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The Resilience of the P-Funk All-Stars
From 1976 to 1980, the Parliament-Funkadelic organization scored five number one R&B hits that reformed the landscape of Black popular music. These hits that would inspire a parade of imitators and admirers. But in 1981, the P-Funk empire would collapse under the weight of its own excess. Excessive drug use and questionable financial dealings were the primary causes of this unfortunate downfall. As a consequence, P-Funk leader George Clinton would lose all of his major recording deals (the label deal that Bootsy Collins established with Warner Bros. Records would end one year later).
But if there is one vital ingredient that has always served P-Funk well, it’s resilience. Their ability to navigate through a succession of challenges (musical and legal) is what makes them almost indestructible. It’s a musical entity that can’t be eliminated, even by P-Funk itself. It’s this particular brand of resilience that gave birth to the next chapter of the history of P-Funk. Out of the ashes of the demise of both Parliament and Funkadelic came the next major chapter: the P-Funk All-Stars.
During the 1983 Atomic Dog tour (the first official tour for this new P-Funk incarnation), MC Maceo Parker (formerly of the JB’s) likened the P-Funk All-Stars to the NBA All-Stars. The “crème de la crème” of the Funk Mob. Their debut on vinyl would arrive two years earlier.
RISE OF THE P-FUNK ALL STARS (1981-1983)
“HYDRAULIC PUMP-PART I AND II/PART III” (HUMP-111) 1981
“ONE OF THOSE SUMMERS/IT’S TOO FUNKY IN HERE” (HUMP-3) 1982
The first two singles by the P-Funk All-Stars were stand-alone singles released independently on the Hump label. “Hydraulic Pump” showcases the talents of up-and-coming P-Funkateers–keyboardist David Lee Chong and guitarists Tony Thomas, along with seasoned R&B/Funk veterans (Sly Stone, Bobby Womack, Mallia Franklin, and Phillippe Wynne). It was as fresh and eclectic as anything they would release that year. While “Hydraulic Pump” failed to provide the P-Funk All-Stars with a substantial hit, it informed the record-buying public that P-Funk was still in the game.
“It’s Too Funky In Here” is a super-tight, energetic remake of the James Brown hit from 1979. One reason for that energy is the fact that the track features numerous former members of the JB’s (including Bootsy and trombonist Fred Wesley).
To this day, it remains the only P-Funk track not to be released on any P-Funk All-Stars album and has never been released in the CD format.
URBAN DANCEFLOOR GUERILLAS (CBS ASSOCIATED/UNCLE JAM-1983)
Emerging just in time for the Christmas rush, Urban Dancefloor Guerillas would be released on the same day as George Clinton’s second album for Capitol Records, You Shouldn’t-Nuf-Bit-Fish. Urban Dancefloor Guerillas would resurrect, for a hot minute, the Uncle Jam label, which was launched in 1980 and would garner the P-Funk All-Stars some decent radio airplay in some major markets across the U.S. (particularly the single “Pumpin’ It Up”).
Unfortunately, the album’s success was limited due to the fact that there was no promotional video to support any of the singles released from the album (a big negative in the age of MTV). A short-lived promotional tour for both albums would be launched in the Spring of 1984.
REVIVAL AND REUNION (1990s)
LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD (WESTBOUND 1990)
Recorded live at the Beverly Theater in April of 1983, Live In Hollywood originated as a Westwood One Radio broadcast. The double album set would go on to become one of P-Funk’s most celebrated live recordings. It was at this show that the musician Prince would be in attendance. He would later record the track, “Erotic City,” in response to the whirlwind of uncut Funk he would experience that night. Unfortunately, the album release omits the powerful “Loopzilla”, as well as “Body Slam” performed by Bootsy Collins.
DOPE DOGS (P-VINE-1994)
Furthering the love affair with the canine persuasion that started with the hit “Atomic Dog”, the P-Funk All Stars turned their attention to DEA drug-sniffing dogs who, ironically, end up becoming addicted to the very substance they were assigned to sniff out. One of the standout tracks on the album is the Blackbyrd McKnight tour de force “Dog Star (Fly On), which would become a staple of the P-Funk live shows for at least two decades.
THE AWESOME POWER OF A FULLY OPERATIONAL MOTHERSHIP (SONY 550-1996)
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of the Parliament album Mothership Connection, George and the P-Funk All-Stars would emerge with The Awesome Power Of A Fully Operational Mothership (commonly referred to as TAPOAFOM). This phenomenal album reunites the vital musical components that helped to fuel the glory days of P-Funk.
Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins, Junie Morrison, Billy Bass Nelson, and Phelps “Catfish” Collins all return to propel the Mothership into the chocolate-covered Milky Way.
Damn near the entire P-Funk family appears in the video for the album’s first single, “If Anybody Gets Funked Up (It’s Gonna Be You)”. This reunion would culminate in a celebration in New York City’s Central Park on the 4th of July. Four hours of pristine Funk bliss.
LIVE AND KICKIN’ (INTERSOUND-9284-1997)
Released during the same year that Parliament-Funkadelic would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Live and Kickin’ serves as an abbreviated version of a series of four-CD sets of live recordings released between late 1993 and early 1995. This two-disc set features performances that span a two-year period (1977 to 1978), as well as two studio performances (an instrumental remake of the Anita Baker hit “Good Love” and “State Of The Nation”).
FUNK EM AGIN…FOR THE FIRST TIME (FUNK WORKS ENTERTAINMENT-001-1999)
For this release, we’ll need to go back…way back, back into time to November 11th, 1990. The scene of the crime? The Strand in Redondo Beach, California. This rump-shaking extravaganza transpired during the Cinderella tour that started a year earlier. The performance is brought to us by former P-Funk manager Bruce Peterson. It features the P-Funk All-Stars at the height of their powers. Drummer Tony Thomas brings an almost Go-Go-like feel for the entire night.
HOW LATE DO YOU HAVE 2BB4UR ABSENT? (THE C KUNSPYRAZY-TCK-0010-2-2005)
The last studio album by the P-Funk All-Stars arrived in the midway point of the 2000’s. This particular release would coincide with the long-awaited documentary Parliament-Funkadelic: One Nation Under A Groove. How Late…serves as a showcase for various artists in the
P-Funk stable. Vocalists Trey-Lewd, Kendra Foster, Belita Woods, Paul Hill, and various prominent P-Funk members occupy the spotlight over two CDs’ worth of new millennium Funk. P-Funk’s preeminent keyboardist Bernie Worrell returns to the fold on the track “Su, Su, Su”.
The name of the P-Funk All-Stars remained in use until around 2010. Subsequently, the title would change to “George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic”. Within the span of two decades, the P-Funk All-Stars would carry the banner of Parliament-Funkadelic while simultaneously elevating the standard set by the 1970s incarnation.
While the P-Funk All-Stars failed to produce any substantial hits, they were able to create intense and innovative Funk soundscapes that continued to free minds for future generations of Funk fans.
-Tim Kinley
Photo: fair use promo pic from the movie PCU
