Bootsy Collins: The Bootsy Collins Anthology: Glory B, Da Funk's On Me!

One of popular culture's most enigmatic icons, Bootsy Collins sometimes seems more like a funk ambassador from outer space than a musician. Then again, Collins could never be pigeonholed as a mere musician. Playing the bass professionally when he was barely a teenager, he revolutionized pop music not once but twice, first as a member of James Brown's indomitable '69-'71 edition of the J.B.'s, then as one of George Clinton's P-Funk co-conspirators. Almost ever since Clinton inaugurated his Mothership, Collins has been aboard in some way, but he still felt compelled to strike out on his own solo funk odyssey, with more than a little assistance. A string of wonderfully cartoonish releases complemented Clinton's own prolific career, but, like Clinton, Collins produced plenty of filler to boost the infectious singles. This made Collins a prime candidate for anthologization—and, at last, a solid and generous compilation is available. The two-disc Bootsy Collins Anthology includes several selections from each of Collins' '70s albums (Stretchin' Out In Bootsy's Rubber Band; Ahh… The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!; Bootsy Player Of The Year; and This Boot Is Made For Fonk-N), as well as key tracks from the '80s. At various times, Bootsy's Rubber Band featured Clinton and fellow P-Funk mainstays Gary "Muddbone" Cooper, Bernie Worrell, Gary Shider, Mike Hampton, Collins' brother Catfish Collins, and the Horny Horns, so it's no surprise that the difference between Collins' band and P-Funk was often moot, and that both outlets shared a predilection for danceable weirdness. "Psychoticbumpschool" introduces Casper, one of Collins' many alter egos, while "Munchies For Your Love," "The Pinocchio Theory," and "Bootzilla" simultaneously reveal airtight funk jams and years of hallucinogenic drug use. (Not that the two weren't frequently linked.) By the early '80s, around the time of The One Giveth, The Count Taketh Away, Collins and the entire P-Funk enterprise were mired in legal trouble, and the big top finally began to collapse. But even as a session player, Collins loomed large, pushed into parts unknown by his charismatic personality, but mostly propelled by his enormous talent. The consistently funky Bootsy Collins Anthology stands as a testament to that talent, but also to the timeless power of fun and funk in general.