Track Listing:
Dog Star (Fly On) {G Clinton, DeWayne McKnight} 8:11
U.S. Custom Coast Guard Dog {G Clinton} 4:53
Some Next Shit {G Clinton, Michael Payne} 6:11
Follow The Leader {Rakim, G Clinton} 5:30
Just Say Ding (Databoy) {G Clinton, Tracey Lewis, D McKnight} 4:33
Help Scottie, Help (I'm tweaking and I can't beam up)
{T Lewis, Hazel Lewis} 5:04
Pack Of Wild Dogs {G Clinton, Andre Williams, Mike Clark} 5:47
Fifi {G Clinton, D McKnight} 3:46
All Sons Of Bitches {G Clinton, Belita Woods} 5:34
Dopey Dope Dog {G Clinton, Daddy Freddy, Lige Curry} 4:53
Sick 'Em {G Clinton} 6:13
Kibbles And Bits {G Clinton} 5:05
I Ain't The Lady (He Ain't The Tramp)
{G Clinton, Loic Gambas Bordas, Eebony Young} 4:38
Tales That Wag The Dog Part 1 (Niggaa, pleeeeeze!)
{G Clinton, T Lewis, Derrick Rossen} 5:30
Tales That Wag The Dog Part 2 (is that your bark or your bite?)
{G Clinton, T Lewis, D Rossen}
Personnel:
Vocal List: Pat Lewis, Sandra Feva, Sheila Horne, Steve Boyd,
Robert "P-Nut" Johnson, Lige Curry, Belita Woods, Joe Harris,
Michael "Clip" Payne, Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, Lloyd Williams, Garry Shider,
Amelia Jesse, Andre Foxxe Williams, Louie "Babblin" Kabbabie,
Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, Calvin Simon, Ray Davis, Grady Thomas,
Nicole Tindall, Jeanette McGruder, Shirley Hayden, Jessica Cleaves,
Janet Evans, Larry Heckstall, Duane, "Sa'D'Ali" Maultsby, Starr Cullars,
Shawn Clinton, George Clinton, FROG, Patavian Lewis, Trafael, Tracey Lewis,
"Cuz", Barbarella Bishop, Daddy Freddy
Guitars: Eddie Hazel, Michael Hampton, Garry Shider,
Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight, Andre Foxxe Williams, Cordell Mosson,
Michael "Clip" Payne, Bootsy Collins, Phelps "Catfish" Collins,
Jerome Ali, Jeff Bass, Loic Gambas
Bass: Lige Curry, Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight, Lonnie Motley,
Mike "Clip" Payne, and Bootsy Collins
Drummers and Percussionists: Frankie "Kash" Waddy, Guy Curtis,
Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight, Gabe Gonzales, Michael "Clip" Payne,
Loic Gambas, Man In The Box
Keyboards and Piano: Joseph "Amp" Fiddler, Tracey Lewis
Organs and Synthesizers: Bernie Worrell, Michael "Clip" Payne,
George Clinton, Dewayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight, Jeff Bass, and Loic Gambas
Horns: Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Richard Griffith, Rick Gardner,
Marcus Belgrave, Bennie Cowan, Greg Thomas, Greg Boyer
Programmers and Re-mixers: Michael "Clip" Payne, Mike Clark, Mike Wilder,
Mark Bass, George Clinton
Conceived and produced: George Clinton
Executive Producers: Archie Ivy and Stephanie Clinton
Rating: RC: ***1/2
Comments:JB: There are only 14 tracks on the CD, but there are 15 listed in the booklet. Also note that no time is given for the final track.
MW: The girl singing on "Kibbles and Bits" is Patavian Lewis, none other than George's granddaughter and son Tracey Lewis' daughter.
RC: The title track here is the "Jazz Stash" mix from the original remix album. "Dog Star" originally appeared on the P.Funk Guitar Army's Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.
The album is available only as an import, with the Japanese version coming out first. It's generally more expensive than the European version, and it's not as good. Overall, the whole concept was a definite step in the right direction for George, who seemed to record things that he was interested in for once, without worrying about the bottom line from the record company. Much of the album is hip-hop oriented, and for the first time, Clinton mastered the art of mixing funk and hip hop and making it interesting. He heavily samples his own work, but the samples are more interesting and less obvious than on Smell My Finger. Lyrically, it's a coherent and interesting concept, with each song a tale about a dog--his favorite metaphor for describing people, especially those who are following their instincts instead of their intellect.
It starts off with the utterly brilliant "Dog Star (Fly On)", a heavy guitar tune that stands up to the best Funkadelic cuts ever made. It stars Blackbyrd, absolutely dominating the scene with amazing solo after solo. But it's anchored by a great guitar/bass riff that's reminiscient of "Hardcore Jollies", except slower and turned around. "US Custom..." is a too-mellow mix of Clinton's popular concert rap. The lyrics are amongst his best ever, but it works better with a harder beat, so check out the European version. "Some Next Shit" is a funky hip-hop tune, with the 'what's on top of the house? Roof!' refrain, and a great sample from The Brides ("Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy"). "Follow The Leader" is a cover of the Eric B and Rakim song, with an excellent horn sample. This is another song that had been done in concert for quite awhile. It goes on a bit too long, and doesn't vary much, however. "Just Say Ding" is interesting lyrically, but the drum track accompanying it is a bit dull. This is one I'd love to hear redone, because the Pavlovian imagery is great. "Help Scottie Help", rapped by TreyLewd, is one of the most twisted raps in history. A sleazy keyboard line and slow beat match the lyrics about a cold hearted pimp and a crack whore perfectly. "Pack Of Wild Dogs" is a basic remix from the US Dope Dog CD, incorporating the 'what you gonna do, George?' line; it gets dull fairly quickly. "Fifi" is another slow, sleazy number that spotlights Belita Woods; the rhythmic sample sounds like "Good Old Music". Blackbyrd's guitar is in the background but his leads make the song hotter. "All Sons Of Bitches" is Clinton's response to the too-frequent dissing of women in hip-hop. The driving keys and interesting drum track, combined with Belita's vocals and George's raps, make it work from the start. "Dopey Dope Dog" is P.Funk meets dancehall. Daddy Freddy is great, but live drums would have been preferable here. Contains the chant, 'Ain't no party like a P.funk party, cause a P.Funk party don't stop.' It samples, pretty much in its entirety, "Knock The Bottom Outta Mine", a song that appears on the Otis Day and the Knights album from 1989. It even includes the 'knockin` the walls down' lines from the backup vocalists! "Sick 'Em" is a bizzare, fascinating experiment with backwards guitar loops. "Kibbles and Bits" is another track lifted straight from the US Dope Dog, another monotonous set of beats with the bizarre attraction of listening to Patavian Lewis 'sing'. "I Ain't The Lady" is another keyboard driven number that gets a little repetitious. "Tales That Wag The Dog" is an excellent track that has some funny rhymes and great samples, especially a horn cut from "Dr. Funkenstein".