Friday, April 10, 2020

A Cheer for Eddie: Eddie Hazel 70

Mama, mama... 
holding my hand in the storm.
Audience participation, so heavy in my dreams.
The church choir is singing my favorite inspiration.
God is alive. 
God is real. 
He is right here -- in my hands.
He is on gigs in funky little Midwestern clubs.
Roll with us baby, roll with us!
Shower us with that funk, that country funk, backwoods, swamp and bayou funk!
Way back into the bottom of slave ships
and deep dark funky SCREAMS that caress our souls 
and make us pat our feet to the rhythm, 
to the blues, 
to the jazz, 
and to the music in your heart.
Makes us want to dance and so I play, I play, I play!
Walking through this mild pain 
uptempo sensitivity,
open to the four winds.
I want you to feel this thing I feel when finger touches strings,
this strange thing that kisses my lips,
whispers in my ears,
embraces all that I am.
This thing called Love.
Love with no one to receive it.
Love with no one to understand it.
Love with no one to care for it.
Musical discontent in a trance,
eyes rolling back into my head.
Need something
no, not that.
My head needs something!
No! not that!
Temporary pleasure.
Temporary pleasure becomes permanent emotions that separate,
leaving me in so many many places.
Musical genius.
Human demon.
So fragile.
So vulnerable.
So very real to myself.
All I've got is your appreciation!
Please listen!
It is so lonely,
so very lonely down here,
in all of this sound -- all of this passion forcing itself upon my Reason.
This is for you mama,
this is for you.
For all of the worry.
For all of the tears wasted on worthless days.
For all of the times that I climbed into my fears without praying.
For all of the bitterness and rage you've turned into magic and beauty.
And now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my soul the music will keep,
up to the bridge -- I hear the chord,
taking me home to meet my lord.
I leave you my soul,
I leave you my heart.
One more solo, before I depart.
Mama, mama...
holding my hand in the storm.
Audience participation, so heavy in my dreams.
The church choir is singing my favorite inspiration.
God is real.
 God is alive.
He is right here, in my hands.
Listen.
Eddie Hazel
Super Stupid
Three Dozen Shades of Eddie Hazel
1969-1992

01 Funkadelic - Open Our Eyes
02 Funkadelic - Cosmic Slop
03 Funkadelic - Red Hot Mama/Vital Juices
04 Funkadelic - Super Stupid
05 Funkadelic - Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow
06 Funkadelic - Good to Your Earhole
07 Funkadelic - Comin' Round the Mountain
08 Funkadelic - Alice In My Fantasies
09 Funkadelic - Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts
10 Funkadelic - Friday Night, August 14th
11 Funkadelic - Miss Lucifer's Love
12 Funkadelic - As Good As I Can Feel
13 Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
14 Funkadelic - I'll Stay
15 Ruth Copeland - Un Bel Di
16 I Want You (She's So Heavy)
17 Funkadelic - Hit It and Quit It
18 Temptations - Shakey Ground
19 What About It?
20 Funkadelic - The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg
21 Funkadelic - Pussy
22 Parliament - I Call My Baby Pussycat
23 Physical Love
24 Parliament - Whatever Makes Baby Feel Good
25 Brides of Funkenstein - I'm Holding You Responsible
26 California Dreamin'
27 Temptations - Zoom (EN Eddie edit)
28 George Clinton - Man's Best Friend
29 P-Funk All-Stars - Pumpin' It Up
30 Relic 'Delic (Purple Haze)
31 Axiom Funk - Orbitron Attack
32 Bootsy Collins - Blasters
33 Lampoc Boogie
34 Axiom Funk - Pray My Soul/Sacred to the Pain
35 Bootsy Collins - Good Nite Eddie
36 From the Bottom of My Heart
37 Parliament - Livin' the Life

Total time:  3:56:08
disc breaks go after Tracks 13 & 27

career spanning playlist created from several different internet threads concerning "What are Eddie Hazel's best solos?", with additional selections appended and creative editing & sequencing by EN, April 2020
My internet connection is kinda fucked, but I worked on this one for two weeks and you should groove all weekend to it in honor of Eddie Hazel, who'd have been 70 today and is surely one of the most undersung guitar players who'll ever shred. Go on, Maggot Brain!--J.
4.10.1950 - 12.23.1992