sufferinsukatash

Released one year after the "feedback drenched" (wikipedia) Free Your Mind..., Maggot Brain continues the spiritual struggle that the album set out to define. The opening of Free Your Mind... began with a drug soaked insistence that spiritual freedom was necessarily intertwined with freedom of the body. This most likely had something to do with the hard and especially heavy funk that characterized the grooves on that record: Eddie Hazel's guitar is heavily distorted and the treble frequencies sound like they are turned to the max; the drums are loud and pound like something off a Led Zeppelin song; the vocalists all cry and shriek in furious ecstasy about the disenchantment of city life, gangs, economic participation, and cheap sex. Like Karl Marx, as well as some sort of spiritual guru, George Clinton (no not the president) observed the sickness around him and the confusion it produced about the Mind, Spirit, the self, and reality. Clinton and co. seem to also be critical of institutionalized religion and it's infatuation with other realms. He proclaims: "the kingdom of heaven is within", not the kingdom of heaven is achievable only through death. Rather, that the social ails of the time are the evil keeping their lives from being a heaven on earth.

These themes and concerns all return in Maggot Brain, but the overall tone of the album is arguably more desperate, cynical, and angry. Though the previous album was also very ambiguous (especially the closer "Eulogy and Light"), the album cover is the most telling difference. Free Your Mind... is a sky blue cover with a woman appearing to physically surrender to spiritual ecstasy while Maggot Brain is all black with the title written haphazardly and has a woman (possibly that same woman from the previous album) buried in the ground with only her head exposed so she can let out a cry of pain, fear, or any combination of those with other things. While the previous album was an introduction to the spiritual struggle, Maggot Brain seems to signify the war wounds (psychic or otherwise) that were made since then. Hence the album closer "Wars of Armageddon", an open jam with background noises such as a crying baby and a cursing man, the focus being the man whose inability to tolerate the crying child is taken as evidence of warped priorities (not necessarily by the man alone).

The other most obvious instance of the slight darkening of the mood is the ten minute long guitar epic that is named for and begins the album. "Maggot Brain" is the album's, as well as Eddie Hazel's, defining moment. It begins with the sound of a machine gun shortly followed with George Clinton reading the following:




These lyrics have a sense of urgency. There are allusions to death all over it. Whether it be from the maggots in the mind of the universe or from the sensation of drowning. The harsh emotions these images evoke also confuse the listener. Is this a literal death? A spiritual death? Or both somehow? Today, academics (which are slowly becoming a dying breed--if not something else), talk of post-humanism. George Clinton seemed to be concerned about something similar and he pleads we heed his words: "come on maggot brain". Also, drowning in one's fecal matter is also not the best way to go. It is humiliating and disgusting. You don't need to try it to know that. From the first song we learn that the maggot brain in question is all who approach this record without an immediate understanding of George Clinton's concerns and hopes. He has his doubts ("Can you Get to That") and even offers solutions ("You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks") in terms that are supposed to sarcastically resemble the "life of credit" that characterizes the sick he sees surrounding. He doesn't think much of drugs apparently ("Super Stupid"), probably thinks of them as Marx did (opium for the masses--or was that religion?), but thinks they are okay in moderation(?) ("Hit It and Quit It"). "Back in Our Minds" is a compelling track because it seems to represent a state in which the problems of society are solved:



But the music is wacky. It's actually kind of Zappa (someone Clinton was fond of). It may also supposed to represent drunkenness. Avoiding typically heavenly metaphors that are riddled with historical racism and antipathy towards the body (that's not very funky). Or it may be something else. I'll leave it to the listener to ponder this.

Musically, Maggot Brain sounds a lot more sophisticated than it's predecessor. It seems less like a Rock-funk record focused around very loud guitar riffs and noisy sound fx. The band jams better and the songwriting is more varied in it's emotional breadth and effect (especially considering the two albums are very similar). Eddie Hazel solos ALOT more on Maggot Brain, which is a good thing because so is he. He's rock in the tradition of Hendrix and Led Zeppelin: heavy blues influence with a noticeable preference for danceable grooves. The solos themselves are danceable too not just the fact that they accompany the very funky rhythm section. The editing seems better too. More focused and intentional. Instruments used to represent crazed psychological states are clever. Overall, you'd be simply incorrect to call this a bad record. You don't need to subscribe to the spiritual Marxism to appreciate it either. It's well made and showcases a very good band with very good musical sensibilities.


Tracklist:
1) Maggot Brain
2) Can You Get to That
3) Hit It and Quit It
4) You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks
5) Super Stupid
6) Back In Our Minds
7) Wars of Armageddon

Rating: 5/5

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_Brain