Parlament - Mothership Connection - Week 2

Kris: Week 2: Parliament - Mothership Connection (1976) - If you were to open your wood processor and typed in F-U-N-K in a font large enough to make one letter appear on each page, you still wouldn't make it large enough to encompass the scope of FUNK going on with this album. George Clinton has been making music for a long time and he has... made a great many funky records along the way. This one, however, is very special. This is a concept album where Clinton aimed to present the listener with black people (i.e. FUNK) from the most unlikely of places: outer space. Clinton was apparently a big Star Trek fan and this concept struck him as natural. You know you are in for something different from the very start when Clinton grabs the microphone in a Rod Serling-esque voice over to explain that you are receiving a special broadcast from W.E.F.U.N.K. The station, as far I as can piece together, is extraterrestrial in nature and is the quintessential nature of FUNK (I can't type that in anything but all caps). From there comes a narrative in a language of street-talk and ghetto slang with James Brown style grooves. You've got elements of jazz, soul and rock all meshed together into the undescribeable FUNK. Give Up the Funk is also featured on this album, probably the most recognizable Parliament songs behind Flashlight. Listen to this album or you are doing yourself a disservice!

Jason: Week 2: Parlament - Mothership ConnectionAt a first observation and listen this seems like a joke record. After you spend a little time with it, very intricate jazz and funk infused skill starts to show through. If it were the Red Hot Chili ...Pepper's, no one would take it seriously (and Clinton produced their record Freaky Stylee on a side note), but the music is pretty similar.
What strikes me about this record is that it runs and feels like a concept album with a loose narrative. Clinton creates psycadelic and otherworldly characters that have entered your stratosphere to take you on a journey, loosen you up, and make you have fun! If you allow it, this record accomplishes just that.
Clinton has even created his own language. I don't know what Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication means, but I like where it's going.
Probably my favorite song is handcuffs, which is a suprise, since it totally came out of left field. It's blatant sexually humorous in nature. Though it is still suggestive, its more obvious than any other song on the record. Like the rest of the record it still gives a command.
P Funk and Give up the Funk are both engraned in the national psychee.
The length of the songs are quite a bit to digest in a casual listening sense. that being said, these are meant to keep the party going on, and on.... and on and on. and so forth.
Just remember, the law around here is you got to wear your sunglasses.
Mothership, over and out.