I love Funkadelic. They’re one of my all-time favorite bands. I also love reggae. So I freaked out the first time I heard “Shockwaves,” Funkadelic's loving tribute to the Jamaican musical genre off their Electric Spanking of War Babies album. The album has a somewhat laid-back, jam-friendly feel for Funkadelic, featuring friends like Sly Stone and Cynthia Robinson, and is one of the band's stronger efforts.
Here’s Funkadelic performing "Shockwaves" live in Landover, Maryland, in 1981. It features Ron Dunbar on lead vocals—alternating between soulful-reggae crooner and spit-shouting preacher. Backing vocals are provided by the incomparable "diaper man" Garry Shider and a death-rattle-era Brides of Funkenstein. “The third world is on the one…. Right on the down beat…”
