Mothership Connection

Mothership Connection
Studio album by Parliament
Released	December 1975
Recorded	1975
Genre	Funk
Length	38:06
Label	Casablanca
Producer	George Clinton
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Billboard (favorable) link Blender link Robert Christgau (A-) link Pitchfork Media (8.5/10) link PopMatters (favorable) link Rolling Stone (favorable) 1976 Rolling Stone 2004 Spin (10/10) link Sputnikmusic link
Parliament chronology
Chocolate City (1975) '''Mothership Connection''' (1975) The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein (1976)

Mothership Connection is the fourth album by American funk band Parliament, released in 1975.^[1] This concept album of P Funk mythology is usually rated as one of Parliament's best. Mothership Connection was the first P-funk album to feature Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, who had left The J.B.'s, James Brown's backing band. "Mothership Connection" became Parliament's first album to be certified gold and later platinum.

History

Describing the album, George Clinton said "We had put black people in situations nobody ever thought they would be in, like the White House. I figured another place you wouldn't think black people would be was in outer space. I was a big fan of Star Trek, so we did a thing with a pimp sitting in a spaceship shaped like a Cadillac, and we did all these James Brown-type grooves, but with street talk and ghetto slang."^[2]

Dr. Dre prominently sampled the songs "Mothership Connection (Star Child)" and "P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" on his album The Chronic.

Reception

In 2003 the TV network VH1 named Mothership Connection the 55th greatest album of all time.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 274 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

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".

The album was included in the book 1001 albums you must hear before you die

Track listing

1. "P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" (G. Clinton/W. Collins/B. Worrell) – 7:41(released as a single-Casablanca 852)
2. "Mothership Connection (Star Child)" (G. Clinton/W. Collins/B. Worrell) – 6:13(released as a single-Casablanca 864)
3. "Unfunky UFO" (G. Clinton/W. Collins/G. Shider) – 4:23
4. "Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication" (G. Clinton/W. Collins/B. Worrell/G. Shider) – 5:03
5. "Handcuffs" (G. Clinton/G. Goins/McLaughlin) – 4:02
6. "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)" (G. Clinton/W. Collins/B. Worrell) – 5:46(released as a single-Casablanca 856)
7. "Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples" (G. Clinton/W. Collins/G. Shider) – 5:10

Remaster bonus track

8. "Star Child (Mothership Connection)" [Promo Radio Version] (G. Clinton/W. Collins/B. Worrell) – 3:08

Personnel

Vocals, Handclaps

• George Clinton
• Calvin Simon
• Fuzzy Haskins
• Ray Davis
• Grady Thomas
• Garry Shider
• Glen Goins
• Bootsy Collins
• Gary Cooper
• Debbie Edwards
• Taka Kahn
• Archie Ivy
• Bryna Chimenti
• Rasputin Boutte
• Pam Vincent
• Debra Wright
• Sidney Barnes

Horns

• Fred Wesley
• Maceo Parker
• Michael Brecker
• Randy Brecker
• Boom
• Joe Farrell

Guitars

• Garry Shider
• Michael Hampton
• Glen Goins
• Bootsy Collins

Bass

• Bootsy Collins
• Cordell Mosson

Drums and Percussion

• Tiki Fulwood
• Jerome Brailey
• Bootsy Collins
• Gary Cooper

Keyboards, Synthesizers

• Bernie Worrell

Produced by George Clinton

Chart positions

Billboard Music Charts

• 1976 Pop Albums No. 13
• 1976 Black Albums No. 4
• 1976 Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk) Pop Singles No. 15
• 1976 Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk) Black Singles No. 5

References

External links

• Mothership Connection: Banging hip-hop from worlds away at The Austin Chronicle