Word: clintons
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Which is not to say it's short on poetry itself. Clinton has a sloganeer's knack for engineering mischievous, provocative lyrics. His songs intersperse sexual double entendres with street-talk to round out an informed polemic. The "message" of SOMBJAF--unlike that of Grandmaster Flash--transcends the ghetto cliches that make rap so egregious. We're talkin' the redefinition of urban sophistication...
...Double Oh-Oh," SOMBJAF's first and most danceable cut, starts Clinton's assault. A metallic beat carves its way through a dense vocal arrangement as singers trade licks on the subject of spies and sperms. By the end, there are two clear meanings to a wailing momma's screams: "Who. Is. For my coun-try? Who. Is. For me?" Love and patriotism, yoked together via the healing power of funk, have been bizarrely fused. At least, that's my guess...
...Thrashin'," co-producer Thomas Dolby injects an effete strain by leading Clinton & Co. on a ride in a "space limousine." With lines like, "Thrashin', mashin'/Cashin' in on the groove. . . . /Take no prisoners/Show no mercy," Parliament's old leader and his Anglo sidekick make no bones about their beefs. As the title track says, our potential for good times is being suffocated within our materialist, conservative regime. Just "like we split a pair of genes/We split the whole world at the seams...
Incidentally, Dolby and the Clinton crew combine on a 12-incher entitled MAY THE CUBE BE WITH YOU, from Dolby's upcoming Brit-funk LP. The song reminds us that Dolby's mindless career since "Blinded Me With Science" can still be salvaged. He just took the wrong road when it diverged in the ol' yellow wood...
...seriously-folks, the best thing about The Cube is the company Dolby keeps, not his natty nuttiness. The funk on this song is slow and smooth, like honey over gravel, eased by Clinton sidemen Dennis Chambers and Rodney Curtis, spiced by the Brecker Brothers' smart horn playing, and sassy, improvised background vocals by Lene Lovitch and George Clinton...