Parliament
Parliament - Chocolate City
$21.99
Released in 1975 (a year after UP FOR THE DOWN STROKE), this record finds ringleader George Clinton and his company beginning to refine the group's uber-groove aesthetic. The earlier eclecticism of DOWN STROKE and OSMIUM, as well as the acid-drenched, electric-guitar-based freakouts of Funkadelic (a separate Clinton-fronted group that features an essentially similar lineup), are less in evidence here. Instead, powerful, in-the-pocket drumming and Bootsy Collins' irresistibly funky bass move things to the dancefloor. While not nearly up to par with the watershed MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION that would follow in the same year, CHOCOLATE CITY contains several fine tracks. Among these are the title piece, a laid-back jam with sterling horn improvisations and a tongue-in-cheek political rap from Clinton, and the overwhelmingly exuberant "Ride On." Though not mandatory, this disc is a worthy addition to the P-Funk library.
