‘Maggot Brain’: the greatest opening five seconds of any album in history
The art of the album is something that is something that many artists have tried and failed to master. Particularly in the modern age, with streaming services and digital downloads damaging the importance of whole albums, many artists no longer put much thought into the construction of records other than being a vehicle for a deluge of unrelated singles. Nevertheless, there have been some truly groundbreaking album releases over the years, and the opening track is arguably the most important of any album.
During the early days of the music industry, albums were simply a collection of the songs that an artist had written over the past year or so. Often there was little to no cohesion between songs and little thought put into the making of an album as a singular artwork. Of course, this all changed when records like Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band hit the scene, completely altering the perception of the album format and causing countless artists to reappraise their approach to album construction.
The key to any great album lies in the ability to carry a singular message or theme throughout the entirety of the tracklisting. As such, the opening song is vitally important in establishing that message. This is also the reason why Funkadelic’s ‘Maggot Brain’ is, arguably, the single greatest opening to any album in history. As soon as the needle clicks into the groove, and the airwaves are filled with those haunting microphone pops and George Clinton’s bizarre spoken word section, the listener cannot help but be captivated.
“Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time,” Clinton begins, in his characteristically booming, impactful voice, “For y’all have knocked her up. I have tasted the maggots in the mind of the universe. I was not offended, for I knew I had to rise above it all or drown in my own shit.” The profound nature of those sentiments, decrying the cruelty of man and its endless destruction of the planet, sets up the remainder of Funkadelic’s defining album beautifully.
Looking at the opening song as a whole, it largely revolves around a ten-minute guitar solo delivered by Eddie Hazel with refreshing melancholy that only serves to heap more importance onto the spoken word opening. Reportedly, Clinton was tripping on copious amounts of LSD when the song was recorded in one take, with the band leader instructing Hazel to play as if his mother had just died.
The resulting song is as profound as it is surprising. After all, Funkadelic were known for – as the name implies – upbeat funk music, not deeply spiritual, psychedelic musings on the state of the world. As the Maggot Brain album progresses, the band gradually reverts to that iconic sound, but the deeply emotional opening track never really leaves the mind of the listener. While most albums start energetically and bring the tempo down as the tracklisting progresses, Funkadelic turned that completely on its head.
Admittedly, there are countless fantastic album opening tracks out there, from Sonic Youth’s ‘Daydream Nation’ to The Who’s ‘I Am The Sea’, but none have the same immediate impact as the title track of Maggot Brain. Not only does it set up the remainder of the album within the opening few seconds, but it demands the undivided attention of the listener instantly. Its brilliance is a testament to the incredible artistry of Funkadelic and the vision of George Clinton in particular.
