Parliament – The landing of the mothership 1976/1977
Introduction
Following the release of Mothership Connection on December 15, 1975, the second installment of the P-Funk trilogy appeared just seven months later. This is the story of The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein.
Parliament
Overnight, Parliament had become a major commercial success. With the release of Mothership Connection, the George Clinton empire firmly established itself across the United States.
With the introduction of Starchild, the P-Funk universe was born. The new album introduces another key character, Dr. Funkenstein, who has developed a scientific approach to saving the Earth through clones and clone-funk.
Parliament – The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein
The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein
On July 20, 1976, Parliament’s sixth album, The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein, was released. Together with its predecessor Mothership Connection and its successor Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome, it formed the P-Funk trilogy. The album expanded on the themes introduced on its predecessor and further developed the P-Funk empire and mythology.
Like its predecessor, the album was successful, although it performed slightly less well commercially, and it spawned two hit singles.
Story
As on the previous albums, this one opens with George Clinton speaking, effectively introducing the album’s central theme.
Funk upon a time
In the days of the Funkapus
The concept of specially-designed Afronauts
Capable of funkatizing galaxies
Was first laid on man-child
But was later repossessed
And placed among the secrets of the pyramids
Until a more positive attitude
Towards this most sacred phenomenon,
Clone Funk, Could be acquiredThere in these terrestrial projects
It would wait, along with its coinhabitants of kings and pharoahs
Like sleeping beauties with a kiss
That would release them to multiply
In the image of the chosen one:
Dr Funkenstein.
And funk is its own reward.
May I frighten you?© Parliament – Prelude
If Prelude is played backwards, the phrase “Listen while I tell you of the Clones” can be heard clearly.
Dr. Funkenstein poster
After Gamin’ On Ya, in which Dr. Funkenstein is still criticized (he is called a “fag” and a “fool”), the character of Dr. Funkenstein is properly introduced in the song Dr. Funkenstein. Dr. Funkenstein is anything but modest.
They say the bigger the headache, the bigger the pill, baby
Call me the big pill
Dr Funkenstein
The disco fiend with the monster sound
The cool ghoul with the bump transplant…
Dr Funkenstein here
Preoccupied and dedicated
To the preservation of the motion of hips…
Microbiologically speaking,
When I start churnin’, burnin’ and turnin’
I’ll make your atoms move so fast
Expandin’ your molecules
Causing a friction fire
Burnin’ you on your neutron
Causing you to scream
“Hit me in the proton, BABY!”…
I hope you all got your sunglasses on out there
© Parliament – Dr. Funkenstein
The chorus is sung by his followers (or perhaps the clones?).
We love to funk you, Funkenstein
Your funk is the best
Take my body, give it the mind
To funk with the rest
Hit me with the one and then
If you like, hit me again
We love to Funk-a-stein© Parliament – Dr. Funkenstein
Dr. Funkenstein is eager to help Starchild save the world from its lack of funk. Starchild cannot accomplish this mission alone, which is why clones are needed to join the great struggle to restore the very essence of humanity. In Children Of Production, the clones themselves take the floor.
We’re a flawless testimony
To the attainment of the P.Funk
Endowed with conceivement of true groove
We are deeper than abortion
Deeper than the notion
That the world was flat when it was round
We’re gonna blow the cobwebs out your mind© Parliament – Children Of Production
After the love song Getten To Know You, Do That Stuff looks back on funky parties, “Dancing to some funky new sound.” Everything Is On The One most likely takes place during one of those parties, revisiting the concept of “the one”, a fundamental principle of funk in which the emphasis falls on the first beat of each measure. Between the downbeats, musicians are free to do virtually anything, as long as it’s funky, of course, but everyone always comes together on “the one” (see also the subarticle Bootsy Collins explains funk).
Following the ballad I’ve Been Watching You (Move Your Sexy Body), the funk returns on the album’s closing track.
When you see my mother
Tell her I’m all right
Just funkin’ around
For funHaving a good time
I’m funking around for fun
I’m having a good, good good time, yeah
Playing my guitar
Funking around for funGiving up the P.Funk
Ahh, the Bomb© Parliament – Funkin’ For Fun
Parliament – The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein – Ad
Music
Like its predecessor Mothership Connection, The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein is an extremely funky album. George Clinton gave the horn section plenty of room to shine, with both Bernie Worrell and Fred Wesley contributing the arrangements.
The album presents funk in its purest form. Both Bootsy Collins and Fred Wesley, along with Maceo Parker, got their start with James Brown, who elevated the principle of “the one” to a sacred rule. For an explanation of this concept, see the instructional video in the subarticle Bootsy Collins explains funk.
Review
As I’ve mentioned many times on this blog, I’m a huge fan of the P-Funk universe. That enthusiasm extends to all of its other incarnations as well, including Funkadelic, The Brides Of Funkenstein, The P-Funk All Stars, and solo albums by P-Funk musicians such as The Horny Horns and, of course, Bootsy Collins.
Although The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein falls slightly short of its predecessor Mothership Connection and its successor Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome, it is still an absolute must-have. With tracks such as Gamin’ On Ya, Dr. Funkenstein, and Do That Stuff, it contains three classic funk songs that every music lover should own.
Parliament – The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein – Singles
Singles
The album spawned two singles.
- Do That Stuff
(released in October 1976) - Dr. Funkenstein
(released in January 1977)
Parliament – The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein – Back cover
Songs
Songs written by George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell, unless stated otherwise.
- Prelude (George Clinton, Bernie Worrell)
- Gamin’ On Ya
- Dr. Funkenstein
- Children Of Production
- Getten’ To Know You (George Clinton, Garry Shider)
- Do That Stuff (George Clinton, Garry Shider, Bernie Worrell)
- Everything Is On The One
- I’ve Been Watching You (Move Your Sexy Body) (George Clinton, Garry Shider, Glenn Goins)
- Funkin’ For Fun (George Clinton, Garry Shider, Glenn Goins)
Musicians
- George Clinton – vocals on Prelude and Dr. Funkenstein
- Garry Shider – vocals on Getten’ To Know You
- Glenn Goins – vocals on I’ve Been Watching You and Funkin’ For Fun
- George Clinton, Calvin Simon, Fuzzy Haskins, Raymond Davis, Grady Thomas, Garry Shider, Glenn Goins, Bootsy Collins – vocals
- Garry Shider, Michael Hampton, Glenn Goins – guitar
- Cordell Mosson, Bootsy Collins, Renny Jones – bass
- Jerome Brailey, Bootsy Collins, Gary “Mudbone” Cooper – drums, percussion
- Bernie Worrell – keyboards, synthesizers
- Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Rick Gardner, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker – horns
- Debbie Edwards, Taka Khan, Gary Cooper – background vocals, handclaps
Parliament Funkadelic P Funk Earth Tour concert poster
After The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein
At the time of the release of The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein, Parliament-Funkadelic was on the P-Funk Earth Tour, which ran from April 1976 until mid-1977. The tour was a spectacular production, with Parliament’s record label, Casablanca, investing no less than $275,000 in the show. Clinton and his associates used that budget, among other things, to build an actual “Mothership” that began landing on stage at every performance from October 27, 1976 onward. After the landing, Dr. Funkenstein would descend toward the stage, and earth.
Recordings from concerts in January 1977 resulted in Parliament’s first live (double) album, Live: P-Funk Earth Tour, which was released on May 5, 1977.
Despite the tour’s enormous success, it was not financially viable. The production costs were so high that the tour ultimately lost money. In typical George Clinton fashion, an assistant was assigned the task of “telling the musicians why they weren’t getting paid.” As a promotional and marketing vehicle, however, the tour was an overwhelming success, not only for Parliament, but also for the other acts that fell under the P-Funk umbrella.
Later that same year, Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome was released as the final chapter of the P-Funk trilogy. Read more about it in the accompanying article.
Parliament – Mothership Connection (1975) & Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome (1977)
In closing
What do you think of Parliament, the trilogy, and The Clones Of Dr. Funkenstein? Do you love it as much as I do? Let me know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Parliament introduces yet another new character – Dr. Funkenstein!. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
