America Eats Its Young - Funkadelic

Advantages: Easy to listen to, while still retaining meaning and depth
Disadvantages: Some tracks either wash over you, or you wash over them

...This album is cool. And that's the only appropriate word. At first I thought it was going to be quite similar to 'Tales of Kidd Funkadelic' (with long, progressive church influenced funk riffs), but after track one, it turns into like...a blues:funk hybrid. It's awesome. The blues is awesome. Funk is awesome. What I loved is the organic, natural sound that it encompasses. Many Like-minded groups have tried to do what Funkadelic have done here, and had an end product of government issued, generic beats. 'Free your mind...', on the other hand, does quite the opposite. This is simply what Funkadelic does best. However, it's not all sunshine and picnics. The end track, 'Eulogy and light', while interesting and thought provoking, did not ahve the initial appeal to me as the rest of the album did. Now I am sure it is there for a purpose... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Like nothing youve ever heard.
Disadvantages: Little in the way of song structure.

...The first Funkadelic album. The entire album was recorded in a few days and is largely improvisational. It follows the typical George Clinton line-up: A huge band of organists vocalists and guitarists all adding their own little stamp over a funky backbeat. All the seeds of Parliament/Funkadelic are here. Experimentation, Clintons long introductions, talk of outer space, and many sexual references as expected. Blues, funk and pyschadelia influences are all here. You can hear Eddie Hazel's Hendrix influenced guitar, carrying the torch in the year of Jimis death, yet he seems to have not yet quite found his own sound. I find it reassuring to see how much this guitarist had improved and diversified over a few albums from this to say his solo work. I think if you like one track from this album you will like them all. Some more organised than... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: sheer amazingness
Disadvantages: there aren't any

...I bought this after I saw the matrix and heard 'wake up' and this album has changed my life. Firstly it’s musically amazing. Just the opening bass of bombtrack blew me away and tom morello's guitar work (I stand in awe of him) not to mention Zack's vocals (wow), but what this album really did was to make me politically aware and now I realise how much America has sh*tted on the world (no offence intended anyone). The front cover is so cool it looks; well it is this dude on fire (ouch) but its just showing how lovely and nice the rest of the album is. Bombtrack - the opening bass line is just a glimpse of how funky the whole album is and how political it is. The lyrics are simple enough but are so effective and amazing. (10/10) Killing in the name - simply the best song on the whole album. The funky bass, the riffs its just wow... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful