Track Listing:
The Electric Spanking of War Babies
{G Clinton, Bob Bishop, Walter Morrison} 8:45 lyrics
Electro-Cuties
{Ron Ford, J Ali, G Clinton} 6:13 lyrics
Funk Gets Stronger (Part I)
{Michael Hampton, G Clinton} 6:46 lyrics
Brettino's Bounce
{Larry Fratangelo} 3:39
Funk Gets Stronger (Killer Millimeter Longer Version)
{Sylvester Stewart, G Clinton} 4:26 lyrics
She Loves You
{John Lennon, Paul McCartney} :16
Shockwaves
{Ron Dunbar, DeWayne McKnight} 5:10 lyrics
Oh, I
{Rodney Curtis, Garry Shider, G Clinton} 4:55 lyrics
Icka Prick
{G Shider, G Clinton} 4:11 lyrics
Personnel:
"Electric Spanking"
Vocals: George Clinton
Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Drums: Walter Morrison
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton
"Electro-Cuties"
Vocals: George Clinton
Bass: Jimmie Ali
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton, Jerome Ali
Rhythm Guitar: Gordon Carlton
Drums: Kenny Colton
"Funk Gets Stronger I"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Vocals: Bootsy Collins
Bass: Lige Curry
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton
Rhythm G, Bass & Moog: Roger Troutman
Drums: Tyrone Lampkin
Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
Trumpet: Cynthia Robinson
Saxophone: Pat Rizzo
"Brettino's Bounce"
Drums, Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
"Funk Gets Stronger II"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton, Sly Stone
Lead Guitar: Eddie Hazel
Rhythm Gtr, Keyboards, Synth: Sly Stone
Trumpet: Cynthia Robinson
Sax: Pat Rizzo
Drums: Sly Stone
"Shockwaves"
Lead Vocals: Donnie Sterling
Bass: Lige Curry
Guitar: DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight
Drums: Kenny Colton
Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
"Oh, I"
Lead Vocals: Garry Shider
Bass: Rodney "Skeet" Curtis
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton, Jerome Ali
Keyboards: Marion Saulsby
Rhythm Gtr: Gordon Carlton, Garry Shider
Drums: Tyrone Lampkin
Sax: Michael Brecker
"Icka Prick"
Lead Vocals: George Clinton
Bass: Lige Curry
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton
Rhythm G: Gary Shider
Moog & Keyboards: David Lee Chong
Rating: GZ ? RC ****1/2 MM ***
Comments:GZ: Haven't listened to this for years, memory blank. The original Pedro Bell album cover was censored. That P-Funk issue of Motor Booty magazine sometime last year has a black and white rendition.
TK: "Oh, I" was supposed to be on Parliament's Trombipulation, hence the version you hear on The Final Blow by Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns.
RC: A superb album, with the newer, younger funk lineup (Blackbyrd McKnight, Ron Dunbar, Ron Ford, Donnie Sterling, Lige Curry, etc). This was originally scheduled to be a double album, with tracks like "Atomic Dog" and "I Angle" on it, but Warner Bros. vetoed that idea. It's tough to imagine it being stretched out that far, because the album is a very diffuse collection of styles, which might have been hard to swallow with many more songs. Instead, it's a great selection of ideas and new artists, with every track bringing its own surprises. "Electric Spanking..." is a Junie extravaganza, with Michael Hampton doing the guitar intro. Another dance track in the vein of "Knee Deep", this one examines the baby boomer generation and the things they've seen. "Electro-Cuties" is a clever, pun-filled song playing on electromagnetism and sexual attraction. Great bass playing by Jimmie Ali here. "Funk Gets Stronger I" has a great rhythm guitar line set up by future Zapp frontman Roger Troutman. It also features a nice, dirty horn riff and some great singing. It's just a very funky track, with great interplay between the guitar and basslines. "Brettino's Bounce" is a fun percussion instrumental, unique amongst Funkadelic songs. Better yet, it fits perfectly in the flow of songs, much the same way "Nappy Dugout" does on Cosmic Slop. "Funk Gets Stronger II" is a rollicking, powerful funk free-for-all. New Funkadelic Sly Stone teams up with Eddie Hazel to put together a track that wouldn't be out of place on an early Funkadelic album. George is having a great time doing his rap here, and Sly shines lyrically and musically, singing in a raspy, funky whisper. The same dirty horn riff on the first version of this song pops up again here. A snippet of the Beatles' "She Loves You" can be heard at the end of the song, sung by Funkadelic. "Shockwaves" is a bizarre reggae-funk composition by new guitar hero Blackbyrd McKnight and late-period P.Funk contributor Ron Dunbar, again with funny lyrics to back up the music. That slides into a soul-dance number, "Oh, I" that features great singing. The Funkadelic story ends with the immortal "Icka Prick", a song every bit as nasty and funny as "Mommy, What's A Funkadelic", the first song on the first album. "Icka Prick" features an unforgettable, hilariously obscene rap by George Clinton, backed by another great Hampton lick and some excellent backup singing. Similar in nature to Blowfly's outrageousness, it was certainly a pre-cursor to hardcore hip-hop's nastiness, but with a much better sense of humor. 'You ain't seen obscene yet!'...'...doing pushups with his clit'... 'graffilthy! Suck my mind!'...
The album overcomes the absence of Bernie Worrell with great performances by the young musicians. The material is fresh and fun, and lots of it is reminiscient of earlier Funkadelic material without being derivative. The album succeeds because Clinton isn't trying to milk a formula here; instead, he's allowing people to do their own thing. At its best, Funkadelic was a lab for musical experimentation, and it's alive and well on their final release.
The CD reissue of the album features the original cover. It shows a shapely young woman who's about to get spanked by a penis-and-balls shaped machine. As George would say, 'There's nothing wrong with that!"
MM: This one also grows on me-especially the "Funk Gets Stronger"'s. The title track and "Oh I" are weak. "Icka Prick" is great. Notice the drum machine used on this album.