With "Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome", Parliament repeats the formula of a concept album about the war between funk (Funkentelechy) and the antifunk (the "Placebo Syndrome"). The real treasure on this project is the amount of work that they put in on these tracks.  Opening with "Bop Gun (Endangered Species)", the band plays with more intensity than they ever did before. With a full array of horns and drums they jam for over a full eight minutes. Next on the Mothership is the unforgettable old school jam “Sir Nose d void of Funk”, you better bring a chair to the dance floor because you’ll be out there for over ten minutes. The lyrics are so entertaining that you find yourself laughing inside and giving credit to George Clinton and the P Funk Crew.

"Funkentelechy" has fewer synthesizers but the powerful horns and drums overpower anything on a previous P-Funk record. Together with Clinton's really memorable lyrics and the variety of voices throughout the piece from preachy to shouting, make this one of the most outstanding long songs of the 1970s. At no point over its eleven minutes does "Funkentelechy" become boring or predictable.

The ballad "Wizard of Finance" and “Placebo Syndrome” returns to more "classic" ballads.  These two selections could be left off this project but we’ll just call it a little bonus coverage.  I guess the crew needed a couple of soft jams to give their vocal cords a rest.

The classic jam “Flashlight” just raps up this masterpiece, this jam has to be on the top ten of the all-time old school jams.  All in all, P-Funk never sounded so tight, energetic and emotional as they did on "Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome". It is the pinnacle of Clinton's lofty ambitions that began in the beginning of the 70’s. 

D Mo'
The Urban Music Scene