Album: Mothership Connection
Artist: Parliament
Born: Plainfield, New Jersey
Released: December 1975
Genre: Funk
Influenced: Happy Mondays, Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, Dr Dre, Beck, OutKast
New York didn't just spawn punk in the mid-70s, but also something much more fun, "science fiction funk". George Clinton was the brains behind Parliament and sister group Funkadelic, creating a unique brand of funk (P-Funk) that surpassed even Sly & The Family Stone for outrageous outfits and talented musicians. Clinton is on a par with Dr John for eccentricity and acid-inspired creativity, with Mothership Connection marking a new direction for his pure funk sound, as represented by the album cover's picture of a pimp in space. The album opens with a broadcast from sci-fi radio station W-E-F-U-N-K, broadcasting from the "mothership" and promising vibes that can cure diseases. This emphasis on the healing powers of music is also reminiscent of Dr John, while the street talk and lyrical creativity has echoes of Stanley Unwin on Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. All this light-hearted wordplay is combined with brilliant musicianship, from trombonist Fred Wesley (who played with James Brown) to the keyboards & synths of Bernie Worrell.
Each song interweaves languid rhythms and funky melodies, creating classic after classic. Many of the early Funkadelic albums are blessed with brilliant moments but none is as consistently brilliant as this. Hip hop has sampled Mothership Connection endlessly, with Dr Dre famously inspired by the P-funk sound, using the chorus of Mothership Connection (Star Child) on Let Me Ride. Even the more repetitive, less ambitious tracks on the album like Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication (clearly a title inspired by Isaac Hayes) have a mesmeric quality. Handcuffs is the closest Parliaments gets to soul, full of that tongue-in-cheek sexual innuendo that Prince and Beck (on Midnite Vultures) would take to new levels. One of the real standout tracks is Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker), which gave Parliament a Top 20 single in 1976 and huge crossover appeal, reflected in the numerous times the song has appeared in films and been sampled by other musicians. Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples makes for a curious end to the album with its farting synths, but just adds to the psychedelic experience. Music this fun rarely sounds this good, but on Mothership Connection Clinton managed to briefly harness the chaos to create an interstellar funk masterpiece.
New York didn't just spawn punk in the mid-70s, but also something much more fun, "science fiction funk". George Clinton was the brains behind Parliament and sister group Funkadelic, creating a unique brand of funk (P-Funk) that surpassed even Sly & The Family Stone for outrageous outfits and talented musicians. Clinton is on a par with Dr John for eccentricity and acid-inspired creativity, with Mothership Connection marking a new direction for his pure funk sound, as represented by the album cover's picture of a pimp in space. The album opens with a broadcast from sci-fi radio station W-E-F-U-N-K, broadcasting from the "mothership" and promising vibes that can cure diseases. This emphasis on the healing powers of music is also reminiscent of Dr John, while the street talk and lyrical creativity has echoes of Stanley Unwin on Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. All this light-hearted wordplay is combined with brilliant musicianship, from trombonist Fred Wesley (who played with James Brown) to the keyboards & synths of Bernie Worrell.
Each song interweaves languid rhythms and funky melodies, creating classic after classic. Many of the early Funkadelic albums are blessed with brilliant moments but none is as consistently brilliant as this. Hip hop has sampled Mothership Connection endlessly, with Dr Dre famously inspired by the P-funk sound, using the chorus of Mothership Connection (Star Child) on Let Me Ride. Even the more repetitive, less ambitious tracks on the album like Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication (clearly a title inspired by Isaac Hayes) have a mesmeric quality. Handcuffs is the closest Parliaments gets to soul, full of that tongue-in-cheek sexual innuendo that Prince and Beck (on Midnite Vultures) would take to new levels. One of the real standout tracks is Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker), which gave Parliament a Top 20 single in 1976 and huge crossover appeal, reflected in the numerous times the song has appeared in films and been sampled by other musicians. Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples makes for a curious end to the album with its farting synths, but just adds to the psychedelic experience. Music this fun rarely sounds this good, but on Mothership Connection Clinton managed to briefly harness the chaos to create an interstellar funk masterpiece.
Comments