Funkadelic – Live at Meadowbrook 1971 (2xLP, Red Vinyl, RSD BF 2026)

Funkadelic's Live At Meadowbrook 1971 captures the band on September 12, 1971, just after Maggot Brain and right in the middle of a lineup shift that would help shape the next phase of P-Funk. Drawn from the original soundboard master tapes, this complete, unedited concert is widely presented as the only official live document from Funkadelic's classic early era. George Clinton, Eddie Hazel, Bernie Worrell and Billy "Bass" Nelson are all here, with Harold Beane and Tyrone Lampkin making their first recorded appearances with the group.

What makes this set especially rewarding is how clearly it shows Funkadelic's live language still forming in real time. The long takes on “Maggot Brain” and “I Got A Thing, You Got A Thing, Everybody Got A Thing” lean hard into the band's mix of psychedelic rock, deep funk and open-ended improvisation, while “I Call My Baby Pussycat” and “Good Old Music” underline just how loose, heavy and restless this lineup could be. It is a raw, transitional performance, but that is exactly the appeal: you can hear the band pushing toward the larger, more expansive P-Funk identity it would soon fully inhabit.

For this edition, the recording has been newly remastered by Dave Gardner. The 2xLP also restores Rob Bowman's substantial liner notes from the 1996 CD release, and the updated gatefold package adds new cover artwork by Damon Locks, giving an important early Funkadelic document a presentation that feels properly considered.

Features

• 2xLP, Red Vinyl
• Newly remastered by Dave Gardner
• Complete, unedited concert from the original soundboard master tapes
• Updated gatefold packaging with new cover artwork by Damon Locks
• Includes Rob Bowman's liner notes from the 1996 CD release

Reviews

• it’s not simply P-Funk in their early phase, it’s P-Funk in transition. - Pitchfork