Osmium (album)

Osmium
Studio album by Parliament
Released	July 1970
Recorded	1970
Genre	Funk, psychedelic soul, rock
Length	39:38
Label	Invictus
Producer	George Clinton, Ruth Copeland
Parliament chronology
Osmium (1970) Up for the Down Stroke (1974)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	(B)[2]
Rolling Stone	[3]
Uppity Music	(favorable)[4]

Osmium is the debut album of American funk band Parliament, led by George Clinton. The album has a psychedelic soul sound with a spirit of experimentation that is more similar to early Funkadelic than the later R&B-inspired Parliament albums. It was originally released in July 1970 on Invictus Records.^[5] The original vinyl release contained a glossy lyric sheet.

Since its re-release in 1990, Osmium has been distributed numerous times by various labels in the U.S., Europe and Japan, sometimes under alternate titles that have included Rhenium and First Thangs. A number of these reissues have featured material that was not included on the original album, such as unreleased tracks and singles that were recorded around the same time as Osmium.

The personnel for this album included the five Parliaments singers and the five backing musicians known as Funkadelic. The same personnel also recorded as Funkadelic, releasing that act's self-titled debut album also in 1970. After the release of Osmium, contractual difficulties prevented further recording under the name Parliament until 1974, when Clinton signed that act to Casablanca Records and positioned it as an R&B-inspired counterpoint to the more rock-oriented Funkadelic.

The yodeling that arguably uniquely identifies one of De La Soul's early hits, "Potholes in My Lawn" (which eventually appeared on De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising), comes from Osmium's "Little Ole Country Boy".^[6]

Track listing

1. "I Call My Baby Pussycat" (George Clinton, Eddie Hazel, Billy "Bass" Nelson) – 4:24 (released as a single-Invictus 9077 under the name "A Parliament Thang")
2. "Put Love in Your Life" (Clinton, Vivian Lewis) – 5:07
3. "Little Ole Country Boy" (Ruth Copeland) – 3:58
4. "Moonshine Heather" (Clinton) – 4:05
5. "Oh Lord, Why Lord/Prayer" (Copeland, P. Trim, based on Pachelbel's Canon) – 5:00
6. "My Automobile" (Clinton, Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins) – 4:45
7. "Nothing Before Me But Thang" (Clinton, Bobby Harris, Hazel, Bernie Worrell) – 3:56
8. "Funky Woman" (Clinton, Worrell) – 2:56
9. "Livin' the Life" (Clinton, Nelson, Worrell) – 5:57
10. "The Silent Boatman" (Copeland) – 5:45

Track listing for First Thangs

1. Red Hot Mama
2. Come In Out of the Rain
3. Fantasy Is Reality
4. Breakdown
5. Loose Booty
6. Unfinished Instrumental
7. I Call My Baby Pussycat
8. Put Love In Your Life
9. Little Old Country Boy
10. Moonshine Heather (Takin' Care of Business)
11. Oh Lord, Why Lord/Prayer
12. My Automobile
13. There Is Nothing Before Me But Thang
14. Funky Woman
15. Livin' The Life
16. The Silent Boatmen

Track listing for Rhenium

1. Breakdown
2. I Call My Baby Pussycat
3. Put Love In Your Life
4. Little Ole Country Boy
5. Moonshine Heather
6. Oh Lord, Why Lord/Prayer
7. Red Hot Mama 2:36
8. My Automobile
9. Nothing Before Me But Thang
10. Funky Woman
11. Livin' The Life
12. Come In Out of the Rain
13. The Silent Boatman

Personnel

• The Parliaments (George Clinton, Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, Grady Thomas, Ray Davis): vocals
• Eddie Hazel: guitar
• Tawl Ross: guitar
• Billy Bass Nelson: bass
• Mickey Atkins: organ
• Tiki Fulwood: drums

Note: Personnel as listed in the album credits. Note that some songs also featured session personnel. Garry Shider (guitar), Bernie Worrell (keyboards), and Tyrone Lampkin (drums) also appeared on some non-album tracks that were included in later CD reissues of the album.

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Robert Christgau review
3. ^ Rolling Stone review
4. ^ Uppity Music review
5. ^ Rudland, Dean. "Free Your Mind...And Your Ass Will Follow reissue liner notes". Westbound Records: 3. 2005.
6. ^ "Detroit's Invictus". Soul Source. June 11, 2007. http://www.soul-source.co.uk/rare-northern-soul-words/soul-news/detroits-invictus-a-new-digital-only-release-with-a-sample-theme. Retrieved February 16, 2009. ^{[dead link]}

External links

• The Motherpage
• Osmium at Discogs
• Rhenium at Discogs