Parliament Funkadelic- Mothership Connection
Well, what do you get when you combine the grooves of Bootsy Collins, the taste of Bernie Worrell, and the pure, uncut FUNK of George Clinton? Mothership Connection. This is without a doubt, the most funky, ass shakin" album I"ve ever heard, and that"s always a good thing. I"m not going to spend too much time on what is behind the album, because that"s the beauty of it. You don"t want to know, you want to hear. Let"s get down to business.
Mothership Connection
Well, the album starts with a little number called
P-Funk Wants to Get Funked Up . You first hear George talking to you, to get you in the groove of the song. The horns do some stuff with the drums, before the phrase "Make my funk the P-Funk" comes to your beckon call. The bassline gets exceptional during this line, doused with a wonderful wah-wah effect. Very playful song, just to get you into the swing of things. The horn parts are wonderful as well, and the drums don"t fail you at all. Not much else to say about this song, other than the groove is infectious. Way to kick it off.
4/5
We move into the title track,
Mothership Connection . It also happens to be the longest track on the album. There is no fancy introduction here, it just immediately sucks you into the groove. It"s sleazy, laid back vibe makes it easy to listen to before George"s upbeat, loud voice comes in. The horns are very upbeat and swingy. The bass and keyboards keep the groove with the drum beat. The nice volume shifts in the voices are a beautiful contrast to the song, which for the most. At about the 4:30 mark, the bass plays around a bebop chant of "We"re coming back, again and again!" The groove is absolutely delicious. The drums do a couple of fills here and there, just to add some color, but for the most part, remain grounded. The background singers chant some fun lines before we exit the song.
4.5/5
Up next is the funktacular
Unfunky UFO . George"s raspy voice is top notch here, with some bizarre lyrics, but it is P-Funk, so we expect this. The bass does some trickery between verses, which adds to that "dripping with wah" funk. There is no other word to describe this song other than FUNKY. If there was another word, I"d use it. I love the horn parts in this song. The trumpet and trombone blended together give the groove enough of jazzy, bebop touches that prevent you from getting lost in the bassline. I"m not quite sure what the lyrics touch up on, but the title gives me that feeling that it has to do with Aliens. I"m not sure why, though. ;) This Uber-Funktastic song has rightfully earned a 5 in my book.
5/5
We"ll try saying the title of the next track five times fast. The title
Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication kind of foreshadows what you"re exactly getting into. But first, repeat it with me, not to confuse you. :thumb: Super-Groovea-listic-prosi-funksti-cation. There, it wasn"t so hard. So, it starts with a keyboard line that reminds you of the "Sonic The Hedgehog" theme song. This song seems to be more synthesizer-oriented than the other tracks, which isn"t a bad thing on it"s own, but not my cup of tea, and can get very annoying at times. Sure, the rhythm section"s dead on timing can make up for that, but I just can"t get into the swing of things, like with the other tracks. The synths are very repetitive and the absence of a brass part doesn"t help that much either. The song could"ve been much better. :upset:
3.5/5
Handcuffs is up next, and thoroughly makes up for the previous tune. The horn dominated verses are the perfect addition to George"s peculiar voice. The drums are solid, and the bassline is UBER fantastic, being all over the place and managing to not be repetitive. Bootsy gives it his all (hububba! :thumb: ) Sorry, lame Bootsy joke. The kinky lyrics are more than bad thought provoking. "Do I have to put the handcuffs on your momma." isn"t exactly what I want to be thinking about when I listen to such a funk-tastic song as this. But, it doesn"t subtract from the general, jangly groove that dominates this beastly song. The horn section gets a 100% here, but the song gets a bit less, for the disturbing lyrics.
4/5
Following the great song, is an even better song called
Tear the Roof Off the Sucker . This song is filled with jazzy saxes and trumpets to back up a bubbly, milkshake-thick bassline that bounces between the anthem like chanting of "We need the funk, just give up the funk." The drums keep this complex groove going at a rocket fueled pace. The keyboards take a bit of a backseat trip, but do it with taste, and funk. Gotta have the funk. I love the bassline. I can"t get enough of it. There isn"t a real set "structure" for the song, just a couple parts combined into one gassy ball. My only complaint is the time, as this is one of the lengthier pieces of music on the album, clocking in at just under six minutes. For what it is, it should"ve been cut down a tad. Still, great musicianship.
4.5/5
Finally, we have the"..errrr, finale.
Night of the Thumpasourus People is a fantastic number and exceptional closer to the funkiest album of all time. The slapped bass and offbeat drums combine to give this funk track all the necessary ingredients for unadulterated grooves. The trumpet weaves in and out of the wah induced bass for that big band feel. The use of strange synthesized sounds such as bubbles, and squeaks makes it even funkier, but also scares me a little bit. For some reason it kind of reminds me of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" with Gene Wilder. The absence of real lyrics and voices doesn"t subtract from the song whatsoever, and towards the end, Bernie fools around with some awesome effects on the keys, giving you that space-age feel. Throughout the duration of the song, you can hear voices making some prehistoric sounds and chants. The bass thumps around a bit before this kick in the nads finally numbs out. Great closer to a great album.
5/5
Pros
_______
+ Horn parts are jazzy and awesome
+ Funkiest album EVER
+ Basslines rock
Cons
______
- Synths may get annoying
- Repetitive in some cases
- Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication isn"t as good as the others.
Overall Grade: 4.5/5
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Feedback is welcome!
