Track Listing:
Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky {John Sinclair, Ras Kente} 3:21
Purple Hazel {Eddie Hazel} 3:01
Pleasure With The Dirt Devil
{DeWayne McKnight, Andre' Williams, Michael "Clip" Payne} 4:49
Positivity {Michael Hampton} 8:45
Look Now Baby {James Glass, Billy Ray West, John Schema} 3:13
Fly On {G Clinton, D McKnight} 8:11
Reflections On Jimi Part 1 {G Clinton} 3:20
Funky Kazoo {M Hampton} 4:45
The Wind Cries Colors {R Kente} 7:34
Get To The Gettin' {J Glass, BR West} 5:44
Future Past {Randall Lynch, Allen Lynch} 4:41
Should'a Known {R Lynch, A Lynch} 4:24
Reflections on Jimi Part 2 {G Clinton} 0:59
Debbie Does The Voodoo Child {KJ Fisher, R Kente} 4:39
Personnel:
Producer: George Clinton
Executive Producers: Greg Reilly, Rick Cioffi
"Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky"
Artist: John Sinclair
Vocals: John Sinclair
Guitars: Ras Kente
Bass: Lonnie Motley
Drums: Ron Wright
Contains samples from "Flight of the Blackbird"
"Purple Hazel"
Artist: Eddie Hazel
No musician info
"Pleasure With The Dirt Devil"
Artist: Blackbyrd
Guitars, Bass: DeWayne McKnight
Bass: Lige Curry
Drums: Gabe Gonzalez
Lead Vocals: Michael "Clip" Payne, DeWayne McKnight
Background Vocals: Andre Williams, Michael "Clip" Payne, DeWayne McKnight,
George Clinton, Lige Curry
"Positivity"
Artist: Michael Hampton
All Instruments and Vocals: Michael Hampton
"Look Now Baby"
Artist: James Glass and The Get To Gettin' Band
Guitar:James Glass
Bass: Billy Ray West
Drums: Will Leonard
Vocal: John Schema
"Fly On"
Artist: Blackbyrd
Lead Vocal: George Clinton
Background Vocals: George Clinton, Larry Heckstall (Sir Nose),
Michael "Clip" Payne, Andre Williams, Louie Kabbabie
Guitars: DeWayne McKnight
Keyboards: Bernie Worrell
Bass: Lige Curry
Drums: Gabe Gonzalez
"Reflections On Jimi Part I"
Interview with George Clinton, recorded at WDET, Detroit, MI
"Funky Kazoo"
Artist: Michael Hampton
All Instruments And Vocals: Michael Hampton
"The Wind Cries Colors"
Artist: Ras Kente
Guitars: Ras Kente
Bass: Ibo (Workinman) Fahili
Drums: Ron Wright
Congas: Ibo Fahili, Sadiz Z Bey
Martian Voice: Roots & Culture (Terry & Kev)
"Get To The Gettin'"
Artist: James Glass and The Get To Gettin' Band
Guitar: James Glass
Bass: Billy Ray West
Drums: Will Leonard
"Future Past"
Artist: Randall Lynch & Allen Lynch
Lead Vocals, Guitar, Bass: Randall Lynch
Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals: Allen Lynch
"Should'a Known"
Artist: Randall Lynch & Allen Lynch
Lead Vocals, Guitar, Bass: Randall Lynch
Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals: Allen Lynch
"Reflections on Jimi Part 2"
Interview with George Clinton, recorded at WDET, Detroit, MI
"Debbie Does The Voodoo Child"
Artist: Point Blank
Vocals: Point Blank
Guitars: Ras Kente
Drums: Ron Wright
Bass: Lonnie Motley
Rating: RC: ***
Comments: JB: Sorta lame, I think. I haven't even heard of most of the artists on this CD. I don't really see why this disk is called "Tributes to Jimi Hendrix." Maybe a guitar player could explain some similarities in style or something. It seems like a fairly lame compilation of (mostly) duds to me.
MW: "Fly On" is also on Dope Dogs, relegated to a subtitle of "Dog Star"; already one of my all-time fave p-f songs.
RC: While there's certainly some filler on here, there's lots of excellent material that meshes well together as an album. The concept is clear: P.Funk pays their musical debt to Hendrix. Some of the songs can best be described as ripoffs of typical Jimi craziness. Others simply show a general influence and are brilliant in their own right. Some are bizarre experiments, which Jimi certainly would have approved of. Generally speaking, the best cuts are the ones that feature P.Funkers we all know and love: Eddie, Michael Hampton, Blackbyrd. But guys like Ras Kente and James Glass also certainly have their moments.
"Scuse Me..." has former MC5 manager John Sinclair reading an interesting poem over a bunch of hot Ras Kente licks. The poem is evocative of the 60's without being nostalgic. Eddie Hazel weighs in with "Purple Hazel", a track left over from the Game, Dames... sessions. While only an outtake and without vocals, it's still a typically excellent, fluid piece from Eddie. It appears on the Rest In P album as well. Blackbyrd McKnight brings us "Pleasure...", an excellent song that features delightfully raw singing from him and Clip Payne, and hotter-than-hot licks, sounding like molten, flowing lava. As much as I love Michael Hampton, "Positivity" doesn't do much for me. It's an overlong, repetitive piece that has him playing all the instruments. "Look Now Baby" is a straightforward electric blues in the style of Jimi's "Red House", good but unremarkable. "Fly On" is an absolutely brilliant song from Blackbyrd that is one of the best P.Funk songs of the last 15 years. Both interviews are pretty much throwaways, Clinton babbles about teachers and how Jimi would love hip-hop. Hampton redeems himself with the odd "Funky Kazoo", a very funky number with all kinds of weird keyboard sounds going along with the guitars. "Wind Cries Colors" has some interesting percussion, but runs out of steam halfway through. "Get To The Gettin'" is another fairly direct Jimi copy, but it's also pretty funky at the same time. "3rd Stone From The Sun" is invoked here. "Future Past" and "Should'a Known" are both dull, grinding tunes. "Debbie Does..." is an interesting hip-hop/funk experiment, with Ras Kente again supplying some more great soloing. The lyrics are a bit silly, the only letdown. Overall, a good album for fans of early Funkadelic.
Randall & Allen Lynch also appeared on the dreadful Dance On The Wild Side album, which featured assorted dance & house tunes that were only vaguely related to P.Funk. Ras Kente has a couple of albums that feature a number of P.Funkers, most prominently Blackbyrd McKnight.
Note that this is available only as a Japanese import, and that it is rather pricey.