Track Listing:
Comin' Round the Mountain
{G Clinton, Grace Cook} 5:56 lyrics
Smokey
{G Clinton, Garry Shider} 6:08 lyrics
If You Got Funk, You Got Style
{G Clinton, W Collins, B Worrell} 3:07 lyrics
Hardcore Jollies
{G Clinton, B Worrell} 5:01 lyrics
Soul Mate
{G Clinton, G Cook} 2:58 lyrics
Cosmic Slop (Live)
{G Clinton, B Worrell} 6:30 lyrics
You Scared the Lovin' Outta Me
{G Clinton, Glen Goins} 6:28 lyrics
Adolescent Funk
{G Clinton, B Worrell, Michael Hampton} 4:18 lyrics
Personnel:
Vocals: George Clinton, Ray Davis, Fuzzy Haskins, Grady Thomas,
Calvin Simon, Garry Shider, Glen Goins
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton
Guitars: Garry Shider, Glen Goins
Keyboards: Bernie Worrell
Bass: Cordell Mosson
Drums: Jerome Brailey
Percussion on "Comin' Round the Mountain": Buddy Miles
"If You Got Funk..."
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Rating: GZ * RC ***1/2 MM ? MV: ****
Comments:GZ: A transitional album as the gang moves to Warner Bros. Only memorable thang is a live version of "Cosmic Slop".
RC: A consistently interesting, if unremarkable Funkadelic creation. Notable for being the last album to feature the original Parliament singing lineup, as Fuzzy Haskins bolted to notch out a couple of solo albums, and Grady & Calvin didn't stick around either. Like Tales of Kidd Funkadelic, recorded at roughly the same time, the album lacks a consistent & coherent theme, and also suffers from the absence of Eddie Hazel. But new Kidd Michael Hampton carves out some excellent slices of funk here, showing off his chops more than on the Kidd Funkadelic album. "Hardcore Jollies" is the best examples of Michael going off, and he's well matched by Jerome Brailey thumping the skins. The riff to this song was first heard in Parliament's "Livin' The Life", and is still used in concert today, often at the end of "Hit It & Quit It." The singing on the album is one of its stronger points, with the sleaze-funk of "Smokey" and "You Scared The Lovin' Outta Me." Clinton's vocals are featured on two percussion-oriented tracks, "If You Got Funk..." and "Soul Mate." 'I just want to kiss you on your...desire', delivered in the sleazy manner that only Clinton can. The live version of "Cosmic Slop" is sort of out of place, and not particularly well-mixed, but it's nice to hear the 'Space People' intro and some good guitar work. The capper, "Adolescent Funk", is the Bernie workout for the album, and it's a good one, almost in the style of Parliament's "Night Of The Thumpasorous Peoples".
This album was definitely Clinton starting to retrench and retool a little bit, as he was starting up some of the P.Funk side acts, like Bootsy's Rubber Band. In a sense, it can be considered the last "true" Funkadelic album (despite the relative absence of Eddie Hazel), because it has much of the lineup that produced those superb albums from 73-75. Overall, it's a better listen than Tales of Kidd Funkadelic, but there are no standout tracks. The Hampton & Hazel guitar jams are the album's best feature. Side 1 of the album is called "Osmosis Phase One" and side 2 is called "Terribitus Phase Two."
MV: For Hardcore Jollies, a one-star rating is truly and profoundly scandalous! Aside from the live version of "Cosmic Slop" (which is a disappointment, I'll admit) every cut is excellent. Chock full of excellent post-Hendrix R&B-inflected guitar playing and fantastic singing, the LP is rightfully dedicated to the "guitar players of the world". The transitional nature of the project does not mean a decline in quality, rather it means that songwriting is varied and fascinatingly quirky in its subject matter. As with America, this LP is a true favorite among hardcore Funkadelic fans.
MO: Magic Mike Hampton had absolutely nothing to do with "Comin' Round The Mountain." That raw edged playing that sounds like two separate guitars is Eddie Hazel in his absolute prime. Unmistakably. Eddie's known for playing a Les Paul (black beauty) and plugging it into a Gibson, Fender or Marshall amplifier that was slightly overdriven. Adding a phaser and an Echoplex was just the finishing touch he'd need whenever he laid tracks in the studio circa 1975-76. By this time he had become a more accomplished and refined player and no longer used the archaic sounding fuzztone devices he preferred in the late 60's and early 70's.