Parliament Chocolate City CD

Released in 1975 (a year after UP FOR THE DOWN STROKE), this record finds ringleader George Clinton and his company beginning to refine the group's uber-groove aesthetic. The earlier eclecticism of DOWN STROKE and OSMIUM, as well as the acid-drenched, electric-guitar-based freakouts of Funkadelic (a separate Clinton-fronted group that features an essentially similar lineup), are less in evidence here. Instead, powerful, in-the-pocket drumming and Bootsy Collins' irresistibly funky bass move things to the dancefloor.

While not nearly up to par with the watershed MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION that would follow in the same year, CHOCOLATE CITY contains several fine tracks. Among these are the title piece, a laid-back jam with sterling horn improvisations and a tongue-in-cheek political rap from Clinton, and the overwhelmingly exuberant "Ride On." Though not mandatory, this disc is a worthy addition to the P-Funk library.

Parliament's second album for Casablanca, following Up for the Down Stroke (1974), Chocolate City isn't one of the group's better-known albums. Unlike its predecessor and successive albums such as Mothership Connection (1976), it lacks a signature hit; even though the title track and "Ride On" charted as singles, they're minor in comparison to definitive classics such as "Up for the Down Stroke" and "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)." Though it's not one of the better-known Parliament albums, Chocolate City is nonetheless one of their best and perhaps most underrated. There's a wealth of musical talent to be heard here -- most notably Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, and Eddie Hazel -- and an emphasis on horns and harmony vocals. Plus, there's no overarching narrative as there would be on successive albums, occasionally to a fault. Instead, this is a collection of stand-alone songs, none topping the six-minute mark. Regardless of its lack of signature hits, Chocolate City is a Parliament album that shouldn't be overlooked. [The 2003 reissue boasts improved sound, new liner notes, and the addition of three songs: the previously unreleased "Common Law Wife," a three-minute, funky soul stomper that sounds a bit like a lost Curtis Mayfield track, and alternate takes of "If It Don't Fit (Don't Force It)" and "I Misjudged You."] ~ Jason Birchmeier

Includes liner notes by Tom Terrell.

Additional Tracks

Recorded at United Sound, Detroit, Michigan and Hollywood Sound, Hollywood, California.

Personnel: Gary Shider (vocals, guitar); Eddie Hazel , Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins, George Clinton , Grady Thomas, Raymond Davis, Calvin Simon (vocals); Cordell Mosson, Bootsy Collins (guitar); Bernie Worrell (keyboards, synthesizer); Man In The Box, Tyrone Lampkin (drums).

Liner Note Author: Tom Terrell.

Recording information: Hollywood Sound, Hollywood, CA; United Sound, Detroit, MI.

Parliament: William "Bootsy" Collins (vocals, guitar, bass); George Clinton (vocals); Cordell Mosson (guitar, bass); Gary Shider (guitar, background vocals); Bernie Worrell (keyboards, synthesizer); Perkash John (bass); Tiki Fulwood, Tyrone Lampkin (drums); Calvin Simon, Fuzzy Haskins, Grady Thomas, Raymond Davis, Eddie Hazel (background vocals).