funk Journalist~"Bustin'"Bob Mitchell
TRACK LISTING
1.Broken Heart~Listen
2.Baby I Owe You Something Good~Listen
3.Be What You Is~Listen
4.I Miss My Baby~Listen
5.Rat Kiss The Cat On The Naval~Listen
6.Baby I Owe You Something Good [Mono Single Mix]~Listen
7.I Miss My Baby [Mono Single Mix]~Listen
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