Funkadelic: America Eats Its Young (1972)

While a bit anomalous compared to the rest of my musical taste, I've always had a soft spot for early 70s funk.  Give me a groovy wah-wah bassline and I'm totally in.  Not surprisingly, then, I'm a sucker for early Funkadelic, particularly once they had bassist Bootsy Collins on board (though I also enjoy their first few albums, which infused a twisted psychedelia into the more dance-worthy grooves).  Hard to pick a favorite, but the sprawling America Eats Its Young has some pretty great tracks.

Lengthy opening jam "You Hit The Nail On The Head" is a personal fave, a phenomenal psychedelic groove opening and closing the song, with a melodic, downbeat lyrical interlude tucked into the middle.  Other stand-outs include the slow-burning anthem "If You Don't Like The Effects, Don't Produce The Cause"; funky party rocker "Loose Booty"; understated R&B ditty "I Call My Baby Pussycat"; the jaunty little instrumental "A Joyful Process"; and the poppy Motown-ish "That Was My Girl."  I'm less partial to the quieter soul tracks here, but when the whole band plugs in, it's pretty damn engaging. 

Here's an audio rip of "You Hit The Nail On The Head":

 And, for some reason, a "Joyful Process" audio rip backed by blurry Popeye cartoons (??):