After two previous albums of the same basic musical format: spoken word intros and funky extended guitar jams laced with generous portions of gospel vocals, echo, fuzz, and wah-wah, Funkadelic released their magnum opus Maggot Brain in the summer of 1971.  Given the album’s release in a time of turmoil in Detroit and many parts of the United States, the social commentary on Maggot Brain hits harder than previous releases. Lyrics aside, Maggot Brain was the last Funkadelic album to feature the lineup of original members Tawl Ross (guitar), Billy Nelson (bass), and Tiki Fulwood (drums) who each left that band following the album’s release. 

The title track – arguably the most famous on the record – takes its name from one of two (or more) references: guitarist Eddie Hazel’s nickname or a reference to George Clinton finding his deceased brother’s body in an apartment in Chicago (or Newark, NJ). “Maggot Brain” starts with a de rigeur Clinton monologue “Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time…” and wanders into a repeated figure over which Eddie Hazel delivers an epic in length and iconic in spirit guitar solo replete with fuzz, wah-wah, and echo. Legend has it Clinton told Hazel to play the track as if his mother had died. The post-production stereo imaging and echo bring an otherwise basic melody to a different planet. A 2005 reissue of the record includes a mix featuring the rest of the band that was mixed out of the original release.