Connections & Disconnections
Connections & Disconnections is the 12th Funkadelic studio album, recorded without the involvement of bandleader George Clinton by original Parliaments members Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas. The album was released under the title 42.9% in 1980 in Germany and in 1981 in the United States.[3] It was reissued by Rhino Records in 1992 with the title Who's a Funkadelic? The album was produced by Greg Errico, the former drummer for Sly and the Family Stone, Haskins, Simon, and Thomas.
Connections & Disconnections | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1980 | |||
Genre | Funk | |||
Label | LAX Records | |||
Producer | Greg Errico, Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas | |||
Funkadelic chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Robert Christgau | C[2] |
Significance
Due to a combination of factors, by the end of the 1970s, the Parliament-Funkadelic enterprise was starting to crumble. Dissatisfaction with George Clinton's poor financial management led to the departure of several key members, including Glenn Goins and Jerome Brailey. Haskins, Simon, and Thomas (who had performed with Clinton and bass vocalist Ray Davis as The Parliaments since the late 1950s) felt increasingly marginalized by the influx of new P-Funk musicians, and in 1977, they refused to sign a new management contract they believed would require them to relinquish all rights to the names Parliament and Funkadelic. Shortly thereafter, the three singers left Parliament-Funkadelic and formed their own band, which they named "Funkadelic", and recorded Connections & Disconnections. Their use of the name Funkadelic resulted in an acrimonious legal dispute with Clinton's organization, which accelerated the disintegration of Parliament-Funkadelic.[1][4]
Track listing
- "Phunklords" (Haskins, Mims, Simon, Thomas, Powers) – 5:35
- "You'll Like It Too" (Haskins, Simon, Thomas, Williams, McEvoy) – 4:29
- "The Witch" (Haskins, Jackson, Simon, Thomas, Drake) – 9:31
- "Connections and Disconnections" (Geter, Haskins, Mims, Simon, Thomas) – 5:02 (released as a single LAX WS8 70055)
- "Come Back" (Haskins, Simon, Thomas, Mims, Powers) – 4:32
- "Call the Doctor" (Drake, Haskins, Mims, Simon, Thomas) – 5:14
- "Who's a Funkadelic" (Haskins, Mims, Simon, Thomas) – 5:47
Personnel
- Fuzzy Haskins - vocals & percussion
- Calvin Simon - vocals & percussion
- Grady Thomas - vocals & percussion
- Michael Williams - keyboards, guitar & vocals
- Billy Mims - clavinet, guitar, vocals
- Ben Powers Jr - drums, bass & vocals
- John Quad Wiley - keyboards & vocals
- Stan Thorn - keyboards
- Ken Blackmon - bass
- Thomas "Pae-dog" McEvoy - jazz horn
- Dede Dickerson - background musician
- Ngoh Spencer - background musician
- Vicky Randal - background musician
- Betty Jo Drake - background vocals
References
- Allmusic review
- Robert Christgau review
- Release: Connections & Disconnections. Discogs. Retrieved on 2009-07-23.
- Mills, David; Alexander, Larry; Stanley, Thomas; Thomas, Aris (1998). George Clinton and P-Funk: An Oral History. New York: Avon Books. pp. 110–123. ISBN 0-380-79378-4.