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“Do not attempt to adjust your radio.”
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 humor, 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 analog 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.
No matter where you turn, Mothership Connection grabs and holds your attention. The intoxicating adventure begins with the truly out-of-this-world cover art. Just try to ignore the riotously clever image of a finger-snapping, legs-splayed, sunglasses-adorning, knee-high-boots-wearing Clinton sitting within a glowing space ship sailing the Milky Way. He designed the concept record around the idea that few would imagine Black people in outer space — so that’s exactly where he places them.
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.
“Let the vibes flow through,” Parliament instructs on the opening funk anthem “P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up).” The easy command is one of many spoken-word directions that helps construct a mythological universe that allows the band’s personalities and alien alter egos to shine. The following title track introduces the Star Child as the song glides, struts, and skates its way through an atmosphere pregnant with vibration and feeling. As it incorporates the refrain of the spiritual “Swing Down Sweet Chariot” into a dipping-and-diving arrangement, Parliament crafts one of the most often-sampled cuts in history.
Parliament doesn’t let a moment go to waste on Mothership Connection. For an even bigger hit than the two aforementioned cuts, surrender to the infectious mass of step-to-it vocals, shimmering cymbals, pulsing beats, silvery horns, and burbling bass lines on “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker).” Attempt to track the assembly of twisted and tweaked Minimoog, ARP, and pianos orchestrating the restrained “Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication,” as much a mantra as a song. Need an instant excuse to dance? Cue up “Unfunky UFO” and shake it like you mean it. Oh, there’s sexiness in Parliament’s version of outer space, too, thanks to the rise-and-fall architecture of “Handcuffs” and the madcap lead vocals of Glenn Goins.
Thump, thump, thump. A whole lotta rhythm goin’ ‘round, indeed.
Track Listing
Side One:
- P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)
Side Two:
- Mothership Connection (Star Child)
- Unfunky UFO
Side Three:
- Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication
- Handcuffs
Side Four:
- Give up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)
- Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples
Music Vinyl LP's
Alan Parsons – I Robot – MoFi Ultradisc 180g 45RPM 2LP Box Set
AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER
MASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES: ULTRADISC ONE-STEP SET IS THE ULTIMATE ANALOG VERSION OF 1977 AUDIOPHILE STANDARD Audiophiles don’t need any introduction to the Alan Parsons Project’s I Robot. Engineered by Parsons after he performed the same duties on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, the 1977 record reigns as a disc whose taut bass, crisp highs, clean production, and seemingly limitless dynamic range are matched only by the sensational prog-rock fare helmed by the keyboardist. Not surprisingly, it’s been issued myriad times. Can it be improved? Relish Mobile Fidelity’s stupendous UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP box set and the question becomes irrelevant.
Alanis Morissette – Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie – 180g 33RPM 2LP Mofi Vinyl
NOW IN STOCK
Alanis Morissette Delivers the Equivalent of a Spiritual Awakening on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie: Introspective Themes and Compassionate Emotions on Eastern-Tinged Album Have Grown More Relevant
1998 Smash Plays with Enhanced Detail, Rich Textures, and Sharp Focus on Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM 2LP Set: First-Ever Audiophile Edition Strictly Limited to 3,000 Numbered Copies
1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe
Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill –UD1S 180g 45RPM SuperVinyl 2LP Box Set Mofi Vinyl
Blockbuster Alanis Morissette Album Transcends Generations: 17-Million-Selling Jagged Little Pill Features Five Hit Singles, Including “You Oughta Know” and “Ironic”
1995 Record Presented in Audiophile Sound for the First Time for Its 30th Anniversary: Mobile Fidelity’s UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP Box Set Is Strictly Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies
1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe When Alanis Morissette took direct aim at an ex who wronged her on the eviscerating “You Oughta Know” in 1995, everything about the Top 10 song communicated it wasn’t the usual narrative about love gone south. Or the typical wounded singer wallowing in self pity. Morissette, and both the lead single from and her entire American major-label debut — the profoundly personal Jagged Little Pill — represented a sea change. They kickstarted a movement, one whose impact continues to echo throughout the mainstream nearly three decades later.
Bill Evans and Jim Hall – Undercurrent – Mofi Vinyl
Special Offer While Stocks Last
Diverse Set Encompasses Ballads, Waltzes, Hard-Swinging Bop
Bill Evans catapulted to the top of the jazz world in June 1961 after reeling off three straight masterpiece sessions at New York’s Village Vanguard with his trio. Yet the emotional highs came to a screeching halt shortly thereafter when bassist Scott LaFaro died in a car accident. Devastated, Evans refrained from playing for nearly a year. If not for an inspirational collaboration of tremendous creative outpouring, one wonders what fate may have befallen Evans. Undercurrent, the outcome of two studio sessions with guitarist Jim Hall, is that project.
Bill Withers – Still Bill – 180g Mofi Vinyl
Now in stock special price while stocks last.
Mastered On Mobile Fidelity's Renowned Mastering System And Pressed At Rti For Definitive Sound.
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary, Bill Withers' Still Bill remains true to its title – and stands as the greatest male-fronted soul album not made by a singer named Marvin, Al, Sam, James, or Ray. Though the saying "keeping it real" did not exist in popular parlance when Withers released his sophomore effort on Sussex Records, no words better capture the music's approach, mindset, and value. Every facet of Still Bill radiates honesty, truth, and emotion. These characteristics – along with Withers' strong singing, hybrid arrangements, and deceptively simple songwriting – have allowed the album to endure to the point where it sounds as fresh today as in 1972.
Billy Joel – Turnstiles Mofi SACD
Experience The Orchestral Sweep, Ravishing Poignancy Like Never Before
By 1976, Billy Joel had proven his merit as an auteur of California-based singer-songwriter pop-rock. On Turnstiles, the legend focuses his attention on more ambitious matters: Making an album whose scope and range dwarf that of his previous work, and shot his star into the stratosphere. Encompassing everything from urgent rock to soft pop and saloon fare, Turnstiles is a classic of major proportions. We have gone back to the original master tapes to present Joel's encompassing music the way it was always intended to be experienced: Intimate, detailed, expressive, warm. The record's widescreen sonics are at last properly cinematic, flush with colors, textures, and atmosphere.
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