info/contact
info/contact
Friday Funk #34 – ‘Liquid Sunshine’ by Parliament
Friday Funk #34 – ‘Liquid Sunshine’ by Parliament
Friday Funk #34 – ‘Liquid Sunshine’ by Parliament
This month, we’ve been raising Atlantis to the top. If you’ve been hanging out way up above land, go ‘Deep’, and then check out ‘The Motor-Booty Affair’ and ‘Rumpofsteelskin’.
Parliament-Funkadelic albums were often a mix of high-concept songs, ballads, and dance songs that hang a little looser from the central themes. On an album full of aquatic imagery, ‘Liquid Sunshine’ could have slotted in fairly neatly on the preceeding album, Funkentelechy Vs. The Placebo Syndrome. There’s even the mention of Star Child’s Bop Gun and Flash Light.
The many repetitions of “Liquid sunshine” fit the underwater boogie of course, but it’s really about the groove. The song doesn’t mention Atlantis, or even have any aquatic puns. In fact, it’s shockingly devoid of puns – especially as George Clinton backstroked to leftover fish jokes for his 1983 solo record,You Shouldn’t-Nuf Bit Fish.
(Similarly, album’s ballad, ‘(You’re A Fish And I’m A) Water Sign), could sometimes pass for a song from outside the P-Funk universe. “Let’s go swimming / The water’s fine” has the kind of floataway melody and delivery you could imagine coming from Motown. Although at other times, the song is unmistakably P-Funk. “My goodness, if you ain’t the baddest mermaid I done seen around here in years.” That’s Junie Morrison. Then there’s Bootsy Collins: “Talkin’ about babies, baba.”)
But the “Liquid” lyrics are really just a skin over what is mostly a bare bones funk groove. The multiple synth parts, though, add up to a whole lot of fidgetiness, as well as contributing something of a watery feel – particularly the trickly synth in the right speaker during the verses. At other times, the synths sound spacey and alien, the kind of thing from the Mothership. Behind all the manic whirring, the drums and piano are comparatively straightforward.
That’s mostly true for the bass, too. Whereas on Mothership Connection, the bass (often Bootsy’s) would take on a starring role, here it plays much more in support. Everything, other than the synth, is really an accompaniment for the vocals. The bass does have some room to wriggle in brief instrumental sections (particularly from 1:33), but otherwise just follows the chord progression with minimal flourishes. In the bridge section (0:40, for example), it joins the synth in a brief passage with a little tension (soon resolved when the vocals and main groove return), but it’s restrained where Bootsy may have stepped out front and centre on previous albums.
The bass does contribute much of the funk of the song, largely by hitting the One. Particularly during the chorus (“It’s just a sunshine song”), the One elevates a repetitive groove to something you could hear all day.
Gary “Mudbone” Cooper takes the lead on this song, and a few of his lines are as obscure as the most garbled, underwater vocals of Motor Booty. While the other singers, including Linda Brown who co-wrote the song, are easily heard (“Sunshine / Sunshine song”) Cooper’s sings things like “Strolled right up to the disco” – or was that “fish scope”? The mentions of the Bop Gun and Flash Light could easily go unnoticed. Cooper does, though, sound great. He matches the infectious energy of the main synth part.
Three minutes in, there’s an unexpected electric guitar wailing away for a brief period. It arrives in the manner of Eddie Hazel’s solo in ‘Pumpin’ It Up’. It’s not a straightforward choice, but when the P-Funk crew consists of dozens of members—there are 36 different musicians credited on Motor Booty—there’s the possibility of people popping up in unexpected places.
‘Liquid Sunshine’ was released as the b-side to ‘Rumpofsteelskin’, and it’s a nice contrast to the maximalism of the a-side. There’s no Star Child narration; there’s just a couple of headline phrases (and few lyrics overall); and there’s no twisting of fairytales to fit a theme of buttshaking. ‘Liquid Sunshine’ is simply a good time.
This month, we’ve been raising Atlantis to the top. If you’ve been hanging out way up above land, go ‘Deep’, and then check out ‘The Motor-Booty Affair’ and ‘Rumpofsteelskin’.
Parliament-Funkadelic albums were often a mix of high-concept songs, ballads, and dance songs that hang a little looser from the central themes. On an album full of aquatic imagery, ‘Liquid Sunshine’ could have slotted in fairly neatly on the preceeding album, Funkentelechy Vs. The Placebo Syndrome. There’s even the mention of Star Child’s Bop Gun and Flash Light.
The many repetitions of “Liquid sunshine” fit the underwater boogie of course, but it’s really about the groove. The song doesn’t mention Atlantis, or even have any aquatic puns. In fact, it’s shockingly devoid of puns – especially as George Clinton backstroked to leftover fish jokes for his 1983 solo record,You Shouldn’t-Nuf Bit Fish.
(Similarly, album’s ballad, ‘(You’re A Fish And I’m A) Water Sign), could sometimes pass for a song from outside the P-Funk universe. “Let’s go swimming / The water’s fine” has the kind of floataway melody and delivery you could imagine coming from Motown. Although at other times, the song is unmistakably P-Funk. “My goodness, if you ain’t the baddest mermaid I done seen around here in years.” That’s Junie Morrison. Then there’s Bootsy Collins: “Talkin’ about babies, baba.”)
But the “Liquid” lyrics are really just a skin over what is mostly a bare bones funk groove. The multiple synth parts, though, add up to a whole lot of fidgetiness, as well as contributing something of a watery feel – particularly the trickly synth in the right speaker during the verses. At other times, the synths sound spacey and alien, the kind of thing from the Mothership. Behind all the manic whirring, the drums and piano are comparatively straightforward.
That’s mostly true for the bass, too. Whereas on Mothership Connection, the bass (often Bootsy’s) would take on a starring role, here it plays much more in support. Everything, other than the synth, is really an accompaniment for the vocals. The bass does have some room to wriggle in brief instrumental sections (particularly from 1:33), but otherwise just follows the chord progression with minimal flourishes. In the bridge section (0:40, for example), it joins the synth in a brief passage with a little tension (soon resolved when the vocals and main groove return), but it’s restrained where Bootsy may have stepped out front and centre on previous albums.
The bass does contribute much of the funk of the song, largely by hitting the One. Particularly during the chorus (“It’s just a sunshine song”), the One elevates a repetitive groove to something you could hear all day.
Gary “Mudbone” Cooper takes the lead on this song, and a few of his lines are as obscure as the most garbled, underwater vocals of Motor Booty. While the other singers, including Linda Brown who co-wrote the song, are easily heard (“Sunshine / Sunshine song”) Cooper’s sings things like “Strolled right up to the disco” – or was that “fish scope”? The mentions of the Bop Gun and Flash Light could easily go unnoticed. Cooper does, though, sound great. He matches the infectious energy of the main synth part.
Three minutes in, there’s an unexpected electric guitar wailing away for a brief period. It arrives in the manner of Eddie Hazel’s solo in ‘Pumpin’ It Up’. It’s not a straightforward choice, but when the P-Funk crew consists of dozens of members—there are 36 different musicians credited on Motor Booty—there’s the possibility of people popping up in unexpected places.
‘Liquid Sunshine’ was released as the b-side to ‘Rumpofsteelskin’, and it’s a nice contrast to the maximalism of the a-side. There’s no Star Child narration; there’s just a couple of headline phrases (and few lyrics overall); and there’s no twisting of fairytales to fit a theme of buttshaking. ‘Liquid Sunshine’ is simply a good time.
This month, we’ve been raising Atlantis to the top. If you’ve been hanging out way up above land, go ‘Deep’, and then check out ‘The Motor-Booty Affair’ and ‘Rumpofsteelskin’.
Parliament-Funkadelic albums were often a mix of high-concept songs, ballads, and dance songs that hang a little looser from the central themes. On an album full of aquatic imagery, ‘Liquid Sunshine’ could have slotted in fairly neatly on the preceeding album, Funkentelechy Vs. The Placebo Syndrome. There’s even the mention of Star Child’s Bop Gun and Flash Light.
The many repetitions of “Liquid sunshine” fit the underwater boogie of course, but it’s really about the groove. The song doesn’t mention Atlantis, or even have any aquatic puns. In fact, it’s shockingly devoid of puns – especially as George Clinton backstroked to leftover fish jokes for his 1983 solo record,You Shouldn’t-Nuf Bit Fish.
(Similarly, album’s ballad, ‘(You’re A Fish And I’m A) Water Sign), could sometimes pass for a song from outside the P-Funk universe. “Let’s go swimming / The water’s fine” has the kind of floataway melody and delivery you could imagine coming from Motown. Although at other times, the song is unmistakably P-Funk. “My goodness, if you ain’t the baddest mermaid I done seen around here in years.” That’s Junie Morrison. Then there’s Bootsy Collins: “Talkin’ about babies, baba.”)
But the “Liquid” lyrics are really just a skin over what is mostly a bare bones funk groove. The multiple synth parts, though, add up to a whole lot of fidgetiness, as well as contributing something of a watery feel – particularly the trickly synth in the right speaker during the verses. At other times, the synths sound spacey and alien, the kind of thing from the Mothership. Behind all the manic whirring, the drums and piano are comparatively straightforward.
That’s mostly true for the bass, too. Whereas on Mothership Connection, the bass (often Bootsy’s) would take on a starring role, here it plays much more in support. Everything, other than the synth, is really an accompaniment for the vocals. The bass does have some room to wriggle in brief instrumental sections (particularly from 1:33), but otherwise just follows the chord progression with minimal flourishes. In the bridge section (0:40, for example), it joins the synth in a brief passage with a little tension (soon resolved when the vocals and main groove return), but it’s restrained where Bootsy may have stepped out front and centre on previous albums.
The bass does contribute much of the funk of the song, largely by hitting the One. Particularly during the chorus (“It’s just a sunshine song”), the One elevates a repetitive groove to something you could hear all day.
Gary “Mudbone” Cooper takes the lead on this song, and a few of his lines are as obscure as the most garbled, underwater vocals of Motor Booty. While the other singers, including Linda Brown who co-wrote the song, are easily heard (“Sunshine / Sunshine song”) Cooper’s sings things like “Strolled right up to the disco” – or was that “fish scope”? The mentions of the Bop Gun and Flash Light could easily go unnoticed. Cooper does, though, sound great. He matches the infectious energy of the main synth part.
Three minutes in, there’s an unexpected electric guitar wailing away for a brief period. It arrives in the manner of Eddie Hazel’s solo in ‘Pumpin’ It Up’. It’s not a straightforward choice, but when the P-Funk crew consists of dozens of members—there are 36 different musicians credited on Motor Booty—there’s the possibility of people popping up in unexpected places.
‘Liquid Sunshine’ was released as the b-side to ‘Rumpofsteelskin’, and it’s a nice contrast to the maximalism of the a-side. There’s no Star Child narration; there’s just a couple of headline phrases (and few lyrics overall); and there’s no twisting of fairytales to fit a theme of buttshaking. ‘Liquid Sunshine’ is simply a good time.