Mothership Conection

The instruction that begins Parliament’s Mothership Connection prepares you for an ecstatic journey and establishes the setting for a cosmic trip into galaxies populated with galactic grooves, joyous vibes, cheeky humour, streetwise slang. This is nearly 39 minutes of some of the best, sweatiest, most enthusiastic funk devised — all laid down by an all-star band responsible for what Rolling Stone named the 363rd Greatest Album of All Time.

Sourced from the original analogue master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP presents Mothership Connection in audiophile sound for the first time. Making its debut on 45RPM, Parliament’s benchmark benefits from the wide groove space by playing with tauter bass, enhanced definition, and more realistic presence than prior editions. Everything from the brassiness of the horns to the crisp slap of the snare to the fleshy snap of handclaps comes across in full-range perspective.

This collectible 50th anniversary reissue of the 1975 set exhibits a combination of transparency, solidity, and imaging that brings into clear view every note Parliament committed to tape at United Sound in Detroit and Hollywood Sound in California. On this pressing, the dynamics, hooks, and hip-shaking verve of Mothership Connection practically explode. Important facets such as the bountiful depth of the bass lines to the brassy purity of the horns to the distinctive textures of the various keyboards comes across with immersive realism.

A perfect storm of creativity, chemistry, and composition overseen by leader George Clinton, the platinum-certified Mothership Connection ties together Parliament’s then-burgeoning blend of bulbous funk, psychedelic soul, rule-breaking rock, science-fiction fantasy, and Afrofuturism themes. The group’s first effort to feature the virtuoso horn tandem of Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley — fresh from an extensive stint with James Brown’s J.B.’s — it spawned three iconic singles, received entry into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry, and proved a massive influence on the early and mid-90s West Coast hip-hop movement that swept through popular culture.

Clinton has plenty of help from a cast of like-minded explorers that includes notables such as Wesley, Parker, Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins, Cordell Mosson, the Brecker brothers, and Jerome Brailey. Though the collective enjoys unrestricted freedom in its pursuit of “the bomb,” every track on Mothership Connection unfurls with laser-focused tightness, cutting-edge sharpness, and natural grooves that seemingly stretch out forever.