The album kicks off with the exciting and tremendously funky title track. It’s driven by Bootsy’s powerhouse bass line, which is augmented by a Mu-Tron III Envelope Filter to give it a funky elastic sound. The track features a killer horn arrangement and some dope chicken-scratch rhythm guitar licks. Bootsy, assuming his funky-ghost alter ego Casper, responds to questions from his ardent fans with witty retorts. Also, sax legend Maceo Parker serves as the band's emcee and hype man at the song’s opening, enthusiastically introducing Bootsy and his funky crew. Bootsy often opened his live shows with this thrilling funk track, which eventually became his theme song.
The album’s second track is the electrifying funk burner “The Pinocchio Theory.” The funk level on this imaginative groove is stratospheric. It’s flawlessly arranged and boasts impeccable musicianship from the Rubber Band. The track is elevated by Bernie Worrell and Joel “Razorsharp” Johnson’s inventive keyboard work and the Horny Horns incredible horn charts. And Bootsy rains down a thunderstorm of funk with his furious bass work. The line “Don’t fake the funk or your nose will grow” is a clever twist on the Pinocchio paradox that lying will make your nose grow. It also served as the inspiration for Dr. Funkenstein's arch nemesis Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk. The song also features a marvelous vocal arrangement that includes Gary “Mudbone” Cooper and Robert “P-Nut” Johnson spelling out “R-U-B-B-E-R F-A-N-S.” At the song’s opening, Bootsy proclaims, “This is the world's funkiest singalong.” No lies told.
Bootsy brings his signature droll humor and goofy charm to the irresistible “Rubber Duckie.” The super-funky groove features creative synth work and blazing horn lines. The vocal work is also topflight, with Mudone and P-Nut killing it with their smooth harmonies.
One of the things that distinguishes this album from a lot of other funk albums is that the ballads are just as strong as the funk cuts. “What’s a Telephone Bill?” and “Munchies for Your Love” are both exceptional and rank among the best ballads in P-Funk’s discography.
“What’s a Telephone Bill?” is a majestic soul ballad where Bootsy serves up a dazzling bass performance. His liquid-funk bass solos on this track are simply mind-blowing. All of the elements on this amazing track gel so perfectly, from the splendid musical arrangement to the stunning vocal work. This captivating slow jam stands up well after repeated plays.
“Munchies for Your Love” takes listeners on a soul-stirring sonic journey. The song is beautifully arranged and produced. It begins quietly with delicate guitar parts, soothing keyboards and Bootsy’s slippery bass. Then, it slowly builds to a rapturous crescendo where Bootsy, Mudbone and P-Nut unleash a passionate declaration of their love addiction. This powerful climactic section features some sensational drumming from Jerome Brailey. The song uses “munchies” (a strong and sudden craving for food, often after smoking marijuana) as a metaphor for intense romantic yearning and sexual desire. “Your love is kind of sweet, sweet enough to eat/I'm hooked on you chocolate star/I got the munchies for your love.” Bootsy’s bass work is phenomenal on this track, and he makes great use of the Mu-Tron III and Echoplex delay pedals to enhance the song’s cosmic, psychedelic vibe. This track is an absolute gem.
"Can’t Stay Away” is a funky ray of sunshine. Bootsy lays down a sweet bass line on this breezy, infectious groove. And Mudone serves up one of his best vocal performances. His vocals are at once mellifluous, butter-smooth and unbelievably soulful. The singer's fantastic vocal work on this album shows just how essential he was to the Rubber Band’s singular sound. The album closes out with a short reprise of the title track.
Ahh...The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! displays Bootsy’s great versatility as a musician, songwriter and producer. He co-produced the album with George Clinton and co-wrote all of its tracks. In addition to bass, he played guitar and drums on some of the songs. For instance, he played guitar and drums on both “The Pinocchio Theory" and “Can’t Stay Away.” The album also showed how amazingly talented all of the Rubber Band members were.
The album, which was released on Warner Bros. Records, topped Billboard’s R&B album chart and peaked at #16 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA with 500,000 copies sold. “The Pinocchio Theory” had a strong showing on Billboard’s R&B singles chart, peaking at #6, and “Can’t Stay Away” had a solid performance on that chart, rising to #19.
The full personnel for the album was Bootsy (bass, drums, guitar, vocals), Phelps “Catfish” Collins (guitar), Gary “Mudbone” Cooper (vocals, drums), Garry Shider (guitar), Frankie “Kash” Waddy (drums), Bernie Worrell (keyboards), Jerome Brailey (drums), Joel “Razorsharp” Johnson (keyboards), Glenn Goins (guitar), Robert “P-Nut” Johnson (vocals), Michael “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton (guitar); and the Horny Horns: Maceo Parker (saxophone), Fred Wesley (trombone), Rick Garner (trumpet) and Richard “Kush” Griffith (trumpet). Additionally, the Brecker Brothers, Michael (saxophone) and Randy (trumpet), contributed their considerable talents to the album. And Bootsy and Fred Wesley handled all the horn arrangements for this collection.
Ahh...The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! is another jewel in the P-Funk crown and one of the greatest sophomore albums in funk music history.
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