Rasputin's Stash: "Rasputin's Stash"

I must confess to knowing almost nothing about this band, other than that this debut LP by them is an underground funk classic, something whispered about in hushed tones and dark corners.  The cover tells you pretty much all you need to know, with eight afro’d soul brothers standing beneath Rasputin, against the backdrop of what looks to be a Russian Orthodox cathedral.  Yeah, these cats was on some shit!  However, they prove themselves to be musically versatile far beyond the stoner-funk trappings of the album art, sounding inspired by the grunginess of bands like early Funkadelic, yet treading territory all their own.  There’s plenty of weird, psych-driven freakiness here, and when mixed with the over-arching influence of early ‘70’s soul and the band’s formidable chops, a singular formula is produced, one that owes no allegiance to anything but itself.  From the radio-ready, slide guitar funk of “Your Love is Certified” to the break-filled “Mr. Cool”; through the bizarre headiness of “You Better Think” to the sublime ridiculousness of “Dookey Shoe”—this is one for the ages, a moment in time, a day in the life.  These guys went on to make one more album (“The Devil Made Me Do It,” on the Gemigo label), but this is the record that cemented their status in the consciousness of the hipper-than-hip cognoscenti, and this is the funky utterance that sent all the aspiring beat-makers to their samplers, itching with possibility and hazy madness.  Oh yeah…it’s deep, baby.