Parlet - Pleasure Principle (1978)

Never let it be said that George Clinton wasn't a busy man in the late '70s. In addition to leading Parliament and Funkadelic (which were essentially the same band with two different names), Clinton produced or co-produced Bootsy's Rubber Band, the Brides of Funkenstein, the Horny Horns, and Parlet. In 1978, he produced Parlet's debut album, Pleasure Principle, which is a solid P-Funk-oriented outing, even though it isn't the female trio's best album. This LP finds the Jeanette Washington/Debbie Wright/Mallia Franklin edition of Parlet joined by a lot of familiar P-Funk faces, including Bootsy Collins on drums, Bernie Worrell on keyboards and Fred Wesley on trombone. Not surprisingly, infectious tracks like "Cookie Jar" and "Love Amnesia" are very Clinton-sounding. But Pleasure Principle is far from predictable. Clinton opts for variety, producing everything from the moody "Misunderstanding" and the sentimental northern soul ballad "Mr. Melody Man" (which would not have been out of place on a Love Unlimited or Three Degrees album) to more disco-minded offerings such as "Are You Dreaming?" and the title song. For the most part, Clinton wasn't a disco artist -- hardcore funk was his primary focus in the 1970s -- but these club-friendly tunes successfully combine P-Funk with disco gloss. "Are You Dreaming?" even has a bit of a Euro-disco outlook, which wasn't the sort of thing that one expected from Clinton in the late '70s. But then, the leader of Parliament/Funkadelic wanted to stretch himself on this LP -- and he did. Although Pleasure Principle isn't Parlet's most essential release, the record is enjoyable.~Alex Henderson