Much like
Prince in the 1980s,
George Clinton had a long list of disciples in the late '70s.
Clinton's p-funk empire wasn't only
Parliament/
Funkadelic, it also included
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Fred Wesley & the Horny Horns, and two female groups:
Parlet and
the Brides of Funkenstein. The latter recorded two albums in the late '70s, the first of which is the good to excellent
Funk or Walk. In addition to producing or co-producing everything on the LP,
Clinton co-wrote most of the material. So not surprisingly,
Funk or Walk tends to be very
Clinton-flavored. But the record is surprisingly diverse, and
Clinton keeps things unpredictable. "Birdie," "Amorous," and the infectious opener "Disco to Go" (which
Clinton wrote and produced with
Bootsy Collins) are all very
Parliament-like, but the jazz-influenced "Nappy" isn't unlike something
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band would have done. The melancholy "Just Like You" is a conventional soul ballad, and the glossy "When You're Gone" would have been appropriate for a
Silver Convention album. On
Funk or Walk,
the Brides' two-woman lineup consists of
Dawn Silva and
Lynn Mabry, both demonstrating that they have no problem handling the variety of things that
Clinton sends their way. ~ Alex Henderson