When I was a young suburban teenager my uncle sat me down and told me: “P-Funk.” I nodded blankly… tried my best to absorb the wisdom.

“Cooooool”

I understood he knew THE WAY… but my head was just too messed up on Blues Traveler and Spin Doctors and (thank god I’m not posting this on the internet!) Pearl Jam *. It just didn’t cut through… or so I thought.

Turns out I had retained a tiny seed of that golden knowledge and it slowly took root and grew… Friends, this is the apple that did Adam in: Parliament’s debut album. Chew into it and never look back!

Soon after cutting this one, Clinton and crew morphed into the legendary Funkadelic (due to contractual issues of course - a soon-to-be-reoccurring theme). So this is really the 1st Funkadelic record. This version of “Red Hot Mama” comes as a bonus track on the now out of print Castle [UK] reissue from 2001. It does not appear on the original pressing though I’m pretty sure an edited version came out as a 45rpm. They also recut this little number 4 years later +/- for their “Standing on the Verge of Getting It On” album (just buy it fool). This version is better though… a RAW slab of soul and rock guaranteed to make you brown yrself MIGHTILY.

Artist: Parliament
Album: Osmium
Production: George Clinton & Ruth Copeland
Label: Invictus
Year: 1970

What is soul!?

Soul is… the immaterial part of a person…?

Hold on… the internet is busted again… stupid piece of crap!…

* In my defense, I also owned / loved Royal Trux’s “Cats & Dogs” as well as Pavement’s “Westing By Musket & Sextant”… chalk it up to the confusion of youth.