Bootsy's Rubber Band
Stretchin' Out In Bootsy's Rubber Band

THE REVIEW

It seems they hold back, worried about not making too much noise, not causing a disturbance. What a paradox!

Volcanic musicians like Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Michael Hampton, the Brecker brothers (yes, them), Bernie Worrell, and of course Bootsy, who can't express all their energy. And to think many other times they did! I think of James Brown's records, whose sound was revitalized in the early '70s by Catfish and Bootsy Collins. Naturally, I think of Funkadelic and Parliament, the two twin groups to which many of the instrumentalists involved in this album belonged.

Yet the debut of Bootsy's Rubber Band (1976) has neither the raw and rough sound of the first Funkadelic records nor the full and rich sound of the later Funkadelic and Parliament. Strange because "Stretchin' Out" was recorded between '75 and '76, simultaneously with "Mothership Connection" and "Lett's Take It To The Stage."

Really, it's a mysterious record. I can't understand why the energy doesn't burst into the air, doesn't assault me as I listen, as I would expect. Yet the energy is there; it is perceptible, only it is... restrained. This affects the whole album a bit, which finds its strength only in the melodies. But what melodies! "Stretchin' Out (In A Rubber Band)," "Another Point Of View," "I'd Rather Be With You", and more generally all the tracks, have melodic lines that open your mind, settle inside, and there's no way to evict them. The song structure is more respected than in the Parliafunkadelicment albums. The arrangements are, as always, very well-crafted and precise. But without that extra something, that animalistic drive that these musicians have infused many times into their creations, it's not the same.

In 1976 Bootsy jumps on a motorcycle, right in the middle of a thick fog, with his trusty star-shaped bass and, midway between a smile and an afro hairstyle, a pair of star-shaped sunglasses. He jumps on that bike and gives us, beyond any comparison, a successful blend of melody and rhythm. It's undeniable he's done better ones; we're not facing a masterpiece, but rather a half-successful album. But don't misunderstand me, guys, it's not a tired album, nor is it formulaic. It's not that it doesn't make your foot tap, it's not that it doesn't make you dance. It's just that it doesn't make you scream.