Parliament Osmium (Deluxe) Import 2LP

Demon Records are proud to present Osmium Deluxe — the first recordings credited to the funk-rock ensemble Parliament-Funkadelic.

Produced by Ruth Copeland, Osmium offers up a diverse bag of tricks comprising gospel, soul, funk, rock and country arrangements with accompaniment ranging from heavy electric guitar fuzz, acoustic serenity and even bagpipes.

Since its re-release in 1990, Osmium has been distributed numerous times by various labels in America, Europe and Japan under alternate titles — including Rhenium and First Thangs. A number of these reissues have featured material that was not included on the original album, such as unreleased tracks and singles that were taken from the same time.

This in-demand, black vinyl version of the Record Store Day 2024 sell-out compiles together everything from that period on 2 LPs and includes: the full Osmium album, the single sides that never made the album, unreleased tracks, demos and jams — all of which made their debut vinyl appearance as one package in 2024.

Many of these recordings are still as far-out as they sounded when first released. However, the tracks here represent the genesis of what would become P-Funk and the entity that would give the world ground-breaking albums Maggot Brain (1971), Mothership Connection (1975), and One Nation Under a Groove (1978).

An essential addition to anyone's collection.

The overall sound is much more Funkadelic than later Parliament, if with a somewhat more accessible feel. Things get going with an appropriately leering start, thanks to 'I Call My Baby Pussycat,' which makes something like 'What's New, Pussycat?' seem like innocent, chaste conversation. After a stripped-down start, things explode into a full-on funk strut with heavy-duty guitar and slamming drums setting the way, while the singers sound like they're tripping without losing the soul — sudden music dropouts, vocal cut-ins, volume level tweaks, and more add to the off-kilter feeling. Osmium's sound progresses from there — it's funk's fire combined with a studio freedom that feels like a blueprint for the future.