Free Your Mind.and Your Ass Will Follow [Limited Edition Clear Vinyl]

Funkadelic: George Clinton, Raymond Davis, Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas (vocals); Eddie Hazel, Tawl Ross (guitar); Bernie Worrell (keyboards); Billy Nelson (bass); Tiki Fulwood (drums). Recorded at United Sound Studios, Audio Graphic Services, and G-M Recording Studios, Detroit, Michigan. Funkadelic's self-titled debut may have touched upon drug-induced acid rock, but on their 1970 follow-up, FREE YOUR MIND AND YOUR ASS WILL FOLLOW, the band blows the door off its hinges. Look no further than the album-opening ten-minute title track--perhaps the most spaced out composition witnessed by rock & roll since the Rolling Stones' late-'60s psychedelic-phase--for the proof. Funkadelic is still a step away from perfecting its funk-rock craft. This album is hindered by very treble-heavy production, a sonic approach very unlike the group's future bass-indulgent works. FREE YOUR MIND AND YOUR ASS WILL FOLLOW is one of Funkadelic's shortest albums, at barely over a half-hour in length. But the one-dimensional production proves even more frustrating. There's plenty of sonic experimentation going on within each composition, but it's all but impossible to decipher. Tracks such as "Friday Night, August 14th," "Funky Dollar Bill," and "I Wanna Know If It's Good To You?" are all highlights, the band locking into one killer funk groove after another. The haunting and tranquil "Eulogy and Light" closes the album with a fusion of backwards singing and gospel-like speech, a fitting end to Funkadelic's most 'out there' recording.