“Love Amnesia" by Parlet

Parlet was a P-Funk spinoff act formed in 1978 by George Clinton. He originally conceived the trio as a female counterpart to doo-wop vocal group the Parliaments (who eventually evolved into legendary funk outfit Parliament). The vocal trio’s original name was the Parlettes, but Clinton thought it sounded a bit too Motowny and trimmed the name down to Parlet. The group’s original members were veteran P-Funk background singers Debbie Wright, Jeanette Washington and Mallia Franklin (aka “Queen of Funk”). Parlet were known for being a bit more wild and overtly sexual than P-Funk’s other female vocal group, the Brides of Funkenstein.

Parlet released their debut album Pleasure Principle in 1978 on Casablanca Records. The album, produced by Clinton, is filled with great funk, dance and R&B tracks that effectively showcase the trio’s strong vocal abilities. One of the album highlights is the exceedingly funky “Love Amnesia.” Billy “Bass” Nelson serves up some extra-nasty bass, and Bernie Worrell enhances the groove with some sensational synth work. He’s also responsible for the song’s amazing horn arrangement. Additionally, the track boasts a really cool, imaginative bridge. And Parlet bring the fire on their gritty, funkified vocals. “Love Amnesia” was written by Clinton, Nelson and Ron Dunbar. It was sampled on Ice Cube’s 1991 song “Steady Mobbin’”.

Pleasure Principle rose to #55 on Billboard’s R&B album chart, and the title track peaked at #66 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. Here’s the full musician lineup for the album: Billy “Bass” Nelson (bass and guitar), Garry Shider (guitar), Fred Wesley (trombone, horn arrangements), Bootsy Collins (drums), Glenn Goins (guitar), Frankie “Kash” Waddy (drums), Maceo Parker (saxophone), Richard “Kush” Griffith (trumpet), Mike Hampton (guitar), Gary “Mudbone” Cooper (drums), Rick Gardner (trumpet), Rick Gilmore (bass), Bernie Worrell (keyboards, string and horn arrangements), Jim Wright (drums), Rodney “Skeet” Curtis (bass), David J. Van De Pitte (string arrangement), and Ron Dunbar and soul/disco trio Brandye provided background vocals.

Following the release of Pleasure Principle, Debbie Wright had to leave the group due to health issues. She was replaced by Shirley Hayden who appears on Parlet's second album Invasion of the Booty Snatchers (1979). Mallia Franklin left the group in 1979 to help form R&B/funk outfit Sterling Silver Starship with her then-husband Donnie Sterling, who was a bassist for Parliament. She was replaced by Janice Evans halfway through the recording of Invasion of the Booty Snatchers. In 1980, Parlet released one final album, Play Me or Trade Me, before disbanding that same year. The trio's lineup for that album was Jeanette Washington, Shirley Hayden and Janice Evans.

"Love Amnesia" available at Amazon

"Dance Floor" by Zapp

Ohio groove masters Zapp thrilled funk lovers with the electrifying single “Dance Floor” in 1982. This explosive funk track blew up the airwaves and had folks setting dance floors on fire. It was refreshing to have a band like Zapp who was still dropping pure, hard-hittin’ funk in the early ‘80s, a time when a lot of popular funk and R&B acts were starting to water down their funk. The track features the band’s signature electro-funk sound, replete with nasty chicken-scratch guitar licks, a ferocious synth bass line, booming handclaps and a dynamic beat. And bandleader Roger Troutman further elevates the funk level with his imaginative talkbox work. The track also boasts some high-voltage synth vamps, a smoldering guitar solo and a fantastic bridge.

“Dance Floor” was a single from the band’s second album Zapp II, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1982. It was co-written and arranged by Roger Troutman and Larry Troutman. The song peaked at #62 on Billboard’s dance club chart and topped Billboard’s R&B singles chart. Zapp II also performed extremely well on the charts, peaking at #2 on Billboard’s R&B album chart and #25 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, with 500,000 units sold. The collection was co-produced by Roger Troutman and Terry “Zapp” Troutman.

“Dance Floor” has been sampled on 103 songs, including “California Love” (2Pac, featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman), “Wanted Dead Or Alive (2Pac and Snoop Dogg) and “Somethin’ For The O.G.’s (MC Hammer), per WhoSampled.com. The song has been featured on the soundtracks for the Mariah Carey-starring film Glitter (2001) and acclaimed HBO series The Wire (season 5, episode 7 in 2008).

The players on “Dance Floor” included Roger Troutman (talkbox, guitar, bass, keyboards, background vocals), Lester Troutman (drums) and Larry Troutman (percussion). The horn section consisted of Jerome Derrickson (saxophone), Eddie Barber (trumpet), Randy Wallace (saxophone) and Michael Warren. The background vocals were provided by Terry “Zapp” Troutman, Gregory Jackson, Bobby Glover, Jannetta Boyce Warren, Sherman Fleetwood, Ray Davis and Roger Troutman.  

Zapp performing "Dance Floor" live

"Dance Floor" available at Amazon

Related blog entry: Zapp's "More Bounce to the Ounce" Helped Set Off A Dynamic New Sound