(1989 European pressing. VG.) Clinton was sunk deep into Detroit for nearly a decade before unleashing this mad dog funk on the world (recorded in the Motor City and issued on Detroit label Westbound), a street-tough older brother to Parliament that would become a huge part of the "Parliafunkadelicment Thang" (a family of creative outlets and personas that must have inspired the diverse renaissance aspect of the golden era of hip hop decades later). While the future would see Clinton owning the 1970s, embracing and inventing the decade, here the sound clearly comes out of the late 1960s, pure acid groove, blues, funk, acid rock, the first cut offering obvious nods to both Sly and Hendrix, the two influences showing throughout the set. Of course, this dips down to Ohio, Memphis and even Mississippi and brings it up to Detroit, "a joint rolled in toilet paper," circular motion lotion applied to ashy kneecaps, this is clearly rust-belt hard funk, the second cut "I Bet You" exploring the same territory that Norman Whitfield had been exploring with this Motown outlets. Of course, these comparisons shouldn't suggest any assembly-line mentality or lack of originality, this was delivery of something sporting a fresh paint job and a brand new powerplant under the hood roaring out of the garage, pistons pumping out the rhythm, curb feelers scraping against concrete, Motor City muscle that was built to last and cause notice, the sounds of the 1960s rolled up tight and rolled out like a steamroller in the late-night moments when the dark of night meet the light of morning. "I Bet You," would become a minor hit (#63 and oddly their biggest hit for the first half of the decade), but while perhaps it's not surprising that this album was mostly ignored, it's even less surprising that this would eventually take on classic status, it's just a whip-crack attack on the status quo, deep dark funk rolling like a tank down the streets of Detroit...bust out the TV cameras, take notice interplanetary sources, there's a riot goin' on. - winch (green noise records)
