Track Listing:
Disco To Go {G Clinton, W Collins} 5:03
War Ship Touchante {G Clinton, B Worrell, Archie Ivy} 5:27
Nappy {G Clinton, B Worrell, Jim Vitti, Garry Shider} 4:29
Birdie {G Clinton, Rodney Curtis, Ron Dunbar, G Shider} 5:39
Just Like You {G Clinton, G Shider} 9:11
When You're Gone {G Cooper, R Dunbar} 5:19
Amorous {G Shider, R Dunbar, R Curtis} 4:54
Personnel:
Producer: George Clinton
Producer on "Disco To Go": George Clinton, William Collins
Brides of Funkenstein are: Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva (vocals)
Guitars: Phelps Collins, Garry Shider, Michael Hampton
Keyboards: Bernard Worrell, Joel Johnson
Bass: William Collins, Rodney "Skeet" Curtis
Drums: William Collins, Gary Cooper, Frankie "Kash" Waddy, Tyrone Lampkin
Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
Horns: Wayman Reed, George Minger, Danny Turner
Strings: Detroit Symphony
Background Vocals: The Brides, Ron Banks, Larry Demps
String Arrangements on "When You're Gone": Bernard Worrell
String Arrangements on "Amorous": Dave Van De Pitte
Horn Arrangements: Fred Wesley, Bernard Worrell
Rating: RC: ***1/2
Comments:TK: "Disco To Go" was supposed to be used as the title track for Ahh...The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!
RC: This was one of the first P.Funk side projects. At the same time George Clinton was organizing Parlet, he also created the Brides, with a similar concept. The Brides would do some heavier, funkier numbers, as well as some ballads, and Parlet would do more dance-related songs. Clinton took a number of already existing unreleased tracks and had Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva sing over them. Some of these were Parliament tracks, others were by the Rubber Band. The result is an interesting, suprisingly coherent album, held together by the musicial skill of the P.Funk session men and the riveting vocals of Mabry and Silva.
"Disco To Go" was the best known tune, a song that Clinton wrote to make fun of disco. Despite its simple disco beat, it's layered by funky horns, guitar riffs, and a meaty bassline courtesy of Bootsy. The lyrics are incredibly silly, talking about funkin' on a barnyard that somehow doubled as a disco. The intro and close, a frantic horn/bass/drum collision, are still used live by both the P.Funk All-Stars and Bootsy. "War Ship Touchante" ranks as one of the all-time weirdest P.Funk songs, with spacy vocals, lasergun-sounding keyboard sounds, and hyper percussion. Skeet's bass playing stands out. The Brides are in outer space, requiring us to do 'the dance of sensitivity.' "Nappy" is a horn-oriented tune that dips into ragtime, with the Brides singing about hairstyles. "Birdie" is a song with a heavy riff somewhat reminiscient of "Cookie Jar" that is one of the album's best songs. A strong horn arrangement backs up the excellent guitar riff and great bass playing. Clinton can be heard doing backup vocals. The Brides' singing is especially sharp. "Just Like You" is a string-laden ballad that goes on for way too long and features little variety. "When You're Gone" features more strings and a disco-ish beat. The lyrics are more of the same, another love gone sour. Another forgettable track. "Amorous" is a much better love song, featuring a great horn riff and rhythm section. The Brides are at their best here, both together and with Lynn & Dawn taking solo turns. Strings are used to good effect here.
This album is out of print, not appearing on CD either, but is definitely a necessity for any serious P.Funk fan. It can be found for anywhere between $10 and $30, with its availability being generally OK. The cover features Lynn & Dawn drawn as bionic women.
MT: As a saxophonist, I can say that this album unquestionably features the blowings of Maceo Parker - though he and the other members of the Horny Horns (who also sound to be present) were not credited on the back cover. The mystery is why the hell weren't they credited? They were signed to Atlantic Records (who released this Brides album) as "Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns" at the time this album was released!