George Clinton: Computer Games

George Clinton: Computer Games

1982

Capitol Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Get Dressed  2. Man's Best Friend/Loopzilla  3. Pot Sharing Tots  4. Computer Games  5. Atomic Dog  6. Free Alterations  7. One Fun at a Time


Oh yea, I like this one...This is George Clinton's first solo album, following the dissolution of Parliament-Funkadelic, and it's amazing how well their sound translates to the 80's...Excellent arcade-funk that sounds great when you're at the Zaxxon machine, burning through the quarters...

 Oddly enough, when I listen to this now, I always think of a certain airplane trip I took in 2012...Now see, I hate airplanes...I know my fear is irrational, but that doesn't stop me from freakin' out...I know this doesn't make much sense, but I think I'd feel better if I could ride in the cockpit with the pilot, that way I'd know he wasn't drunk or suicidal... In my mind, behind the cockpit door the pilot's face is resting peacefully on the dashboard, zonked out after a long-night of partying...

 

"ZZZZZZZ...."

 

"NERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!" 

Anyway, after panicking and throwing a can of Coke, I eventually pulled it together and put on my headphones and played "Computer Games." 

Alright, my paranoid superstition is now going to sound even crazier and crazier...Once I pushed play I became afraid to not hear music for even a second, I can't explain it...I'm afraid I'll suddenly hear the engines stop running or hear a knock on the window and wind up face to face with this guy...

...So I just kept "Computer Games" playing in an endless loop..And the plane ride from Arizona to Michigan is a good 4 hour trip...and because it worked so well on the ride there, I repeated the ritual for the ride back...So I probably listened to the album for a good 8 hours that trip!

As a result, when I hear this album I get horrific flashbacks of $8.00 Jack Daniels shooters and  SkyMall ads...

....but I still love the album, in fact it's one of my favorite P-Funk related albums...Side Two of this thing is out of control!

  First off, this is where you find "Atomic Dog"...

Man, the video for that song is one of my all-time favorites...Watching it instantly gives me 80's flashbacks...It captures the look and feel of the era so perfectly...And I could watch those strutting dogs all day...

...the song is good too! Right after "Funky Drummer," this has to be the most sampled song in hip hop history. Probably most famously used by Snoop Doggy Dogg in "What's My Name"?...

 ..or in "Pumps & a Bump" by MC Hammer and his big-ass boner...

...actually, let's forget about that one...But yea, I'm calling "Atomic Dog" the funkiest shit ever...I said it, so it's official...That's how things work, right?

"Free Alterations" and "One Fun at a Time" are my other jams..."Free Alterations" seems to be about your funeral suit, but despite the grim subject matter it's such  a groovy booty-shaker...Sort of digital reggae and "One Fun at a Time" is so catchy and life-affirming...When I put this on, I have no choice but to get on the good foot...

"Man's Best Friend/Loopzilla" is a good one too...Remember a couple weeks ago when we were discussing the horrible "Stars on 45" phenomena? Well, George takes a shot at the relentless homogenization of the radio airwaves...Still unsure if his "Planet Rock" shout-out is an honest tribute or a joke..."Planet Rock" is pretty cool, in my opinion...


 
Really the only bad track (and almost every George Clinton album seems to have one...) is "Pot Sharing Tots." I don't even know how to describe this song, other than a sort of a sleazy Muppet Babies doo-wop with lyrics that I find deeply disturbing for some reason...Maybe it's all the thumb-sucking, I dunno...Anyway, stay clear of that one and you've got just about the funkiest party-starter album I can think of,  so let's queue up "One Fun at a Time" by George Clinton...Enjoy...