AS YOU MAY KNOW,I PLAYED ON THE FIRST FUNKADELIC ALBUM.WHEN WE WERE RECORDING "I GOT A THANG" GEORGE ASKED ME IF I WOULD JOIN THE GROUP.I WAS DOING A LOT OF STUDIO WORK,AND I TURNED THE OFFER DOWN.I DIDN'T KNOW IF I WANTED TO GO ON THE ROAD AT THAT TIME.
AS TIME WENT ON AND I ENDED UP JOINING R.E. WE DID MANY SHOWS WITH GEORGE AND THE GUYS.EVERY TIME WE DID A SHOW TOGETHER GEORGE WOULD ASK ME TO JOIN UP. I'M TALKING 71-74 WHEN R.E. WAS SMOKING.I JUST COULDN'T QUITE SEE MYSELF AS WILD AS THEY WERE.....AND I DEFINITELY COULDN'T SEE MYSELF IN A DIAPER!!! LOL.
EDDIE HAZEL AND I WOULD HOOK UP BACKSTAGE AND TRADE LICKS.I LIKED EDDIE A LOT.THEY WERE WITH OUR MANAGER TOO,AND BILLY NELSON EVEN ENDED UP DOING A SHOW WITH US WHEN REGGIE MCBRIDE DIDN'T MAKE IT.
ALL IN ALL....IT WAS A TOUGH DECISION,AND DIFFICULT TO TURN DOWN.I THINK BACK ON IT NOW AND THEN AND WONDER WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED,AND .....IF I WOULD STILL BE AROUND. ANYWAY,NO REGRETS..YOU JUST DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT AT THE TIME.
GEORGE IS STILL OUT THERE DOING IT. I SAW HIM RECENTLY HERE IN DETROIT AT A PARTY FOR THE "SOULFUL TALE" PROJECT. THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I HAD SEEN HIM IN MANY YEARS.
IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW,HE'S SINGING TWO OF THE SONGS ON THE NEW C.D.
On friday 27th October there is a tvprogramme on BBC4 in the UK, it is on at 9pm and is called GEORGE CLINTON - TALES OF DR FUNKENSTEIN. Worth a look for sure!
Just re-visiting an old thread Ray. The only Parliament album I heard was the Osmium album which I really enjoyed, particularly "Come In Out of the Rain". I expect you were involved in this HDH product somewhere along the line.
I was looking at another forum related to Motown a few days ago and noticed a lot of Rare Earth related threads with yourself, Peter, Gil and Rod Richards posting at various times around 2003/4. In one of your posts you mentioned some of the songs you'd played sessions on. It was uncanny that these are all in my record collection. The first record I ever bought was Ball of Confusion by The Temptations followed by Chairmen of the Board's Give Me Just A Little More Time. You played on both. I then added Somebody's Been Sleeping by 100 Proof and managed to talk a friend into parting with Cloud Nine by the Temps. Again you featured on both, and there are many more. Shortly afterwards I got into Rare Earth but it wasn't until "One World" that I was really hooked. Its funny to think that it was your guitar playing that probably attracted me into buying Motown, Invictus and Hot Wax records before I'd got into Rare Earth.
Getting technical, Somebodys Been Sleeping is without doubt one of my top ten favourite songs of all time and it's that single guitar note that rings out repeatedly in the intro, repeated again in the bridge, that always grabs me. I've always wanted to know how that sound is achieved? I think there's a similar thing on the start of I Want You Back by the Jackson Five which you also played on. Is it just the way you play the notes or are you using effects?
Have you heard the album version of Somebody's Been Sleeping? which has much longer instrumental break? Do you have any opinion as to whether single is an edit of album or different version as I can't make my mind up?
I'd forgotten about the album verson. I used to have the album on cassette but I suspect it went missing over the years. I have a 100 Proof compilation CD which features a version of the song which lasts 4.16 minutes. I can't recall if its the same as the original album version but I suspect it might be as the middle instrumental bit sounds extended.
I presume the single version would only run to about 3 minutes and is probably edited down from the album version. Could well be wrong though.
Classic song though, whichever version you listen to!!!
AS FAR AS I REMEMBER,I DIDN'T PLAY ON THE OSMIUM ALBUM. THEY WERE SELF CONTAINED AT THAT TIME. ONE OF THE SONGS,"SILENT BOATMAN", WAS ALSO ON RUTH COPELAND'S ALBUM. I PLAYED ON BOTH OF HER ALBUMS. SHE WAS INVOLVED WITH OSMIUM, AND THE SONGWRITING.
THAT REALLY IS UNCANNY ABOUT YOUR COLLECTION AND MY INVOLVEMENT IN THE SONGS. THEY REALLY ARE GREAT SONGS,AND IT WAS MY PLEASURE TO BE LUCKY ENOUGH TO PLAY ON THEM.
AS FAR AS SOMEBODY'S BEEN SLEEPING GOES. AT THAT TIME,THERE WERE THREE GUITARS ON THE HDH SESSIONS. USUALLY EDDIE WILLIS,DENNIS COFFEY,AND MYSELF. TO BE HONEST,I DON'T REMEMBER WHO PLAYED WHAT ON THAT SONG.WE WERE CUTTING PRACTICALLY EVERY DAY AT THAT TIME,AND THINGS TEND TO RUN TOGETHER.
ALSO....I NEED TO CLEAR UP "I WANT YOU BACK". WE RECORDED THAT SONG AT MOTOWN BEFORE IT CAME OUT. BOB BABBITT PLAYED BASS. THAT'S WHY I REMEMBER IT SO WELL. IT WAS THE FIRST SESSION WITH BOB THAT I PLAYED ON AT HITSVILLE.THE OTHERS WERE WITH JAMES JAMERSON. THE SONG CAME OUT,AND BOB AND I TALKED ABOUT HOW GOOD IT SOUNDED,ESPECIALLY THE COOL BASS LINE. WELL......COME TO FIND OUT,IT WAS ALSO RECORDED IN L.A. DURING THE SAME TIME,AND THAT'S THE VERSION THAT CAME OUT. IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME AS WHAT WE DID,NOTE FOR NOTE.IT EVEN FOOLED US!!!
