Stretchin’ Out In Bootsy Rubber Band

Arguably, William ‘Bootsy’ Collins was to 1970s p-funk what Snoop Doggy Dogg was to 1990s gangsta rap – a quirky, goofy, highly colourful figure who was as funky as he was entertaining. The very sound of Snoop’s voice is amusing, and the same goes for Collins. But for all their eccentricity, neither Snoop nor Collins are mere novelty artists. If you removed all the humorous banter from Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band, it would still be an album of ultra-funky grooves. Released in 1976, this LP found a 24-year-old Collins launching his solo career after having been employed by James Brown and George Clinton. Collins produced his solo debut with Clinton, and not surprisingly, the Parliament/ Funkadelic influence is impossible to miss on p-funk gems like ‘Psychoticbumpschool’ and the hits ‘I’d Rather Be With You’ and ‘Stretchin’ Out (in a rubber band).’ But this album also made it clear that Collins was very much his own man; in fact, he was Clinton’s most distinctive disciple and inevitably became influential himself. All of the albums that Collins provided in the late ’70s are worth owning, but Stretchin’ out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band is among his most consistent and his most essential.