Due to legal difficulties between Clinton and Revilot, The Parliaments' label, the name was abandoned in favor of Funkadelic, which consisted of the same group of people (that is, both the former Parliaments and their back-up band, now both combined in the name "Funkadelic"). The group signed to Westbound in 1968.
The group's self-titled debut album, Funkadelic, was released in 1970. The credits listed organist Mickey Atkins plus Clinton, Fulwood, Hazel, Nelson and Ross, though the actual recording also included several uncredited sessionmen then employed by Motown, as well as Ray Monette (of Rare Earth) and Bernie Worrell.
Bernie Worrell was officially credited starting with Funkadelic's second album, 1970's Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow, thus beginning a long collaboration between Worrell and Clinton (who had been friends for quite a while). Worrell would go on to produce many Parliament and Funkadelic albums, as well as play keyboard on albums by other members of P Funk.
After the release of Maggot Brain in 1971, Bootsy Collins and Catfish Collins joined the group. The brothers would go on to become major contributors to the P Funk sound. In 1972, this new line-up released America Eats Its Young, but many members left the group after that, due to internal squabbles, plus Hazel spending a year in jail for drug possession and assault and Tawl Ross experiencing a bad LSD trip and/or speed overdose, while Billy Bass quit due to financial concerns. Michael Hampton, a seventeen-year-old guitar prodigy, replaced Hazel.
1975 brought Funkadelic to Warner Brothers, and saw the release of Hardcore Jollies in 1976. The same year, Westbound released a compilation of archived tracks titled Tales of Kidd Funkadelic, which did significantly better than Hardcore Jollies and included "Undisco Kidd", a R&B Top 30 single. In 1977, Westbound capitalized on the success of Tales of Kidd Funkadelic by releasing The Best of the Early Years. Funkadelic recorded and released its magnum opus, One Nation Under a Groove in 1978. The title track spent six weeks at #1 on the R&B charts, while Parliament was enjoying success with "Flash Light" and "Aqua Boogie."
As the 1980s wore on, legal difficulties arising from the multiple names used by multiple groups, as well as a shakeup among Parliament's record label, Parliament and Funkadelic disintegrated. George Clinton recorded several solo albums (sometimes under the name George Clinton & the P-Funk Allstars).
Filmmaker Yvonne Smith of Berkeley, California-based Firelight Media produced Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove, a full-length documentary about the groundbreaking group, which aired on PBS in 2005.
ALSO......
Though it often took a back chair to its sister group Parliament, Funkadelic furthered the notions of black rock begun by Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, blending elements of '60s psychedelia and blues plus the deep groove of soul and funk. The band pursued album statements of social/political commentary while Parliament stayed in the funk singles format, but Funkadelic nevertheless paralleled the more commercial artist's success, especially in the late '70s when the interplay between bands moved the Funkadelic sound closer to a unified P-Funk style.
In the grand soul tradition of a backing band playing support before the star takes the stage, Funkadelic began life supporting George Clinton's doo wop group, the Parliaments. After having performed for almost ten years, the Parliaments had added a rhythm section in 1964 -- for tours and background work -- consisting of guitarist Frankie Boyce, his brother Richard on bass, and drummer Langston Booth; two years later, the trio enlisted in the Army. By mid-1967, Clinton had recruited a new backing band, including his old friend Billy "Bass" Nelson (born January 28, 1951, Plainfield, NJ) and guitarist Eddie Hazel (born April 10, 1950, Brooklyn, NY). After several temporary replacements on drums and keyboards, the addition of rhythm guitarist Lucius "Tawl" Ross (born October 5, 1948, Wagram, NC) and drummer Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (born May 23, 1944, Philadelphia, PA) completed the lineup.
The Parliaments recorded several hits during 1967, but trouble with the Revilot label backed Clinton into a corner. He hit upon the idea of deserting the Parliaments' name and instead recording their backing group, with the added vocal "contributions" of the former Parliaments -- same band, different name. Billy Nelson suggested the title Funkadelic, to reflect the members' increased inspiration from LSD and psychedelic culture. Clinton formed the Funkadelic label in mid-1968 but then signed the group to Detroit's Westbound label several months later.
Released in 1970, Funkadelic's self-titled debut album listed only producer Clinton and the five members of Funkadelic -- Hazel, Nelson, Fulwood, and Ross plus organist Mickey Atkins -- but also included all the former Parliaments plus several Motown sessionmen and Rare Earth's Ray Monette. Keyboard player Bernie Worrell also appeared on the album uncredited, even though his picture was included on the inner sleeve with the rest of the band.
Worrell (born April 19, 1944, Long Beach, NJ) was finally credited on the second Funkadelic album (1970's Free Your Mind...and Your A** Will Follow). He and Clinton had known each other since the early '60s, and Worrell soon became the most crucial cog in the P-Funk machine, working on arrangements and production for most later Parliament/Funkadelic releases. His strict upbringing and classical training (at the New England Conservatory and Juilliard), as well as the boom in synthesizer technology during the early '70s, gave him the tools to create the horn arrangements and jazz fusion-inspired synth runs that later trademarked the P-Funk sound. Just after the release of their third album, Maggot Brain, P-Funk added yet another big contributor, Bootsy Collins. The throbbing bass line of Collins (born October 26, 1951, Cincinnati, OH) had previously been featured in James Brown's backing band, the J.B.'s (along with his brother, guitarist Catfish Collins). Bootsy and Catfish were playing in a Detroit band in 1972 when George Clinton saw and hired them.
The Clinton/Worrell/Collins lineup premiered on 1972's America Eats Its Young, but soon after its release several original members left the camp. Eddie Hazel spent a year in jail after a combination drug possession/assault conviction, Tawl Ross left the band for medical reasons relating to an overdose of LSD and speed, and Bill Nelson quit after more financial quarrels with Clinton. Funkadelic hired teenaged guitar sensation Michael Hampton as a replacement, but both Hazel and Nelson would return for several later P-Funk releases.
Funkadelic moved to Warner Bros. in 1975 and delivered its major-label debut, Hardcore Jollies, one year later to lackluster sales and reviews. The same year, Westbound raided its vaults and countered with Tales of Kidd Funkadelic. Ironically, the album did better than Hardcore Jollies and included an R&B Top 30 single, "Undisco Kidd." In 1977, Westbound released The Best of the Early Years while Funkadelic recorded what became its masterpiece (and arguably the best P-Funk release ever), 1978's One Nation Under a Groove.
During the most successful year in Parliament/Funkadelic history, Parliament hit the charts first with "Flash Light," P-Funk's first R&B number one. "Aqua Boogie" would hit number one as well late in the year, but Funkadelic's title track to One Nation Under a Groove spent six weeks at the top spot on the R&B charts during the summer. The album, which reflected a growing consistency in styles between Parliament and Funkadelic, became the first Funkadelic LP to reach platinum (the same year that Parliament's Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome did the same). In 1979, Funkadelic's "(Not Just) Knee Deep" hit number one as well, and its album (Uncle Jam Wants You) reached gold status.
At just the point that Funkadelic appeared to be at the top of its powers, the band began to unravel. As is sometimes the case, commercial success began to dissolve several old friendships. In 1977, original Parliaments members Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas had left the P-Funk organization to record on their own. In early 1981, they hit the R&B charts with a single called "Connections and Disconnections," recorded as Funkadelic. To confuse matters more, the original Funkadelic appeared on the charts at the same time, with the title track to The Electric Spanking of War Babies.
During 1980, Clinton began to be weighed down by legal difficulties arising from Polygram's acquisition of Parliament's label, Casablanca. Jettisoning both the Parliament and Funkadelic names (but not the musicians), Clinton began his solo career with 1982's Computer Games. He and many former Parliament/Funkadelic members continued to tour and record throughout the '80s as the P-Funk All Stars, but the decade's disdain of everything to do with the '70s resulted in critical and commercial neglect for the world's biggest funk band, especially one which in part had spawned the sound of disco. During the early '90s, the rise of funk-inspired rap (courtesy of Digital Underground, Dr. Dre, and Warren G.) and funk rock (Primus and Red Hot Chili Peppers) re-established the status of Clinton & co., one of the most important forces in the recent history of black music. ~ John Bush, Rovi
Call the doctor
Funkadelic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To movin' movin', and if the anti-grooves just cannot soothe
Your desperate funkish urge for groovin' and if your funk is ailin' still
There's no cure, there ain't no pills
He's the one that can do it for ya
One and one and one is three
Dr. Funk is all you need, he's the one that can heal it for ya
If you lived a funkless life
If you want some quick reaction
Guarantees you satisfaction, you'll groove the world
Oh oh oh, he's got your prescription, he's the doctor
Calling the doctor
Don't use no funny pills, 'cause he's the doctor
Calling the doctor
Through funk is how he heals, he's the doctor
Calling the doctor
Duh duh duhduh duh, call the doctor
If you lived a funkless life
Groovin' less, feelin' un-nice, he's the one that can change it for ya
If you want some acleyfaction
Pull your funk up out of traction
You'll groove the world
Oh oh oh, he's got your prescription, he's the doctor
Calling the doctor
Don't use no funny pills, 'cause he's the doctor
Calling the doctor
Through funk is how he heals, he's the doctor
Calling the doctor
Duh duh duhduh duh, call the doctor
You've got to call, call the doctor (x3)
Yes, you've got to call, call the doctor
Ah, call the funky doctor when you're down on your side
Call the doctor
And prepare your anatomy for takin' a ride
He's the one that can do it for ya
Call the doctor
Wooo, when you need a cure and it's got to be real
Call the doctor
He's the P in prescriptions with the thrill of a pill
He's the one that can do it for ya
Call the doctor, wooo
(x3)
He's the doctor, he will take care all your ills
Call the doctor
(x3)
In Funkadelic's song "Call The Doctor," the lyrics are praising the power of funk to heal and cure any funkless or un-nice feelings. The song implores listeners to call on "Dr. Funk," who is the source of all the grooving and healing, and who can cure all funk-related ailments. The song's message is that funk is the cure-all, and that Dr. Funk is the only one who can help those who are stuck in a funkless life. The lyrics are playful and tongue-in-cheek, but there is also a deeper message about the power of music to heal and bring people together.
The song's lyrics and overall message reflect the funk music scene of the 1970s, which was characterized by its upbeat and danceable rhythms, funky basslines, and focus on the groove. For many people, funk music was a way to escape from the stresses of everyday life and to feel the joy and energy of the dance floor. "Call The Doctor" speaks to this power of music to heal and bring people together, and it celebrates the positive energy and community that can be found in the funk music scene.
Overall, "Call The Doctor" is a fun and infectious song that celebrates the power of funk to heal and cure. Its lyrics are playful and tongue-in-cheek, but they also contain a deeper message about the importance of music in our lives. The song reflects the joy and energy of the 1970s funk scene, and it continues to be a favorite of funk fans and music lovers everywhere.
Line by Line Meaning
It was no potion, that notion that led to my devotion
My love for funk music cannot be attributed to any magic or elixir, it simply comes from within.
To movin' movin', and if the anti-grooves just cannot soothe
If you're feeling down and ungroovy, the only remedy is to start dancing and move your body to the beat.
Your desperate funkish urge for groovin' and if your funk is ailin' still
If you're longing for some funky music to lift your spirits, even if you're not feeling well, Dr. Funk is the one who can help you out.
There's no cure, there ain't no pills
There's no medicine that can compare to the healing power of funk music.
He's the one that can do it for ya
Dr. Funk is the only one who can truly cure your funk deficiency and get you grooving again.
One and one and one is three
When you add Dr. Funk to your life, the result is threefold: happiness, grooves, and satisfaction.
Dr. Funk is all you need, he's the one that can heal it for ya
All you need to get your funk back is a prescription from Dr. Funk, who is the only one who can truly heal your funklessness.
If you lived a funkless life
If you've never experienced the joy of funk music, life may seem dull and unexciting.
Groovin' less, feelin' un-nice, he's the one that can change it for ya
If you're feeling ungroovy and unhappy, Dr. Funk is the only one who can change that and get you feeling nice again.
If you want some quick reaction
If you want to feel the effects of funk music quickly and intensely, Dr. Funk is the one to call.
Guarantees you satisfaction, you'll groove the world
Dr. Funk promises to satisfy your need for grooves and get you dancing so much that the whole world will feel your funky energy.
Oh oh oh, he's got your prescription, he's the doctor
Dr. Funk has the cure to all your funk-related problems, and he's ready to prescribe it to you.
Don't use no funny pills, 'cause he's the doctor
There's no need to turn to other medications or drugs when you have Dr. Funk to cure your funk woes.
Through funk is how he heals, he's the doctor
Funk music is the only medicine Dr. Funk needs to cure your funkless existence.
Duh duh duhduh duh, call the doctor
If you hear this catchy tune in your head and can't resist the urge to dance, it's a sign that you need to call Dr. Funk.
If you want some acleyfaction
If you want to get your funk on and groove hard, Dr. Funk is the one to call.
Pull your funk up out of traction, you'll groove the world
Dr. Funk can pull you out of your funk rut and get you dancing so much that your grooves will affect the whole world around you.
Ah, call the funky doctor when you're down on your side
Whenever you're feeling down or out of sorts, Dr. Funk can lift you up and get you dancing again.
And prepare your anatomy for takin' a ride
When you call Dr. Funk, get ready to feel the music in your bones and let your body take you on a funky journey.
He's the P in prescriptions with the thrill of a pill
Dr. Funk knows exactly what prescription to give you to cure your funk deficiency, and it's just as thrilling as any drug.
He's the doctor, he will take care all your ills
Dr. Funk is the only doctor you need to cure any and all funk-related problems you may have.
You've got to call, call the doctor (x3)
If you're feeling the funk and need to get your grooves on, Dr. Funk is the only one who can help - so call him now!
Contributed by Cameron K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.