Eddie Hazel is arguably one of the best guitarists to have lived. For some, there is no question and for others they say they have never heard him. It's true that he died much too young and that his solo work is relegated to a couple of albums, one of which was released after his death. But on the basis of his work with Funkadelic alone I can easily make the claim and have it stick. Here in this pick are some of his solo and other George Clinton associated tracks that feature Eddie's guitar. One of the most beautiful guitar solos of all time is here, so enjoy that and the rest. It's well worth searching out the other albums he played on. Let me know in the comments if you believe, as I do, that Eddie Hazel belongs in that top guitarists of all time list.
Eddie Hazel Pick
01 Funkadelic - Music for My Mother
02 Eddie Hazel - Frantic Moment
03 Funkadelic - Funky Dollar Bill
04 Funkadelic - Super Stupid
05 P-Funk All Stars - Pumpin' It Up
06 Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
07 George Clinton - Man's Best Friend-Loopzilla
08 Funkadelic - Comin' Round the Mountain
09 Eddie Hazel - Juicy Fingers
10 Funkadelic - Mommy, What's a Funkadelic
11 Funkadelic - Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow
12 Funkadelic - Hit It and Quit It
13 Eddie Hazel - California Dreamin'
One of the most under-rated guitarists of all time has to be Eddie Hazel. He started with George Clinton when he was just 17 years old. His mama had to be talked into letting him go. He was in Parliaments which became Funkadelic and then later Parliament. He played with most of the P-Funk conglomerate (The Mothership Connection) until his death. These are some of my favorite songs featuring his guitar playing. I didn’t include two Funkadelic songs I really like because they are in one or more of my Bernie Worrell Picks. If you haven’t heard those, I'll have a link at the bottom of the list. Those two songs are “Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow” and “Hit It and Quit It” which also feature great keyboard playing from Bernie. So check those songs out after this list and hear the guitar there, too.
ReplyDeleteEddie died too young at 42 on December 23, 1992. He was number 43 on the list of Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time. I’d put him higher, probably in the top ten. His guitar playing appeared on other albums from other artists, but they were mostly done posthumously. One of my very favorites is Maggot Brain. Basically a ten minute guitar solo. George Clinton told him to imagine his mom was dead, but then learned it was not true. It was played at his funeral. And I think one of the most beautiful guitar solos ever.