Track Listing:
Get Dressed {G Clinton, W Collins} 3:39
Man's Best Friend/Loopzilla {G Clinton} 12:46
Pot Sharing Tots {G Clinton, Walter Morrison} 3:40
Computer Games {G Clinton, W Morrison} 6:42
Atomic Dog {G Clinton, Garry Shider, David Spradley} 4:42
Free Alterations {Darryl Clinton, G Clinton} 4:15
One Fun At A Time {G Clinton, W Morrison} 4:25
Personnel:
"Get Dressed" produced by George Clinton and Bootsy Collins
"Man's Best Friend" produced by George Clinton and Garry Shider
"Pot Sharing Tots" produced by George Clinton and Junie Morrison
"Computer Games" produced by George Clinton and Junie Morrison
"Atomic Dog" produced by George Clinton and Tom Currier
"Free Alterations" produced by George Clinton and Garry Shider
"One Fun At A Time" produced by George Clinton and Junie Morrison
Bass: Bootsy Collins
Keyboards: Junie Morrison, Bernie Worrell
Horns: Fred Wesley, Larry Hatcher, Maceo Parker, Richard Griffith
Synth: David Chong, Rahni Harris
Drums: Dennis Chambers, Terry Jones
Percussion: Maruga Booker, Larry Fratangelo
Guitar: Eddie Hazel, Tony "Strat" Thomas
Vocals: Garry Shider, George Bunny, Robert Johnson, Michael Payne,
Gary Cooper, Ray Davis, Jessica Cleaves, Larry Heckstall, Mallia Franklin,
Queen of Funk, Darryl Clinton, Tracey Lewis, Mutha Funkenstein,
Dawn Silva, Sheila Horne, Jeanette McGruder, Lynn Mabry, Shirley Hayden,
Janice Evans, Carol Myles, Jimmy Keaton, Vanessa Poe, Ron Ford,
Arneta Walker, Joyce Pearson, Gwendolyn Dozier, Trina Frazier,
Carmen McGee, Brenda Forman, Veronica Faust, Jessie Driscoll,
Julius Keaton, Gail Owens, Cynthia Girty, Eddie Hodge, George Clinton
Rating: RC: ****
Comment: RC: Clinton's first 'solo' effort is easily his best. Though the album is heavily synthesizer-influenced, the songs are so well-designed and the concepts so interesting that it hardly matters. But in the Parliament tradition, the album was certainly designed with commercial notions in mind, and it paid off. Clinton & Co. had a string of successes in the 80's, despite the rise of ultra-slick R&B that started to dominate the market, as well as the beginnings of rap.
Most of the old crew is here, and they had a big influence on the music and/or songwriting: Garry Shider, Junie Morrison, Bootsy Collins. Newer members David 'Chong' Spradley and Dennis Chambers also made significant contributions. Clinton developed a new and interesting concept, playing on the fascination with computer games as a means of escape, as well as coming up with his dog tales. The gang also started to get creative with all their new technology, with all sorts of backwards loops and snippets thrown around.
The album begins with "Get Dressed", a song that's sort of a sequel to "No Head No Backstage Pass" that owes a lot to "Bop Gun" musically. It's a rousing, funny jam about the travails of an opening act that has the immortal line, 'A good show starts in the dressing room, and works its way to the stage.' Bootsy is in effect here. "Man's Best Friend" is a bit keyboard-heavy, but there's interesting percussion and some great singing by Clinton. In fact, this album features some of his best vocals ever, with his unique vocal-rap style. The song segues into "Loopzilla", one of the truly bizarre P.Funk creations. It's a salute to Afrika Bambaataa ('Like planet rock/we just don't stop') and notable soul radio stations. "Pot Sharing Tots" is mostly a waste of space, a song that is literally infantile. "Computer Games" has a frantic pace and some extremely clever lyrics ('I can out-dance the floor, I can out- wiggle a worm'). The solid bassline and drumming matches up well with the weird synth effects and sampled video game sounds. "Atomic Dog" is a song that has made some rapper's entire careers, a masterpiece of synth-funk. Fantastic singing throughout combined with great arrangements make this song completely irresistable. How meaningful the lyrics are is open to interpretation, since George himself is rather coy about it. It does make for a fun device that George still uses to this day. "Free Alterations" is a harmless tune comparing tailoring clothes to changing people. "One Fun At A Time" is another good song that once again spotlights Clinton's vocals, backed with an all-Junie arrangement.
The album was rereleased in the early 90's after so many rappers started to sample "Atomic Dog", and it should be easily obtainable. In fact, it may be the only Clinton solo album that's still in print.
MW: "Atomic Dog" knocked Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" off of Billboard's #1 R&B chart position on April 16, 1983. It stayed there for 4 weeks. The first single from the album Computer Games was "Loopzilla" and it went to the top 20. George has said that he ad libbed the entirety of "Atomic Dog."