Trombipulation

When the '70s were over, so were the careers of many of the decade's most popular groups. But while most rock fans think of punk and new wave triumphing over the dinosaur boogie bands around this time, a similar sea change was happening in R&B. As disco's prominence receded, it in many ways took funk down with it. New economic realities meant it was no longer feasible to take a huge band--Parliament might have over 30 members at a time--on the road, and the rising profile of rap threatened the music's dominance. Wisely, George Clinton folded both Parliament and Funkadelic as separate entities, keeping most of the core musicians around to work on his solo albums. 1980's TROMBIPULATION was the final Parliament release, and while it doesn't reach the heights of previous classics like MOTOR-BOOTY AFFAIR or MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION, it's worlds better than the listless final Funkadelic project, 1981's WHO'S A FUNKADELIC. For once, there's no overarching concept to the album, just a series of solid funk grooves--this time with a prominent jazz-fusion feel--with wide-ranging, often bitterly sarcastic lyrics, as in the opening "Crush It".|