Overview

P-Funk keyboardist Daniel Bedrosian brings to life the recording and musical activity of Parliament-Funkadelic in 1975, an epoch-making year marked by the release of three seminal albums: Chocolate City, Let’s Take It to the Stage, and Mothership Connection. By the end of it, George Clinton and P-Funk were catapulted into superstardom, becoming a massive platinum success with multiple hit singles. Incorporating exclusive insights and memories from significant P-Funk members including Clinton himself, the book investigates how P-Funk evolved throughout the year and eventually crystallized a unique sound most associated with the group. Bedrosian pulls back the curtain on these three albums, revealing important details of production styles, artistic processes, musical influences, themes, historical importance, and so much more. He also dives into major P-Funk lore and political and social influences during this time, including Clinton’s Afrofuturism. At the beginning of 1975, Chocolate City – as a “tribute to Washington D.C.” – saw George Clinton putting Black people in the White House. By the end of the year, Mothership Connection – much more a movement than an album – saw him launching Black people into space, solidifying the band’s music as its own subgenre and laying down the foundation for many different types of popular music, including hip-hop.

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Reviews

When I look back to 1975, reading Daniel Bedrosian’s book, I hadn’t realized everything that was going on then. We were transforming from being a support act and opening band to headlining our own shows. 1975 was when it all began to come together and when P-Funk really began to take form. That was the year when we looked at the Ohio Players, Rufus, Kool & the Gang, and all the hot groups and said, ‘hey y'all, here we are.’ We wanted to take it to the stage but in a bigger way than anybody had ever imagined – the full funk opera landing of the Mothership! 1975 was the year that the dream began to come into focus. -- George Clinton

When I look back to 1975, reading Daniel Bedrosian’s book, I hadn’t realized everything that was going on then. We were transforming from being a support act and opening band to headlining our own shows. 1975 was when it all began to come together and when P-Funk really began to take form. That was the year when we looked at the Ohio Players, Rufus, Kool & the Gang, and all the hot groups and said, ‘hey y'all, here we are.’ We wanted to take it to the stage but in a bigger way than anybody had ever imagined – the full funk opera landing of the Mothership! 1975 was the year that the dream began to come into focus. -- George Clinton George Clinton has had a huge impact on my life since an early age. From the weird album covers to the unconventional, out-of-this world music, I was hooked. Mothership Connection became one of my all-time favorites. I’m so glad Daniel Bedrosian wrote this book that takes a deep dive into the records in that specific time period. You’re getting a sneak peek into the life and the recording process of one of the most interesting and innovative artists of our lifetime. -- Robert Glasper * Grammy Award-winning musician *

Author Information

Danny Bedrosian is the keyboardist for George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic and author of The Authorized P-Funk Song Reference (Rowman & Littlefield 2023). Playing with the band for over twenty years, he is the longest tenured keyboard player in the band’s history. In addition to P-Funk, he has worked or performed with many musical icons including Snoop Dogg, Chuck D and Flavor Flav, Ice Cube, Shavo Odadjian from System of A Down, Kendrick Lamar, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Erykah Badu, Queen Latifah, Mumford & Sons, RZA, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Sheila E, Wu-Tang Clan, and many more. He has appeared on The BET 25th Anniversary Special, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Carson Daly Show, I’m With Rolling Stone, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Monique Show, MTV in several nations, and many other shows. He lives in Tallahassee, FL.

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