| Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Funkadelic | ||||
| Released | July 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1970 | |||
| Genre | Funk, psychedelic soul, rock | |||
| Length | 30:52 | |||
| Label | Westbound | |||
| Producer | George Clinton | |||
| Funkadelic chronology | ||||
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Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow is the second studio album by American funk band Funkadelic, released in July 1970 on Westbound Records.[1] The inspiration for this album was, according to George Clinton, an attempt to "see if we can cut a whole album while we're all tripping on acid."[1]
The album and its title track, a feedback-drenched number taking a third of the album's length, introduces the subversion of Christian themes explored on later songs, describing a mystical approach to salvation in which "the Kingdom of Heaven is within" and achievable through freeing one's mind, after which one's ass will follow. Many of the songs (such as the title track and "Eulogy and Light") subvert Christian themes, including the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm.[1]
The album's gatefold cover forms something of a visual pun, echoing the sentiments of the album title. The sight of a woman holding her arms towards heaven in an ecstatic pose is subverted upon opening the sleeve to find that she is nude.
On the Billboard Music Charts (North America), Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow peaked at #11 on the Black Albums Chart and #92 on the Pop Albums chart.[1] The album and eponymous song influenced the band En Vogue, leading to the title of their hit song "Free Your Mind (song)".
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Record Collector | [2] |
| Julian Cope | (favorable) [3] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.8/10) [4] |
| Allmusic | [5] |
| Spin | (9/10) [6] |
| Billboard | (favorable) [7] |
| Robert Christgau | (B-) [8] |
| The Grand Inquisitor | (9/10) [9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information. | |
This album was released in 1970 on vinyl record and was reissued in 2005 on CD with additional bonus tracks.
Side One:
Side Two:
Lead vocals are noted by superscripts: (a) George Clinton, (b) Billy Bass Nelson, (c) Eddie Hazel, (d) Tawl Ross
On the 2005 CD reissue, there were four tracks in addition to the six tracks above. These tracks are (in order):
Funkadelic shared many members in common with its sister band Parliament. As a result, the vocals for this Funkadelic album were voiced by members common to these bands. The members of Parliament voiced on this record include: George Clinton who was the lead singer in both Parliament and Funkadelic; Ray Davis; Fuzzy Haskins; Calvin Simon; and Grady Thomas.
In addition to the members of Parliament who performed vocals on this album, several of the musicians also sang on a number of the tracks. Eddie Hazel, the lead guitarist, also performed lead vocals on two songs, "I Wanna Know" and "Some More". Tawl Ross, the rhythm guitarist, sang lead vocals on the track "Funky Dollar Bill". Billy Bass Nelson, the bass guitarist, performed lead vocals on the tracks "Friday Night" and "I Wanna Know".
Two instrumentalists did not perform vocals: keyboardist Bernie Worrell and drummer Tiki Fulwood.