Funkadelic Songs Ranked
Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s. Relative to its sister act, Funkadelic pursued a heavier, psychedelic rock-oriented sound. They released acclaimed albums such as Maggot Brain (1971) and One Nation Under a Groove (1978). Funkadelic had a major influence on a large number of hip-hop artists, and the genre of hip-hop as a whole. In particular, Dr. Dre references Funkadelic’s sound as a major influence on his music, especially his G-funk sound. Funkadelic’s 1979 release “(Not Just) Knee Deep” in particular was sampled extensively by G-Funk artists, including placements on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, MC Hammer’s Street Fighter OST, and Tupac’s All Eyez On Me. Here are all of Funkadelic songs ranked.
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15. Some More (Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow, 1970)
“Some More is an interesting track to say the least, but also a track I’m not the biggest fan of. It’s a nice bluesy number but something about it is way too hammy.
14. One Nation Under a Groove (One Nation Under a Groove, 1978)
“The Funkadelic Main Invasion Force unleashed this jumbled mess of dance funk on us in order to get us in tune with freeing ourselves and the world by dancing our ills away. Notable for its focus on a dance feel rather than on the more rockier funk of early work and the lyrics just seemed to have been made up on the spot. Anyway who cares about the finer details of this track Bootsy and Clinton just seem to be having so much fun and so did we.”
13. What is Soul (Funkadelic, 1970)
“Sounds like a bunch of crazy musicians tripping on acid wandered into a recording studio and started making shit up off the top of their heads, in the best way possible. There’s a palpable “vibe” to this album (and some killer guitar playing and singing to boot.)”
12. Good Old Music (Funkadelic, 1970)
“Good Old Music” has amazing solos courtesy of lost guitar god Eddie Hazel and a bass groove to die for. You can pretty much rely on Eddie to elevate everything here”
See more: Funkadelic Albums Ranked
11. Mommy, What’s a Funkadelic? (Funkadelic, 1970)
“Side one is a lot more song-based and contains some of the best material here. “Mommy, What’s a Funkadelic?” is the exception to this, and is probably the weakest song on the album – despite a great guitar riff, it never really takes off, probably because it’s more about George’s monologuing than the jamming, which in my mind is where this record excels.”
10. You Hit the Nail on the Head (America Eats Its Young, 1972)
“The soundscape that opens the album seem to have been especially recorded for this double LP: “You Hit the Nail on the Head” is as diffuse as the general content of the album, breaking down in country, blues and even Native American bridges.”
9. Super Stupid (Maggot Brain, 1971)
“The guys ease you into it with the big, stomping, completely insane rocker “Super Stupid,” which is incredibly loud and really, really cool. Eddie sings! And, in an alternate universe, it might even be considered a proto-metal kinda thing.”
8. Can You Get to That (Maggot Brain, 1971)
“One of George Clinton’s best productions. This record catches a groove and doesn’t let go. The singers work well together, giving the Sly Stone sound a run for its money and the band is even tighter. Nice funky tune that sticks with you.”
7. Alice In My Fantasies (Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On, 1974)
“”Alice in My Fantasies” is an unlistenable mess that nobody has any need for, but the rest is damn good. If it’s funk-rock you’re looking for, I would highly recommend the searing “Red Hot Mama.””
6. If You Got Funk, You Got Style (Hardcore Jollies, 1976)
“If You Got Funk, You Got Style is probably the only track one can dance to, and this is just as well because in my opinion, this is the problem with One Nation Under A Groove and Uncle Jam Wants You – these two albums are too much focused on the dance-floor, and that was probably intentional. This song, however, is still fresh and new for this period of Funkadelic, and it’s a fun listen.”
5. Hit It and Quit It (Maggot Brain, 1971)
“Hit It and Quit It” has a great riff and is infectious as heck, another classic head-nodding funk masterpiece. “Hit It and Quit It” is the song that introduces the awesome organ in the Funkadelic sound. The song is probably the most funky on the album and features another amazing Eddie Hazel solo.”
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4. Icka Prick (The Electric Spanking of War Babies, 1981)
“The last song given out to the masses under Funkadelic is ‘Icka Prick,’ a raucous Funk anthem that’s about as dirty as one can hope to make a song. Without getting gratuitous I’ll just quote the background singers when they say “Oh, you ain’t seen obscene yet, we gonna be nasty this here time.””
3. I Call My Baby Pussycat (America Eats Its Young, 1972)
“With its soul throwback style, political concept and 70 minute running time, it’s no surprise that this isn’t one of Funkadelic’s more popular albums. And though it’s not one of my favorites, it’s damn good in its own right, even if it lacks the wild psychedelic sound I associate with their early albums.”
2. Funky Dollar Bill (Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow, 1970)
“There’s memorable moments here, ‘Funky Dollar Bill’ really is the only proper song, but being mostly structureless the movements seemingly pass onwards before settling into something that works.”
1. Maggot Brain (Maggot Brain, 1971)
“This is the one perfect, totally essential release of the always entertaining but often unfocused P-Funk collective. The famous title track shows off some electric guitar virtuosity that really rivals Hendrix, and for a full 10 minutes, really wringing out a surprising amount of emotion and drama from the electric guitar…”
