Parliament – Mothership Connection (Starchild)
Comments (1) 
George emerges from the Mothership!
Listen/Download – Parliament – Mothership Connection (Starchild) MP3
Greetings all.
Well alright!
Welcome to another groovy week here at the corners.
Last week the wife and I were watching the JB bio ‘Get On Up’ and I was rambling on about how I didn’t dig the way they portrayed Maceo, and then (not sure if she was still listening) about how Maceo and Fred Wesley were important not only to the JB story but also for their work with George Clinton and Parliament.
I have been a P-Funk fan for a long time, really digging in (and having my eyes opened) back in 1993 when Polydor released the comp ‘Tear the Roof Off 1974-1980’.
Though I was familiar with the hits, I don’t think I had ever really understood the broader style of the group, especially the long, loose jams, and the jazz flavor brought in with the horn arrangements.
One of the best examples of this blend is ‘Mothership Connection (Starchild)’ from the 1975 LP ‘Mothership Connection’.
‘Mothership Connection (Starchild)’ is a perfect example of the Parliament vibe in which all things are simultaneously right, tight and outasight, but also suitably loose.
The tightness has everything to do with the funky groove and the jazzy horns (which sound like they were airlifted from a Steely Dan album*), and the looseness with the vocals/rap (in the old-school sense) which seem to float effortlessly around the rest of the record.
Maceo, Fred and the Horny Horns
The horns, as referenced earlier, incude both Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker, alongside the Brecker Brothers (the latter being frequent flyers with Steely Dan).
This is USDA Prime head music, with just enough bump to get you up off the couch and put some pep in your step.
It never fails to amaze me how music this good failed to cross over to a pop audience. There are certainly enough familiar elements – even for prog rock fans – and the vibe is fun (often funny), and the ParliaFunkadelicament Thang were flashier and groovier than KISS, but it was even then a segregated market.
That said, you have all the time in the world to dip into the works of Mister Clinton and his many talented friends, so do it.
I’ll see you all on Wednesday.
______________________________________________
Don’t forget the drawing for 2015 Allnighter Donors (open until the end of next week).
The good folks at Secret Stash Records have sent along some very groovy promos as incentives for you good folks to donate to the 2015 Allnighter/Pledge Drive.
We have two pairs of two 2-record sets comprised of rare and unreleased material from the legendary Chicago soul labels Mar-V-Lus and One-Derful Records!
At the end of next week I will randomly select two winners from the list of this year’s donors to receive these incredible prizes. All you need to do (unless you’ve already kicked in, in which case you’re already eligible) is click on the Paypal button and donate at least $5.00USD to be entered for a chance to win.
All the names will go into a hat and one of the little Corners will select the winners, who will be announced in this space as well as notified via e-mail.
So get to clicking!
___________________________________________________
Keep the faith
Larry
*The horn chart on ‘Mothership Connection’ predate the similar-sounding ‘Black Cow’ by more than a year
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).
Themocracy