Let's Take It to the Stage

iTunes Review

The final installment in the stunning mid-‘70s trilogy that also includes Cosmic Slop and Standing On the Verge of Getting It On, Let’s Take It to the Stage is the last appearance of the classic early Funkadelic lineup, with Tiki Fulwood on drums. Here Fulwood leads the band in a series of tightly knit yet monstrous grooves. “Good to Your Earhole” is one of Funkadelic’s great anthems, a seamless merger of funk and hard rock that incites listeners to “put your hands together, come on stomp your feet!” “Better By the Pound” and “Stuffs and Things” deliver more wallop, with the squad of distinct voices (Ray Davis, Grady Thomas, Clarence Haskins, and lots of others) forming a choir of far-out faith. Even the humorous bits are delivered with devastating power; “Get Off You’re A*s and Jam” and “No Head, No Backstage Pass” are two of the heaviest songs the band ever recorded. Even Bernie Worrell’s indulgent keyboard workout “Atmosphere” has its place in the mix, but the real hidden gems are “The Song Is Familiar” and “Be My Beach,” which pursue a vision of stoned space funk that was largely abandoned when Fulwood left the band.