614 George Clinton: From Barbershop To Mother ship if you've got to syncopate or the By SAM SUTHERLAND Chuck Brown and The Soul but that other interpretation, al- person will go to sleep on From barbershop to mother - Searchers: "Yeah, Rick James and it's the only one that's being other we're all go- you. That's what disco music is ship, George Clinton has trans- that other group that did 'Bustin' lowed to exist, then . doing." formed classic rhythm & blues Loose.' That's the first record we ing to be in trouble .. sources into the deceptively silly did of anybody else's onstage in "[R&B] is the main one that On the projected the r&b seriousness known as , and, years. Anybody that we feel can [disco's] killing, because deal Clinton is readying: "Yeah, music. It in the process, this veteran song- help the funk right now is wel- chart is mainly dance Uncle Jam Records. It'll be here writer, singer and producer has come, 'cause it's going to take has a lot of love songs, which are in a minute, real soon. Uncle Jam and then successfully challenged a number that level of cooperation to help really getting wiped out, will involve all the people that of industry assumptions: with us. it's basically dance music. And the have been working in our offices, , he revived the for- "Our whole thing this year is r&b never gets onto the disco or""our cliques, in Detroit and Los tunes of by rescuing dance music from the side, so it's really redefining Angeles. I can't call them business bridging rock and r&b, not divid- blahs. That's going to be the point dance music. people, because they're like us, ing them; by spinning 'off Parlia- in 'Uncle Jam Wants You,' the "It's getting hard to tell the from the street. Most of them are It's ment itself several years later, he new Funkadelic . Anybody commercials from the records. here in Los Angeles, the records set the pattern for a group -gen- that can help solicit for the Funk the same commercial elevator are cut in Detroit, and the man- a bit erated history of new artists that Army, and show that dance music music, Muzak with just little agement is in New York. sidestepped the usual internal has more than one rhythm, is of funk in it. You know, they're "So we've got all the 'P' places frictions and jealous schisms typi- welcome." skin testing people about records covered." vs. not now, taking galvanic skin re- fying too many successful bands; On funk disco: "We're On P -Funk's ongoing 'clone'- That's erratic, it's not through the development of his attacking disco music per se, but sponses. the development of new acts enough to get you off. And that's own production operation, Thang, the new interpretation that's be- from musicians in the existing what all the songs are screaming Inc., and a new management pact ing molded in and around disco. bands-and how it motivates to me: 'I got to get off,' or 'Bustin' with Leber -Krebs, he launched a The music itself is good; dance players while helping keep the been doing songs like multi -service "label without a music is what's happening. But loose.' I've mob together: "When they do for a long time. And I know roster" to support the growing we figure 'there's more rhythm that leave, they come right back. Eddie people can't get off: there's only family of artists placed on Casa- than that there; it's insulting, be- Hazel just came back and plugged beat. blanca, Warner Bros., Arista and cause people have both more one in three, four months ago. Parlia- making love: you got Atlantic. rhythm than that. "It's like ment-Funkadelic anybody who's to hit more than one stroke, Such projects already offer one "Both of them are dance music, been in it can come onstage any- indication that P -Funk's prime time and participate in the show, as out to lunch as mover isn't and I like that, because it gives he's apt to suggest. When RW everybody a certain unstructured- first interviewed Clinton for a ness that's cool. 11, 1978), he up- Dialogue (March "No stars are supposed to get funk dated the ongoing clone- along together, and once you've projects P-Funk's newest spinoff nurtured that idea, people don't pro- and stage ambitions-while get along. Groups pull the plug of the seasoned viding a glimpse out on each other, or have the his work. Not perspective behind sound people turn down the vol- return of Dr. surprisingly, the ume on each other. But this way, a canny Funkenstein again saw the group learns that it's cool and mixture of outrageousness under the highest intensity. This arriving at RW's Los perception: business has got the artists so a cowboy hat, Angeles office in divided that it's impossible for shorts, platform shades, track stars to be in the same room. But enough turquoise to shoes and look up in the heavens: heaven is launch a country rock band, he full of stars. So it's a brilliant con- update on provided the following cept, but it's nurtured through all the funk saga. of business and management, be- On the World Funk Festival in cause it's about a stroke. And you most recent con- L. A., and the want to believe that stroke, be- funk mob: "We've quests by the cause that's the business view of do that for three been trying to ego. or four years, but it's all peakin' "But if you do, you won't be now. Bootsy's a superstar, The able to put that shit to good use Brides [of Funkenstein] are smash- later. You'll just be up there, ing, 's happening. So this blind and rich, and when they get will be the biggest show yet, the tired of you, or you make too whole vibe will be special. We're much noise about something, also going to be doing a lot of they'll just pull that plug right out things around it, giving other from under you. You'll never awards to people and to record know. You'll be broke and in jail companies. We'll give 'em Golden or the nuthouse before you real- Nose Awards, for different people ize that you ain't the star no tried to help get the funk who've more. across." "So it's really a dangerous con - itself, and such new On funk (Continued on page 8) emerging stars as Rick James and George Cinton

RECORD WORLD JUNE 2, 1979 SECTION II 6

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