The Pinocchio Theory

from the LP Ahh…the Name is Bootsy Baby, Warner Bros. Records, 1977



Branching out on his own after tenures in both James Brown’s backing band (he got kicked out for eating LSD in the days before James Brown was hittin’ the crack pipe), & numerous P-Funk-related projects, Bootsy Collins absolutey shines when the grooves are built around his bassline. William ‘Bootsy’ Collins hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, and at the tender age of 18 he found himself and the band he had thrown together being asked to support none other than the godfather of funk (JB); back in those days, 1969-1972, James Brown had a lot of rules for his supporting band and crew, and Bootsy’s wild ways never jived. Where else for a wild-afroed, acid-eating black bassist to go than in P-Funk’s direction?! On this track, and most of Bootsy’s solo material, his backing “Rubber Band” consisted of fellow bandmates from both of his former projects: his brother ‘Catfish’ and pal ‘Kash’ Waddy from the JB’s & a host of interchanging funkateers from the P-Funk mothership. Bernie Worrell is here with his trusty synthesizer to keep everything really surreal and fantastic, and Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley & the Horny Horns bring the party anywhere they blow! Most of all though, Bootsy’s style of bass playing is just magnetic and hypnotizing, right in the front, sometimes carrying the rhythm, sometimes playing like it’s a lead guitar---that’s chonkeyfire ya’ll! When he declares, “This is the world’s funkiest sing-along!” I have a tendency to believe him. Given the tornado which is the state of the world right now, it puts a smart-ass grin on my face when I hear them sing, “these good old days, these days…” This was right when disco music was rising to it’s ascendance, and taking into account Bootsy’s very public hatred of disco music, I have to presume when he says, “somebody, been funkin’ with my funk’, funkin’ ‘round…until they done funked it up…don’t mess with my funk baby…” he is pointing his finger squarely in that direction. Due to his cartoon-like image, it’s easy to forget what a prodigious talent Bootsy Collins is, but this track should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that he can go toe-to-toe with any bassist on earth---or outer space…