Parliament Mothership Connection CD

Additional Tracks

Parliament: Bootsie Collins (vocals, guitar, bass, drums, percussion); Gary Shider, Glen Goins (vocals, guitar); George Clinton, Calvin Simon, Fuzzy Haskins, Raymond Davis, Grady Thomas (vocals); Michael Hampton (guitar); Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Boom, Joe Farrell (horns); Bernie Worrell (keyboards, synthesizer); Cordell Mosson (bass); Tiki Fullwood, Jerome Brailey (drums, percussion); Gary Cooper (drums, percussion, background vocals); Debbie Edwards, Taka Kahn, Archie Ivy, Bryna Chimenti, Rasputin Boutte, Pam Vincent, Debra Wright, Sidney Barnes.
Recorded at Limited Sound, Detroit, Michigan and Hollywood Sound, Hollywood, California.
Includes liner notes by Tom Vickers (former P-Funk Minister Of Imformation).
The definitive Parliament-Funkadelic album, Mothership Connection is where George Clinton's revolving band lineups, differing musical approaches, and increasingly thematic album statements reached an ideal state, one that resulted in enormous commercial success as well as a timeless legacy that would be compounded by hip-hop postmodernists, most memorably Dr. Dre on his landmark album The Chronic (1992). The musical lineup assembled for Mothership Connection is peerless: in addition to keyboard wizard Bernie Worrell; Bootsy Collins, who plays not only bass but also drums and guitar; the guitar trio of Gary Shider, Michael Hampton, and Glen Goins; and the Becker brothers (Michael
and Randy) on horns; there are former J.B.'s Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker (also on horns), who were the latest additions to the P-Funk stable. Besides the dazzling array of musicians, Mothership Connection boasts a trio of hands-down classics -- "P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)," "Mothership Connection (Star Child)," "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)" -- that are among the best to ever arise from the funk era, each sampled and interpolated time and time again by rap producers; in particular, Dr. Dre pays homage to the former two on The Chronic (on "The Roach" and "Let Me Ride," respectively). The remaining four songs on Mothership Connection are all great also, if less canonical. Lastly, there's the overlapping outer-space theme, which ties the album together into a loose escapist narrative. There's no better starting point in the enormous P-Funk catalog than Mothership Connection, which, like its trio of classic songs, is undoubtedly among the best of the funk era. ~ Jason Birchmeier
Parliament was one arm in George Clinton's funk army during the 70s, a large conglomeration of groups and musicians (including Bootsy's Rubber Band, Funkadelic, The Horny Horns and others) dedicated to rewriting the rules of funk, soul and rock. Clinton's bands sounded like James Brown gone mad, partly because of the inclusion of former JB sidemen Bootsy Collins, Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, but mostly because of the alternate universe they inhabited--a sort of drugged-out traveling sci-fi soul revue.
MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION shows why Clinton's formula for funk domination of the free world worked so well. The music is tight and groovy, with heavy bass lines, precise horn runs and ultra-electronic keyboards (provided by Bernie Worrell). The lyrics are often no more than spaced-out spoken word excursions, sounding like Sly Stone reciting Isaac Asimov. And the whole concept and presentation was so totally freaked out that it would catch people off-guard, letting Clinton's teachings and philosophies seep into the unconscious. The most traditionally structured song is a love and bondage number called "Handcuffs," which shows how far Clinton and his P-Funkers had brought funk from the halcyon days of Otis Redding and James Brown. Songs like "P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)" and "Tear The Roof Off The Sucker," with their extended interplay and dazed vocals, helped pave the way for the rise of hip hop as a commercial vehicle.

Rolling Stone (5/1/03, p.59) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The masterpiece, the slang creator, the icon builder, the master narrative--or 'the bomb,' as Clinton succinctly put it before anyone else..."
Vibe (2/02, p.87) - Included in Vibe's "Essential Black Rock Recordings".