Search - George Clinton :: Best of

Clinton's Greatest Hits, Not Parliament or Funkadelic

bruce banner | New York | 02/06/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Good Lord, Can this space be reserved for people who are actually familiar with the music of which they write? Can there be some sort of test? This collection doesn't pretend to be representative of Clinton's most critical work, namely the work he recorded under the banner of Parliament, Funkadelic, or any of the offshoots.(The Brides of Funkenstein, The P-Funk All-Stars, etc) For one thing, such studio material could never be released in the same package for legal reasons - Although virtually the same group, Parliament recorded for Casablanca, Funkadelic for Westbound and later Warner Brothers. THE BEST OF GEORGE CLINTON doesn't include any of that. This collection selects the best tracks from a small number of albums Clinton recorded under his own name from the early to mid-80's. While it's certainly true that most of Clinton's output during this time isn't equal to the quality of the classic Parliament/Funkadelic years, this collection is essential for including ATOMIC DOG alone - the most famous of his singles, and aside from James Brown's FUNKY DRUMMER, probably the most sampled track in history. It's arguable that this amazing track provided the standard for the whole west coast g-funk era. Now whether one views this as a good or bad thing is not the issue. It's simply a fact that after George towered above all others in one genre of music, he saw fit to kick-start another, consciously or not. As for the rest of the material, it is, again, admittedly weak if one compares it to Clinton's former glories. There are, however, a number of great songs here - among them BULLET PROOF, DO FRIES GO WITH THAT SHAKE and HEY, GOOD LOOKIN', which stand as near-triumphs if one takes a simple look at the bankrupt state funk was in during the years of their release. So to any reviewer who isn't aware, don't knock this record because of your ignorance. ATOMIC DOG is up there with MAGGOT BRAIN or COSMIC SLOP or RED HOT MOMMA or DR. FUNKENSTEIN or BOP GUN or FLASHLIGHT or KNEE DEEP or anything else composed by Clinton. And besides, if one is looking for a single greatest hits record to satisfy their P-funk jones, aren't there enough "best-of"s already out there to satisfy these semi-fans?"

Can't sit/stand still!!

Mrs. Karen L. Demmy | USA | 07/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fabulous CD, ALL the songs are terrific. I love George Clinton's music and got the idea to use one of his CD's to listen to while I do my walking. Well I can tell you that is the best CD to make you keep moving and move at a very brisk pace. Makes walking FUN!!!"

Mothership with engine trouble...

Jeff | Providence, RI USA | 10/01/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While it's true that the entirety of the P-Funk Mob can't be assembled into one collection because of legal reasons that still plague George to this day, this is a record worth having if only because it is available NOW. A wise collector/Clinton fan would find it prudent to scoop up anything they can, while they can. Just try and find "Hey Man... Smell My Finger", which was released on Paisley Park when Prince was going through his "I'm changing my name to a symbol" period. Clinton fans will appreciate this record, which was never intended to be a representative "Best Of" collection. Free your mind..."