Free Your Mind...And Your Ass Will Follow
Encyclopedia
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
. 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
."
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.
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. The album and eponymous song influenced the band En Vogue
, leading to the title of their hit song "Free Your Mind (song)".
The original vinyl's second side (Side two) also consisted of four tracks, including (in order):
Lead vocals are noted by superscripts: (a) George Clinton
, (b) Billy Bass Nelson
, (c) Eddie Hazel
, (d) Tawl Ross
. 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
.
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band Funkadelic
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
, released in July 1970 on Westbound Records
Westbound Records
Westbound Records is a Detroit-based record label founded by Armen Boladian in 1970. It had a distribution deal with Janus Records from 1970 to 1975, but then it switched distribution to 20th Century Records during 1975 and 1976, but again switched distribution to Atlantic Records from 1976 to...
. The inspiration for this album was, according to George Clinton
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, an attempt to "see if we can cut a whole album while we're all tripping on acid
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
."
The album and its title track, a feedback
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
-drenched number taking a third of the album's length, introduces the subversion of Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
themes explored on later songs, describing a mystical
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
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
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
themes, including the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
and the 23rd Psalm.
The album's gatefold cover forms something of a visual pun
Visual pun
A visual pun is a pun involving an image or images .Visual puns in which the image is at odds with the inscription are common in Dutch gable stones as well as in cartoons such as Lost Consonants or The Far Side...
, 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. The album and eponymous song influenced the band En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
, leading to the title of their hit song "Free Your Mind (song)".
Reception
Track listing
This album was released in 1970 on vinyl record and was reissued in 2005 on CD with additional bonus tracks.Original 1970 vinyl release
The original vinyl record release was double-sided with about 15 to 20 minutes of music on either side. The first side of the record (Side one) consisted of the following two tracks (in order):- "Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow" (George ClintonGeorge Clinton (musician)George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
(lead vocals), Ray DavisRay Davis (musician)Raymond "Ray" Davis was the original bass singer and one of the founding members of The Parliaments, Parliament, and Funkadelic. His regular nickname while he was with those groups was "Sting Ray Davis". Aside from George Clinton, he was the only original member of the Parliaments not to leave the...
, Eddie HazelEddie HazelEdward Earl "Eddie" Hazel was a guitarist in early funk music in the United States who played lead guitar with Parliament-Funkadelic...
) - 10:04 - "Friday Night, August 14th" (Clinton, Hazel, Billy Bass NelsonBilly Bass NelsonWilliam "Billy Bass" Nelson is a U.S. musician, who was the original bassist for Funkadelic. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic....
(lead vocals)) - 5:21
The original vinyl's second side (Side two) also consisted of four tracks, including (in order):
- ""Funky Dollar Bill" (Clinton, Davis, Hazel, Tawl RossTawl RossLucius "Tawl" Ross was the rhythm guitarist for Funkadelic from 1968 to 1971 and played on their first three albums. He left the band in 1971 soon after a debilitating experience with LSD. He moved back to North Carolina and dropped out of the music scene, but resurfaced in 1995 after a nearly...
(lead vocals)) - 3:15 (released as a single-Westbound 175) - "I Wanna Know If It's Good to You?" (Clinton, Clarence HaskinsFuzzy HaskinsClarence Eugene "Fuzzy" Haskins is a former singer with 1950s and 1960s doo-wop group, The Parliaments. He is a founding member of the groundbreaking and influential 1970s funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, also known as Parliament-Funkadelic. He left Parliament-Funkadelic in 1977 to pursue a...
, Hazel (lead vocals), Nelson (also lead vocals)) 5:59 (released as a single-Westbound 167) - "Some More" (Clinton, Ernie Harris, Hazel (lead vocals)) - 2:56
- "Eulogy and Light" (Clinton (lead vocals), Harris) - 3:31
Lead vocals are noted by superscripts: (a) George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
, (b) Billy Bass Nelson
Billy Bass Nelson
William "Billy Bass" Nelson is a U.S. musician, who was the original bassist for Funkadelic. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic....
, (c) Eddie Hazel
Eddie Hazel
Edward Earl "Eddie" Hazel was a guitarist in early funk music in the United States who played lead guitar with Parliament-Funkadelic...
, (d) Tawl Ross
Tawl Ross
Lucius "Tawl" Ross was the rhythm guitarist for Funkadelic from 1968 to 1971 and played on their first three albums. He left the band in 1971 soon after a debilitating experience with LSD. He moved back to North Carolina and dropped out of the music scene, but resurfaced in 1995 after a nearly...
2005 CD reissue
On the 2005 CD reissue, there were four tracks in addition to the six tracks above. These tracks are (in order):- "Fish, Chips and Sweat" - 3:22 minutes
- "Free Your Mind Radio Advert" - 0:55 minutes
- "I Wanna Know If It's Good to You" - 2:50 minutes
- "I Wanna Know If It's Good to You (instrumental)" - 3:12 minutes
Personnel
Funkadelic shared many members in common with its sister band ParliamentParliament (band)
Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
. 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
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
who was the lead singer in both Parliament and Funkadelic; Ray Davis
Ray Davis (musician)
Raymond "Ray" Davis was the original bass singer and one of the founding members of The Parliaments, Parliament, and Funkadelic. His regular nickname while he was with those groups was "Sting Ray Davis". Aside from George Clinton, he was the only original member of the Parliaments not to leave the...
; Fuzzy Haskins
Fuzzy Haskins
Clarence Eugene "Fuzzy" Haskins is a former singer with 1950s and 1960s doo-wop group, The Parliaments. He is a founding member of the groundbreaking and influential 1970s funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, also known as Parliament-Funkadelic. He left Parliament-Funkadelic in 1977 to pursue a...
; Calvin Simon
Calvin Simon
Calvin Eugene Simon is a former member of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic....
; and Grady Thomas
Grady Thomas
Grady Thomas is a former member of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
.
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
Eddie Hazel
Edward Earl "Eddie" Hazel was a guitarist in early funk music in the United States who played lead guitar with Parliament-Funkadelic...
, the lead guitarist, also performed lead vocals on two songs, "I Wanna Know" and "Some More". Tawl Ross
Tawl Ross
Lucius "Tawl" Ross was the rhythm guitarist for Funkadelic from 1968 to 1971 and played on their first three albums. He left the band in 1971 soon after a debilitating experience with LSD. He moved back to North Carolina and dropped out of the music scene, but resurfaced in 1995 after a nearly...
, the rhythm guitarist, sang lead vocals on the track "Funky Dollar Bill". Billy Bass Nelson
Billy Bass Nelson
William "Billy Bass" Nelson is a U.S. musician, who was the original bassist for Funkadelic. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic....
, the bass guitarist, performed lead vocals on the tracks "Friday Night" and "I Wanna Know".
Two instrumentalists did not perform vocals: keyboardist Bernie Worrell
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
and drummer Tiki Fulwood
Tiki Fulwood
Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood was a drummer for the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic...
.
External links
- Free Your Mind...And Your Ass Will Follow at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- the Motherpage reviews