Bop Gun (Endangered Species): So, this guitar riff is one of the funkiest things, ever. I don't know what it is about it that's got me hooked, but there's something to it that's not standard funk, and it makes the rest of the groove that much funkier. Man, talk about a tight horn section! A tight horn section is essential to a funk band, and they've got it. I like that these guys are really all about the groove and vocals second. Group vocals are cool, they give a nice vocal base to the groove without taking it over. "Endangered species" B section is killin. This whole thing is killin. Holdin it the fuck down.
Sir Nose d'Voidoffunk (Pay Attention-B3M): Aight, so if it you weren't already convinced that these cats were high as fucking kites, this should do the trick. This song gets my vote off the bat solely off the fact that they quote the Looney Tunes theme in the very beginning. That is possibly one of the coolest musical quotes I've ever heard. Groove on this is right in the pocket. I like that this is a little more subdued than the previous, while remaining fierce. And "Three Blind Mice"? "Baba Black Sheep?" These cats are funky. I dig the dark, mysterious feel this groove has. Very Halloween, but maybe that's just me still slightly being in that mindset. Super long at 10:10, but the groove has enough slight switches and variations, that it is no problem gettin through this whole tune. Super funk.
This is one of my all time favorite Parliament albums. As a kid, I used to think this song was very long but loved the adventure of it, as if it was a cartoon. With all of the cartoon references, it was as if it was meant for me. As I got older, I finally understood what this song and the entire album was about.
ReplyDeleteWhat many might not realize is that the FUNKENTELECHY album is a concept album, however loose it may be. "Flashlight" is the end of the story, when Sir Nose has been trying for the entire album to escape being hit once again by the bop gun, held by Starchild. At the end of the "Sir Nose" song, we hear Sir Nose curse him out, but promises he will get him back. That battle is lost at the end when the bop gun is shot once again at Sir Nose, and you hear him come up with an amazing revelation: "I think I found the funk." The last thing he says in the song is what he's bathing in: "whoa ho, red light!", and he's now in the glory of the funk. The original album came with a comic book that was meant to cover the full story on the album, but as the album became more popular, they stopped printing up the comics and they didn't bother using it for any future CD pressings. It's pure genius from George Clinton and friends for an album that is either misunderstood, or only known for being the "Flashlight" album. The 10-minute journey Parliament goes through is an incredible one, and this song along stands out as not only one of Parliament's best, but one of the best songs of the 1970's.