Parliament - Funkadelic

What we have here is not, in the strictest sense, a band in spite of fact that they are known to do a lot of band-like things...write great music, kick all kinds of ass onstage, influence at least two entire generations of musicians, that sort of thing.  The fact is Parliament-Funkadelic is not so much a band as they are a collective. They are an ever-changing group of individuals coming, going and coming back again, vast in numbers and united by a concept created a long time ago by a man named George Clinton.

Plainfield ,New Jersey in the 1950's is the place to start. A doo-wop group formed called The Parliaments  (pictured left above). The name came from a brand of cigarettes. They were Ray Davis,Fuzzy Haskins,Calvin Simon,Grady Thomas,and group leader George Clinton (far right in the picture and also pictured to the right). After several attempts at several labels, the finally scored a hit with "(I Wanna) Testify" on the Revilot label. It reached #3 r'n'b and #20 pop on the Billboard charts.  As it turned out, Clinton was the only member to appear on the recording because the other members were unable to make the trip to Detroit for the sessions. It was on the surface a nice bit of the expected soul vocal group offering, but a closer listen revealed an underlying subversiveness in the performance not  found in similar groups.

Clinton put together a backing group for a tour,and having lost the rights to the name, "The Parliaments" in a contract dispute, renamed the entire ensemble Funkadelic, a name coined by bassist Billy Nelson.The band consisted of Nelson, guitarist Tawl Ross, keyboardist Mickey Atkins,  guitarist Eddie Hazel, and drummer Tiki Fulwood. The band itself was signed to Westbound Records by Clinton and released their epynomously named debut album in 1970. The album also featured the five-man group who were at one time The Parliaments.


Clinton, having regained the rights to The Parliaments name, formed a new entity, called simply Parliament. It was comprised of the same two groups combined but concentrated on a smoother r'n'b sound as a counterpoint to Funkadelic's funkier, more aggressive guitar-oriented sound. (stay with me,it all comes together soon) Parliament signed first to Invictus Records, then to Casablanca Records where they released their first album, Up For The Down Stroke in 1974.


Combining influences with the best of them, Clinton's collective served up James Brown-like marathon funk, the humor and fearless experimentation of Frank Zappa, and with it's stellar line-up of past and present guitarists, generous amounts of Hendrix-Zeppelin inspired hard rock. Much like John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, P-Funk had legends pass through it's ranks. Bootsy Collins,  Bernie Worrell,Gary Shider, Fred Wesley,Maceo Parker,Eddie Hazel and Phillipe Wynne are all Parliament-Funkadelic alumni. All told, the organization produced thirteen top ten hits including six Number one hits on the American charts between 1967 and 1983.


Along with personell changes a-plenty, there of course were the inevitable differences both artistic and personal that resulted in spin-off bands such as Glenn Goins' Quazar and Jerome Brailey's Mutiny. Spin-offs also were formed under George Clinton's tutelage, most notably Bootsy's Rubber Band and The Brides Of Funkenstein. P-Funk music has had a large influence on hip-hop with the group's works being widely sampled on a huge number of rap hits, particularly by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. Hits like "One Nation Under A Groove", "Flashlight" and "Atomic Dog" are practically tutorials on funk music. George Clinton and fifteen other members were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in May of 1997, the largest group inducted to date. You simply cannot intelligently discuss funk without discussing P-Funk.

For Dana

This post is dedicated to my first-born child, now a beautiful young lady. I think this song by one of my favorite rock vocalists is particularly fitting at this period of her life.
Hear the words and know that your father loves you and understands, little one.

Hidden Diamonds - Taxxi

In spite of the fact that Paul Rodgers and Free had nothing to do with this release, one could not be blamed for thinking "I'm Leaving" was one of the classic British band's best songs. With a spot-on rendering of Rodger's vocal style, Paul Kossoff's killer vibrato and even Andy Fraser's percolating bass, the only thing the two bands had in common was their home country of Great Britain.
Formed in the late 70s by bassist Colin Payne, vocalist/guitarist David Cummings and drummer Jeffrey Nead, the trio were augmented in the studio by various musicians, most notably American Idol judge Randy Jackson who is seen in the accompanying video on bass guitar. "I'm Leaving" appeared on the album State Of Emergency, released in 1982. It was the band's second of four albums consisting of, curiously enough, mostly new wave style material. It was the red headed stepchild "I'm Leaving" that gave them their only real hit, as it remains a classic rock staple today. The song went to #39 on the Billboard charts, and stands as the best Free song Free never recorded.

Queen

Sparks was a band...a very good band, in fact. Led by  the brothers Mael, Russell and Ron, they were loved by the critics and rightly so, combining as they did mainstream pop, chamber music, electronica and glam in an irresistably catchy mixture topped off by Ron's imaginative keyboard work and Russell's effortless falsetto. Russell's pretty-boy frontman antics contrasted nicely with Ron's sedentary scowl. Having themselves a nice little career, they were, when their guitarist quit. As would be expected, they set out to find another one. High on their list was one Brian May, whose band Queen was weathering the critics' disdain for their first album release as well as generally indifferent audience reaction at their shows. The Mael brothers approached May, knowing full well of his band's struggles, with an offer to join the upwardly-moving Sparks. The guitarist while having utmost admiration for Sparks and the Maels, declined, chosing to continue to fight the good fight with his present band. How'd that work out for him, then?

Not too badly...no, not too badly at all. It seems things turned around a bit.


It was around 1968 when Brian May, a student at London's Imperial College, and bassist Tim Staffell decided to form a band. They placed an ad for a "Mitch Mitchell/Ginger Baker type drummer"...instead they got dental student Roger Taylor. They called the band Smile. Staffell became friends with a fellow student at Ealing Art College named Farrokh Bulsara, who had been using the name Freddie. Bulsara became a fan of the band and being a singer, eventually started working with them. Staffell left the band in 1970 and after several bassists finally found the perfect chemistry with John Deacon. They recorded a demo featuring four songs, "Liar", "Keep Yourself Alive", "Jesus" and "The Night Comes Down", all original material. No record companies were interested. It was around this time that Bulsara began using the surname Mercury, a reference to a lyric in another Queen song "My Fairy King". Finally signed to Elektra Records, they recorded their epynomous debut LP. It was received fairly well by critics, drew little mainstream attention and the single from the album, "Keep Yourself Alive", a Brian May composition, sold poorly.


So the beginning was a bit rocky, after all, that first album was basically hard rock. A bit tarted up, but still fairly average hard rock. It was on the second album that we began to see the band that would down the road give us "Bohemian Rapshody". The incredibly layered vocal harmonies, the guitar artistry of May, almost an orchestra unto himself, and the writing, emotional and far-reaching. "The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke", "The Seven Seas Of Rhye", and the haunting "White Queen (As It Began) are all masterful compositions sounding  unlike anything heard before.


From that point on, it was all fun and games. Fun and games because Queen, much like another fave band of mine Jethro Tull, were a group of very serious artists who didn't take themselves too seriously.  All four are art or science degreed as well as accomplished musicians,writers and vocalists. Brian May built his guitar by hand and then proceeded to play things no one has played before on the damned thing. Freddy Mercury besides being possibly the greatest front man ever to stalk a stage,  also plays piano brilliantly.
but do they go on and on about their "influences"? No. Have they released any "concept albums" and taken great pains to explain them to us? Again no. Like the venerable Jethro Tull, they simply play innovative, irresistable genre-mixing hard rock at a virtuosic level and have a wonderful old time doing it. Their  subsequent albums went all over the board, rockabilly here, opera there, 20's ballroom, country, folk, jazz and all with tongue firmly in cheek, a friendly  nod and a knowing wink. Their one indulgence was boasting on the band's first nine albums that they used "no synthesisers" recording them, and to listen to those releases was to be amazed at what a guitar, bass and drums can do in the right hands. (Credit must also go to  Roy Thomas Baker, the producer on those albums.)


Freddy Mercury, as most of us know was an openly gay man. On November 23, 1991 in a prepared statement from his deathbed, he confirmed the long and widely-held belief that he suffered from AIDS. About 24 hours later he died due to bronchial pneumonia,a complication brought on by the disease. Greatly missed, he was deservingly paid tribute with a huge star-studded benefit concert at The Wembley Stadium on April 20, 1992. It was listed in The Guinness Book Of Records as "the largest rock star benefit concert".


The band did eventually carry on with Paul Rodgers in the frontman role. If I may offer my own humble personal opinion I will say that while Paul Rodgers is one of my favorite singers of all time, he is poorly suited for a band like Queen. The only performer who could do justice in the position Mercury vacated is for my money, Annie Lennox. But hey, that's just me.


Queen has to its credit 18 number one albums, 18 number one singles and 10 number one DVDs. They've sold over 150 million albums worldwide with some estimates in the area of 300 million. Honored with seven Ivor Novello Awards, the band was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001. Oh, and lest I forget...They ROCK!

Kid Creole And The Coconuts

Some people form bands. Thomas August Darnell Browder formed a saga. A saga of a world where there are no labels or restrictions on music, gender or racial background. A sprawling story with a soudtrack that is equal parts funk, calypso, big band jazz , salsa and RnB. The stars of this tale are the above mentioned Browder having shortened his name to August Darnell alias Kid Creole (taken from the Elvis movie,King Creole), Andy Hernandez alias Coati Mundi, and the lovely trio known as The Coconuts. With able support from a big bad swinging band, this story has a happy ending night after night after night.
In 1974, Darnell and his brother Stony Browder,Jr. formed Doctor Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, whose self-named debut album went gold and produced a hit,"Cherchez La Femme"


Darnell left the group to form Kid Creole And The Coconuts with co-founder/musical director/vibaphonist/onstage comic foil Andy Hernandez, percussionist "Bongo" Eddie Folk, bassist Carol Colman, keyboardist Peter Schott, drummer Winston Grennan and guitarist Jimmy Rippetoe. They were augmented by a horn section, dubbed Pond Life with saxophonist Charlie Lagond, trumpeter Ken Fradley and Lee Robertson on trombone. The Coconuts were a trio of glamorous scantily-clad women who performed elaborate choreography and backing vocals.They were Adriana Kaegi, Cheryl Poirier and Taryn Haegy, who was later replaced by Janique Svedberg. This was the line-up during the band's peak years. Their first album, Off The Coast Of Me was critically acclaimed but sold poorly. The follow-up, Fresh Fruit In Foreign Places also received rave reviews but sold only slightly better. The band appeared on Saturday Night Live performing two songs from the album, "There But For The Grace Of God Go I" and "Mister Softee".


By this time Darnell became recognized as the wickedly clever lyricist and composer he is with crucial musical support from Hernandez, himself a gifted  musician and composer.
The band's shows were like a bigger -than-life carnival, strongly Cab Calloway-influenced with diverse musical styles expertly juggled throughout. They were huge in Europe, but struggled a bit in the U.S. due to their difficult -to-label sound.
It was in 1982 that their breakthrough album Tropical Gangsters was released, going to #3 in the U.K. charts and producing three top ten singles, "Stool Pigeon", "Annie I'm Not Your Daddy", and "I'm A Wonderful Thing". The collection, released as Wise Guy in the U.S., reached #145 on the U.S. charts with "Stool Pigeon" and "I'm A Wonderful Thing" flirting with the RnB charts.


The band played The Montreux Jazz Festival in 1986. During this time they released In Praise Of Older Women and I Too Have Seen The Woods. Despite the high quality of these albums, particularly the latter, they failed to chart although Older Women's single "Endicott" did chart respectably.


The band has appeared in a number of films including Against All Odds in 1984 and 1990's Lambada -themed The Forbidden Dance. 1990 also saw the release of Private Waters Of The Great Divide which featured the single "The Sex Of It". This song was written by Prince and recorded at Paisley Park Studios with Sheila E. While nowhere near the quality of the group's usual product, the song reached the top 40. During this period Andy Hernandez was separated from the band, and as brilliant as Darnell was, the group's output suffered quality-wise in his absence. Fortunately, Hernandez eventually returned to the fold.


Kid Creole And The Coconuts were and still are a top flight act. While their recorded output is chock-full of well crafted original songs and energetic covers, it is onstage that they make their true magic. Crowds world-wide have been witness to the band's consistently impressive musical and visual extravaganzas. Sadly, it seems that their adventurous melding of traditionally classic showmanship with modern-times  out and out rockin' has made them merely a cult favorite in the U.S. I would urge anyone who hasn't yet checked them out to do so and be richly rewarded.