George Clinton started kicking around Detroit during the ‘60s after having languished in a doo-wop group that he formed during the previous decade. It wasn’t that Clinton didn’t have faith in the staid approach to music, but it’s pretty clear that his creativity wouldn’t be housed within a traditional framework of music. It’s a good thing he figured that out as well.

That being said, the earliest release that Parliament cranked out – Osmium – wasn’t completely funkified. The contrasting Funkadelic and its more rock based sound was just as evident on this 1970 release as anything else. Of course, the fact that not just Osmium, but Funkadelic’s self titled disc as well as Free Your Mind…And Your Ass Will Follow were all released during the same calendar year might have something to do with the uniformity of the work.

The dividing line between the two groups hadn’t been drawn by 1970 even as Osmium possesses a few traits that would move throughout the rest of the Parliament catalog until it was disbanded during the early ‘80s. There’s still the same sort of crazy all inclusiveness that would mark later efforts – for good or bad. But just as important as the music that resulted from these early decade recording sessions is the fact that it was the beginning of a legacy that persists even today.

Even the cover art that Osmium dons isn’t a scene that fans of the group from a bit further on would recognize. The bucolic scene, replete with waterfall, is still populated by freeqs and weirdoes wearing anything from Indian headdresses to something that looks like a pair of jail over alls. But where are the cartoons?

Despite just a few of the visual elements being in place for Clinton and company, the music, as previously mentioned, is nothing short of broad. “Oh, Lord, Why Lord (Prayer)” makes use of some Brit Invasion styled harpsichord and organ while Clinton’s swell of background singers summons imagery of southern churches. The song isn’t necessarily a seamless amalgam of all those things, but it works well enough to point forward towards a unique approach to funk and rock.

The appropriately titled bonus track “Breakdown,” only present on the re-release, is closer to what Parliament would come to traffic in a bit later in the ’70. There’s still some ‘60s rock stuff shining through Eddie Hazel’s funky guitar work. But that’s as much his own style as the influence of outside musics pushing on his performances. The rest of the track is all funky drumming, huge choruses and shouted vocals.

A few extra tracks down is the ten minute “Loose Booty” that comes off – even in its title – as something that Clinton would be working out a few years on in 1974 when the long awaited Parliament follow up would be released. And while Osmium might be considered an artifact more than an indispensible portion of Clinton’s work with Parliament, there’s more than enough worthwhile music here to hunt down a copy to better understand where all of this began.