Happy 45th Anniversary to Parliament’s ninth studio album Trombipulation, originally released December 5, 1980.
As the 1970s turned to the 1980s, the end of the Parliament-Funkadelic party was drawing near. The collective’s visionary George Clinton had kept the musical engine running and humming for about a decade, transforming his doo-wop group The Parliaments into the funk juggernaut Parliament.
Starting with the group’s “rebirth” in 1975, Clinton had helped guide the band’s incredible run. But things were getting increasingly messy, both within the group and through the auspices of its label, Casablanca Records. Sensing the end was nigh, he tackled the crew’s “planned obsolesce” on the solid Gloryhallastoopid (or Pin the Tail On the Funky) (1979). He acknowledged that soon afterwards “the tail got pinned.” However, that didn’t mean the group’s creative tank was empty: Parliament followed things up with Trombipulation, released 45 years ago.
In his memoir, Brothas Be Like, Yo George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You?, Clinton wrote that Trombipulation was conceived as a way to go back to the beginning. The group invoke the beginnings of civilization on Earth; the album’s art features ancient Egyptian symbols and iconography. According to Clinton, “we decided to go back to the beginning of our own universe, to transport Parliament to the time of The Parliaments. It was still P-Funk, but it was P-Funk with doo-wop in mind.”
Furthermore, Clinton wrote that as a nod to “going back to the barbershop,” the group planned to cross-promote the album with a series of hair products as an album tie-in. This did not come to fruition.
Clinton leans heavily into its usage of the villainous Sir Nose D’voidoffunk character throughout Trombipulation, envisioning the once funk-less one now running the musical show. The album’s liner notes feature a proclamation from Sir Nose that “with Starchild gone, I do feel that the whole Funk Mob is mine to steal…Parliament is mine now!”
Listen to the Album:
There’s certainly a lot of appearances by Sir Nose on the album; his “son,” the funk friendly Sir Nose Junior (Bootsy Collins using a vocoder), also appears on the opening track “Crush It.” Even the album’s title seems “nose”-themed: in a fictional scientific journal entry in the notes lists “Trombipulation” as the action of an elephant using its trunk to pick up smaller objects.
The talk of Starchild’s absence could be Clinton’s way of explaining that he was taking a reduced role in the development of Trombipulation. He received extensive assistance constructing the album, as Collins, Junie Morrison, and former Holland-Dozier-Holland collaborator Ron Dunbar all receive production credits. Parliament’s cast also continued to grow, as dozens of players are listed as musical contributors.
Trombipulation isn’t the grand, immersive experience that Parliament would put out during its mid-1970s hey-day, but it’s an exuberant listening experience. Even though Clinton cedes a lot of the control to players like Bootsy, it always feels like a Parliament album. Clinton wrote that “Bootsy brought some incredible tracks to those sessions,” and his contributions definitely give the album its character.
The album’s title track, produced by Clinton and Collins, is chock full of thumping, plodding funk, with Collins acting a triple threat, playing guitar, bass, and drums on the track. Newcomer to the group David Lee Spradley (credited as David Lee Chong) does admirable work on the keys, lending the send its space age feel.
“Long Way Around,” produced by Junie Morrison, starts off with a swirling, disco feel, and could be mistaken for a Love Unlimited Orchestra outtake, as the group utilizes a full string and horn section. However, when the elastic bassline kicks in, backed by the group’s distinctive vocal stylings, there’s no doubt that it’s a true Parliament funk track. The group also utilizes the string section on “New Doo Review.” Though the title of the song seems to suggest a return to the group’s doo-wop roots, the lyrics lean more towards hair styling related imagery. The rhythm section maintains the song’s propulsive feel, anchored by Lige Curry on bass and Bootsy on the drums.
As expected, Parliament excels at creating extended party jams. “Agony of Defeet,” the album’s most notable single, shares the most similarities with the group’s golden age singles. The Dunbar-produced track is goofy fun, with Spradley again doing much of the heavy lifting on the keyboards.
“Body Language” is a chaotic funk whirlwind and the only song on Trombipulation where Clinton received sole production credit. It features Clinton’s best vocal performance on the album, as he wails amidst a maelstrom of horns. “Let’s Play House” is a bouncy romp that Clinton described as “filled with horns, horniness and humor.” The Bootsy and Morrison produced composition is definitely the sexiest song on the album, laced with innuendo and featuring elastic synths played by Bernie Worrell and Spradley.
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Trombipulation would be the last proper Parliament album for 38 years. Funkadelic would carry on for a bit longer, but Clinton began shifting his focus onto different endeavors.
Few groups end with their best work, but Parliament hardly laid an egg before going on its extended hiatus. The sound of funk was changing, and Clinton was ready embrace this change by letting other members of his band generate new ideas and approaches. By relinquishing more control, Clinton helped many of the band members grow as artists. Trombipulation might not always have the sharpest edges, but it still is undeniably funky and suggested at the time that good things were still to come.
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