Parlet (P-Funk) - Discography (1978-1980) FLAC

Parlet (P-Funk) - Discography (1978-1980) FLAC

Parlet was a female spinoff group from P-Funk formed by veteran background vocalists Mallia Franklin, Jeanette Washington and Debbie Wright. Washington and Wright were the first female members in Parliament-Funkadelic in 1975


Albums:
Parlet - 1978 Pleasure Principle (2013) FLAC

Artist: Parlet
Title: Pleasure Principle
Year of Release: 2013 (The Island Def Jam Music Group)
Original Release: 1978
Genre: Funk, P-Funk
Format: FLAC

AllMusic:
Never let it be said that George Clinton wasn't a busy man in the late '70s. In addition to leading Parliament and Funkadelic (which were essentially the same band with two different names), Clinton produced or co-produced Bootsy's Rubber Band, the Brides of Funkenstein, the Horny Horns and Parlet. In 1978 he produced Parlet's debut album, Pleasure Principle which is a solid P-Funk-oriented outing even though it isn't the female trio's best album. This LP finds the Jeanette Washington/Debbie Wright/Mallia Franklin edition of Parlet joined by a lot of familiar P-Funk faces including Bootsy Collins on drums, Bernie Worrell on keyboards and Fred Wesley on trombone. Not surprisingly, infectious tracks like "Cookie Jar" and "Love Amnesia" are very Clinton-sounding. But Pleasure Principle is far from predictable. Clinton opts for variety, producing everything from the moody "Misunderstanding" and the sentimental northern soul ballad "Mr. Melody Man" (which would not have been out of place on a Love Unlimited or Three Degrees album) to more disco-minded offerings such as "Are You Dreaming?" and the title song. For the most part Clinton wasn't a disco artist -- hardcore funk was his primary focus in the 1970s -- but these club-friendly tunes successfully combine P-Funk with disco gloss. "Are You Dreaming?" even has a bit of a Euro-disco outlook which wasn't the sort of thing that one expected from Clinton in the late '70s. But then the leader of Parliament/Funkadelic wanted to stretch himself on this LP -- and he did. Although Pleasure Principle isn't Parlet's most essential release the record is enjoyable.


Track List:
1. Pleasure Principle (George Clinton, Ron Ford, Bernie Worrell)
2. Love Amnesia (George Clinton, Ron Dunbar, Billy Bass Nelson)
3. Cookie Jar (Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins)
4. Misunderstandings (George Clinton, Ron Ford, Bernie Worrell)
5. Are You Dreaming? (Linda Brown, Garry Shider, George Clinton)
6. Mr. Melody Man (Gary Cooper, Ron Dunbar)

Personnel:
Vocals - Mallia Franklin, Debbie Wright, and Jeanette Washington
Guitars - Garry Shider, Michael Hampton, Glenn Goins, Billy Bass Nelson
Bass - Rodney "Skeet" Curtis, Billy Bass Nelson, Rick Gilmore
Drums - Jim Wright, Frank Waddy, Bootsy Collins, Gary Cooper, Jerome Brailey.
Keyboards - Bernie Worrell
Horns - Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Rick Gardner, Richard Griffith
Background vocals - Brandie, Ron Ford

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Parlet - 1979 Invasion Of The Booty Snatchers (2013) FLAC

Artist: Parlet
Title: Invasion Of The Booty Snatchers
Year of Release: 2013 (The Island Def Jam Group)
Original Release: 1979
Genre: Funk, P-Funk
Format: FLAC

AllMusic:
Parlet's second album Invasion of the Booty Snatchers found Parliament/Funkadelic leader George Clinton supervising a new edition of the female trio. Jeanette Washington was still on board but this time she joined forces with Shirley Hayden and Janice Evans instead of Debbie Wright and Mallia Franklin. However, Invasion of the Booty Snatchers (whose title is based on the 1950s sci-fi/horror movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers) isn't a radical departure from Parlet's first album, Pleasure Principle. Clinton (who produced this 1979 LP with Ron Dunbar) still goes for variety and Parlet's sophomore album is as unpredictable as their first. While goofy numbers like "No Rump to Bump" and "Huff-N-Puff" are very Parliament-sounding, "Ridin' High" (a minor hit) and the glossy "Booty Snatchers" have more of a disco influence -- "Ridin' High," in fact almost sounds like a marriage of P-Funk and Chic. Meanwhile, the pleasing "Don't Ever Stop (Lovin' Me, Needin' Me)" is a conventional Northern soul ballad -- conventional by Clinton's standards that is. As strong as Invasion of the Booty Snatchers is the LP wasn't a huge multi-platinum seller; many of the P-Funk addicts who bought Parliament and Funkadelic's albums religiously didn't spend a lot of dollars on Parlet. Nonetheless, Invasion of the Booty Snatchers is arguably the group's finest and most impressive release.


Track List:
1. Ridin' High (Ron Dunbar / Donnie Sterling)
2. No Rump to Bump (George Clinton / Ron Dunbar / Donnie Sterling)
3. Don't Ever Stop (Lovin' Me, Needin' Me) (George Clinton / Ron Dunbar / Glen Goins)
4. Booty Snatchers (Pete Bishop / George Clinton / Ron Dunbar)
5. You're Leaving (George Clinton / Gary Cooper / Ron Dunbar)
6. Huff-N-Puff (Ron Dunbar)

Personnel:
Vocals - Jeanette Washington, Janice Evans, and Shirley Hayden
Guitars - Gordon Carlton, Jerome Ali, Phelps Collins, Bootsy Collins, Michael Hampton, Kevin D. Oliver, Tim Moore, Glenn Goins, Garry Shider
Bass - Bootsy Collins, Donnie R. Sterling, Jeff Bunn, Jimmy Ali
Drums - Frank Waddy, Gary Cooper, Bootsy Collins, Kenny Colton
Percussion - Carl Small, Larry Fratangelo
Keyboards/Synthesizers - Bernie Worrell, Ernestro Wilson, Joel Johnson, Manon Saulsby
Horns - Benny Cowan, Greg Boyer, Greg Thomas
Additional vocals - George Clinton, Mallia Franklin, Donnie Sterling, Cheryl James, Ray Davis, Ron Ford, Robert Johnson, Gary Cooper, Gordon Carlton, Janice Carlton

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Parlet - 1980 Play Me Or Trade Me (1992 Japan) FLAC

Artist: Parlet
Title: Play Me Or Trade Me
Year of Release: 1992 (Japan)
Original Release: 1980
Genre: Funk, P-Funk
Format: FLAC

AllMusic:
If 1979's Invasion of the Booty Snatchers is Parlet's best and most essential album, Play Me or Trade Me runs a close second. This 1980 LP which George Clinton produced with Ron Dunbar offers the same Parlet lineup heard on Invasion of the Booty Snatchers -- Jeanette "Baby" Washington is joined by Shirley Hayden and Janice Evans. And many of the familiar P-Funk faces are on board including Bootsy Collins (who plays guitar but doesn't sing), saxman Maceo Parker and trombonist Fred Wesley. Play Me or Trade Me which was Parlet's third album isn't quite as diverse as its two predecessors. But if the trio sacrifices some diversity on this record, they don't sacrifice quality -- Play Me or Trade Me is impressively consistent and Parlet sounds inspired and focused throughout the LP. Side one is a nonstop P-Funk party; it kicks into high gear with "Help From My Friends" and Parlet keeps the momentum going with "Watch Me Do My Thang" and "Wolf Tickets." Side two, meanwhile, also has a strong P-Funk orientation although there are hints of Chic on the title track and "I'm Mo Be Hittin' It." And the fact that Chic managed to have some type of influence on one of George Clinton's acts speaks well of the Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards team. Back in 1980 Rodgers and Edwards were not music industry veterans; Chic's first album came out in 1977. But they had become extremely influential and even the mighty Clinton -- someone who was incredibly influential himself -- is affected by the distinctive Rodgers/Edwards sound on parts of this album. Unfortunately, Play Me or Trade Me was the end of the line for Parlet, but at least the group ended their brief recording career on a high note.


Track List:
1. Help from My Friends (Ronald Dunbar / Tyrone Lampkin)
2. Watch Me Do My Thang (Bootsy Collins / Ronald Dunbar)
3. Wolf Tickets (George Clinton)
4. Play Me or Trade Me (George Clinton / Ronald Dunbar)
5. I'm Mo Be Hittin' It (George Clinton / Ronald Dunbar)
6. Funk Until the Edge of Time (Ronald Dunbar / Jeanette "Baby" Washington)
7. Wonderful One (Ronald Dunbar)

Personnel:
Vocals - Jeanette Washington, Janice Evans, and Shirley Hayden
Guitars - Gordon Carlton, Jerome Ali, Bootsy Collins, Phelps Collins, Michael Hampton, Garry Shider
Bass - Jimmie Ali, Donnie Sterling, Lige Curry, Steve Pannell, Cordell Mosson
Drums - Kenny Colton, Tyrone Lampkin
Keyboards - Manon Saulsby, Ernestro Wilson, David Lee Spradley
Percussion - Janice Carlton, Carl Small, Larry Fratangelo
Horns - Greg Thomas, Greg Boyer, Benny Cowan, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Richard Griffith, Larry Hatcher, Ernie Fields Jr., David Majal Ii, Nolan Smith Jr., Raymond Lee Brown
Additional vocals - Cheryl James, Janice Carlton, Ron Dunbar, Gwen Dozier, George Clinton, Andre Williams, Steve Pannell, Tony Davis, Ron Ford, Jimmie Ali, Jerome Ali, Gordon Carlton, Manon Saulsby