US Music With Funkadelic

I think this is the first mention of Funkadelic on this website and while I can’t deny their visual appeal to spaced out funk fans - if seeing a guy in a giant diaper is your idea of a good night out – their music leaves me just about stone cold. As a matter of fact the man dressed so oddly turns out to be the lead singer on this excellent group deep soul ballad. His name was Gary Shider and his New Jersey group United Soul (US) had become involved with the fun loving funk crew around 1971/2. US recorded several tracks under Bernie Worrall and Fuzzy Haskins at this time, with I Miss You being the top side of the only 45 that was released. On it Shider shows what a superb gospel based vocalist he was - powerful and emotionally compelling. Sadly none of the other tracks are anything like this one, the others being much more in the Funkadelic groove as you can hear on the Ace UK CD which brought them all together.

Shider went on to join Funkadelic as their lead guitarist and key vocalist, and very successful they were together as well. Those of us who are more mainstream soul in their tastes however will listen to “I Miss My Baby” and wonder what might have been. Shider passed on in 2010.

Notes ~

1. You can read more about United Soul and Funkadelic on Wiki here.

2. You can find "I Miss You" on the Westbound UK CD "US Music With Funkadelic".

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