TS: Fishbone's "The Reality of My Surroundings" vs. your favorite Funkadelic album

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Controversial? Probably. But as much as I love Funkadelic, I think the gap between the best stuff and the dull stuff on each album is too great for me to put the records on that often (even though a few Funkadelic songs rank among my favorites of all time). Fishbone's final (only?) great album, on the other hand, I always felt epitomized everything that Funkadelic promised but never quite delivered.

Again, this is not to downplay the brilliance of Parliament, Funkadelic or George Clinton. Rather, just noting that they're often considered as one body of work, when in fact the actual individual albums are all pretty uneven. Fishbone's "Reality," however, is nutty and uneven in a brilliant sort of way that captures the best of Funkadelic (and other great black rock/metal/funk/soul) in one proxy package.

Worth discussing? Or simply deriding?

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:06 (twenty years ago)

nickalicious to thread

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:08 (twenty years ago)

i thought for sure nickalicious started this thread. i was just gonna laff at him and go away, but i don't know josh well enuff to do that. so, um.....my favorite funkadelic album.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:18 (twenty years ago)

You can laff away. Just talking about what my ears tell me. It might have to do with the fact that I got into the Fishbone album when it came out, and Funkadelic years afters they roamed the earth. It came to mind when I was searching for a cheap place to buy the Funkadelic reissues to replace my old CDs, and wondered whether I really wanted to or not. And then I heard a Fishbone song on my iPod.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:23 (twenty years ago)

I can't remember this particular Fishbone album (never owned it) and while I'm usually more than happy to give them credit where credit is due, I never thought anything they did topped Funkadelic. (But I am an unusually ardent fan of Funkadelic in general, so that's no surprise....)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:28 (twenty years ago)

Nickalickalickalickalicious to thread, obviously.

I never cared for The Reality... album. For me, it all ended at Truth & Soul.

Funkadelic? I'm more of a Parliament man, me.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 21:13 (twenty years ago)

I like Parliament better, too. And like I said, taken as a pick and choose whole, where one can cull the best from the dross, I'd say G. Clinton, Inc. is nigh unbeatable. But did he ever release a "perfect" record?

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 23:31 (twenty years ago)

yes. its called "Mothership Connection".

― Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 23:34 (twenty years ago)

I'm not even sure that's the best Fishbone album. And I'm not convinced that even the best Fishbone beats Maggot Brain.

― JAS, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 23:38 (twenty years ago)

no offense but my least favorite Funkadelic album (hmm Hardcore Jollies?) eats Fishbone's lunch. The Bone were good live, tho.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 23:42 (twenty years ago)

But did he ever release a "perfect" record?

yes. its called "Mothership Connection".

DAMN RIGHT!

In Praise of.....Mothership Connection by Parliament

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 01:07 (twenty years ago)

Works for me.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 01:43 (twenty years ago)

The first Funkadelic and 'One Nation Under a Groove' are also great through and through.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 01:55 (twenty years ago)

OTM re: "One Nation Under a Groove." On the one hand, I can't recall offhand any song other than the title track. On the other hand, that song is long!

Albums named after their one great song: classic or dud?

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 11:42 (twenty years ago)

Fishbone is okay, but something annoys me about them.

Something is real annoying about Red Hot Chili Peppers too, but Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Freaky Styley" was better than "Maggot Brain" despite the the obvious fact that RHCP blatantly ripped off "You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks," for the title track "Freaky Styley" in addition to everything else about Funkadelic.

― Stoner Guy, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 11:53 (twenty years ago)

but Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Freaky Styley" was better than "Maggot Brain"

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH WTF

I actually can't with a good heart even attempt to compare Reality..., one of my all-time favorite albums, with any Funkadelic, because, honestly they are excruciatingly different in such important ways. Messrs. Clinton, Worrell, Hazel, etc. were practitioners in a very spacy, cartoony mysticism party style, whereas Fishbone's music has always been excruciatingly realist and, for lack of a better term, more "mission-focused".

If I'm going to be forced to do a controversial TS with Reality of My Surroundings, it is going to be with There's a Riot Going On, which is a MUCH better mirror I think for what Fishbone has always been about. And that is the "oh no he didn't" stance I will take on that.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 12:42 (twenty years ago)

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH WTF

It is the sad truth, friend, regardless of how idiotic RCHP are and how cool Funkadelic were.

― Stoner Guy, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 12:46 (twenty years ago)

XPOST
now THAT's food for thought. gonna give Reality a re-listen.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 12:48 (twenty years ago)

FWIW, I will agree though that this was the last CLASSIC FOR THE AGES Fishbone album. They have put out retarded good albums since (Give A Monkey a Brain... and Chim Chim's Badass Revenge), but unfortunately their CLASSIC FOR THE AGES song to MEH song ratio has definitely marred their recenter career. However, just the fact that they still write and record and perform such CLASSIC FOR THE AGES songs even with most of their original lineup gone, approaching the 20th anniversary of the release of their first album, is enough for me to still be all gung ho Fishbone army about it.

Some of these more recent CLASSIC FOR THE AGES songs, fwiw:
"Get Out Of The City"
"Karma Tsunami"
"Skank And Go Nuts"
"Jah Jah On The Telephone"
"Burnin In The Heat of Anger"
"Demon In Here"

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 12:51 (twenty years ago)

here is another classic

"nickalicious is a faggot"

lol pwned

― Esteban Buttez (Esteban Buttez), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 12:52 (twenty years ago)

It's not because Funkadelic is "cooler", it's because Maggot Brain is one of the most listenable albums in human history, and Freaky Styley, well, isn't.

haha

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 12:54 (twenty years ago)

stop posting you butt

― Esteban Buttez (Esteban Buttez), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 12:55 (twenty years ago)

It's not because Funkadelic is "cooler", it's because Maggot Brain is one of the most listenable albums in human history, and Freaky Styley, well, isn't.

That's a matter of opinion. Only half of it is decent, most of it is depressing and subpar.

George Clinton produced "Freaky Styley" with a decade of experience behind him. It is infinitely more listenable than Maggot Brain, but most people haven't or won't because of the band behind it.

― Stoner Guy, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 13:03 (twenty years ago)

I'll have you know I grew up listening to that album! I just don't agree.

And yo Esteban, what are you talking about, I haven't posted my butt once on this thread. Would you like me to?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 13:05 (twenty years ago)

go kill yourself

― Esteban Buttez (Esteban Buttez), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 13:06 (twenty years ago)

The Go Kill Yourselves were one of my favorite bands, back in, like, 1993 I think?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 13:10 (twenty years ago)

I'll have you know I grew up listening to that album! I just don't agree.

Right, you grew up listening to RHCP but moved on to Funkadelic when you grew up and so now you can't give Freaky Styley the credit it deserves.

― Stoner Guy, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 13:10 (twenty years ago)

lol who do u think you are the king of the retarded

yeh i'll make sure to listen to you

― Esteban Buttez (Esteban Buttez), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 13:11 (twenty years ago)

Dude. Let me put it this way. I love Freaky Styley. You will be hard pressed to find someone else who posts to ILM with more praise for that album than me. It was, like, PERSONALITY DEFINING for me as an adolescent. However...there are probably only 10 albums in existence I feel more connected to than Maggot Brain, and Freaky Styley isn't one of them. Maybe it's just because I'm NOT an adolescent anymore, I don't know, but it absolutely has NOTHING to do with thinking Funkadelic is "cooler". If anything, it's just because I'm an OLD FUCKING FART.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 13:15 (twenty years ago)

Nickalicious, I am sorry for taking so long to respond, but I had to get coffee. If you were an adolescent when Freaky Styley came out, you are not an old fucking fart. You are in your 30s. I accuse you of wrongful judgement based on the innovator-copycat mindset. There is no way that Maggot Brain is that good. It is just not possible. This reminds me of a thread I must start...

― Stoner Guy, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

if Nickalicious won't take Freaky Styley over Maggot Brain NO ONE on ILM will (including me - Maggot Brain pisses all over Freaky Styley from a great height)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Freaky Styley" was better than "Maggot Brain"

Not only is this a heroically wrong stratement (sorry, Stoner Guy), but if I'm not mistaken, even the Chili Peppers think Freaky Styley is an undercooked album.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 16:25 (twenty years ago)

Haha, okay guys, let's agree to agree that you are all wrong!

― Stoner Guy, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

I am outstonered.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 16:28 (twenty years ago)

if I'm not mistaken, even the Chili Peppers think Freaky Styley is an undercooked album.

I can't imagine they would put down something produced by their hero, George Clinton, but if they actually do think this, let's not forget that the Chili Peppers probably think they don't suck, too! They alo thought putting the lyrics, "little cone-gowne man" in a song was acceptable. Why, I'd wager that if they think Freaky Styley is undercooked, they probably think each consecutive album they released was better, when clearly Freaky Styley was the only good LP they ever did other than Uplift MoFo Party Plan.

― Stoner Guy, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 16:34 (twenty years ago)

TROMS is one of the best albums of all time. more later.

― huell howser (chaki), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 16:35 (twenty years ago)

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