Computer Games (album)
Computer Games is the debut album by American funk musician George Clinton, released by Capitol Records on November 5, 1982. Though technically Clinton's first "solo" album, the record featured most of the same personnel who had appeared on recent albums by Parliament and Funkadelic, both formally disbanded by Clinton in 1981. Conceived in the aftermath of a period marked by financial and personal struggles for Clinton, Computer Games restored his popularity for a short time before P-Funk fell victim to renewed legal problems and scant label support in the mid-1980s.
Computer Games | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 5, 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1981-1982 | |||
Studio | The Disc Ltd., East Detroit; United Sound Systems, Detroit | |||
Genre | Funk, electro-funk | |||
Length | 40:09 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | George Clinton | |||
George Clinton chronology | ||||
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P-Funk collective chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Rolling Stone | [2] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[4] |
The Village Voice | A[5] |
According to Glenn Kenny of Trouser Press, after the end of his Parliament-Funkadelic collective, Clinton's album was titled as a "nod to the burgeoning wave of techno-funk that was beginning to overtake almost every other form of dance music; rather than reject the new technology, he adapted it here in his own unique way".[6]
The single "Loopzilla" hit the top 20 of the R&B charts, followed by "Atomic Dog" which reached No. 1 R&B but peaked at No. 101 on the pop chart.
The album was listed by Slant Magazine at #97 on its list of the "Best Albums of the 1980s".[7]
Track listing
- "Get Dressed" (George Clinton, Bootsy Collins) – 3:41 (released as a single-Capitol 5222)
- "Man's Best Friend/Loopzilla" (Clinton, Kenneth Gambrell, Garry Shider, David Spradley) – 12:51 (released as a 12" single-Capitol 8556)
- "Pot Sharing Tots" (Clinton, Walter Morrison) – 3:45
- "Computer Games" (Clinton, Morrison) – 6:46
- "Atomic Dog" (Clinton, Shider, Spradley) – 4:47 (released as a single-Capitol 5201 and 12" single-Capitol 8556)
- "Free Alterations" (Darryl Clinton, Clinton) – 4:20
- "One Fun at a Time" (Clinton, Morrison) – 4:29
Personnel
- George Clinton
- Eddie Hazel, Garry Shider, Junie Morrison, Tony Thomas - guitar
- Bootsy Collins, Junie Morrison - bass
- Bernie Worrell, David Spradley, Junie Morrison, Rahni Harris - keyboards
- Dennis Chambers, Jerry Jones - drums
- Larry Fratangelo, Muruga Booker - percussion
- Fred Wesley, Larry Hatcher, Maceo Parker, Richard Griffith - horns
- Bootsy Collins, Brenda Forman, Brides of Funkenstein, Carmen McGee, Clip Payne, Darryl Clinton, Garry Shider, Gary Mudbone Cooper, George Bunny, Godmoma, Gwendolyn Dozier, Jessica Cleaves, Jessie Driscoll, Jimmy Keaton, Joyce Pearson, Julius Keaton, Junie Morrison, Larry Heckstall, Parlet, Ray Davis, Robert "P-Nut" Johnson, Ron Ford, Tracey Lewis, Trina Frazier, Vanessa Poe, Veronica Faust - vocals
- Technical
- David Baker, Mike Iacopelli, John Jaszcz, Tony Ray, Greg Reilly, Jeff Turkin, Jim Vitti, Greg Ward – recording engineer
- George Clinton, William Collins, Ted Currier, Walter "Junie" Morrison, Gary Shider – Producer
- George Clinton, Junie Morrison, Fred Wesley – arrangements
- Greg Reilly, Jim Vitti – mixing
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1982–1983) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200[8] | 40 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] | 3 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1983) | Position |
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US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] | 8 |
Notes
- Birchmeier, Jason. "Computer Games – George Clinton". AllMusic. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- Milward, John (April 28, 1983). "Computer Games". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- DeCurtis, Henke & George-Warren 1992.
- Weisbard & Marks 1995.
- Christgau, Robert (December 28, 1982). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- Kenny, Glenn. "TrouserPress.com :: George Clinton". Trouser Press. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
- "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s".
- "George Clinton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- "George Clinton Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1983". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
References
- DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992). "George Clinton". The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
- Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.