Recorded by

Parliament-Funkadelic, American, founded 1955

Published by

Casablanca, American, founded 1973

Thang, Inc., American

Produced by

Clinton, George, American, born 1941

Illustrated by

Loyd, Overton, American, born 1954

Date

1978

Medium

(2015.172.28a): vinyl with ink on paper

(2015.172.28b): ink on cardboard

(2015.172.28c): ink on paper

Dimensions

Diameter (a. vinyl disc): 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm)

H x W (b. cardboard jacket): 12 5/16 × 12 1/4 in. (31.3 × 31.1 cm)

H x W (c. paper sleeve): 11 7/8 × 12 in. (30.2 × 30.5 cm)

Description

A 33 1/3 rpm record album titled, Motor Booty Affair, by Parliament-Funkadelic. This object is comprised of a vinyl disc (a) of the long-playing record, a gate-fold album cover (b), and a paper sleeve (c).

2015.172.28a: A vinyl record from the 33 1/3 rpm record album titled, Motor Booty Affair, by Parliament-Funkadelic. The vinyl record has a circular label at the center with black text. At the top of the label is the logo for Casablanca Record and FilmWorks, Inc., in orange to red gradient text resembling a neon sign. Below is a color illustration of a desert scene with a small casbah with domed roofed buildings and a minaret. Outside of the Kasbah’s main gates, on either side, is a film crew with cameras and other film equipment and two men on camels. Just above the center hole is the record title, [MOTOR BOOTY AFFAIR], printed in black text. To the left of the center hole is the release number printed in black text that reads [NBLP 7125] with the side number. Below the center hole is the band name and the track names. The tracks on Side 1 include: [MR. WIGGLES], [RUMPOFSTEELSKIN], [(YOU'RE A FISH AND I'M A) WATER SIGN], and [AQUA BOOGIE (A PSYCHOALPHADISCOBETABIOAQUADOLOP)]. Side 2 is identical to Side 1. The tracks on Side 2 include: [ONE OF THOSE FUNKY THANGS], [LIQUID SUNSHINE], [MOTOR-BOOTY AFFAIR], and [DEEP]. At the bottom of the label is the logo for Thang, Inc., producer credits, copyright information, and manufacturer and distribution in formation.

2015.172.28b: A gate-fold album cover from the 33 1/3 rpm record album titled, Motor Booty Affair, by Parliament-Funkadelic. The front of the album cover is primarily off-white with a colored, crosshatched illustration of a giant yellow bird with its mouth open about to scoop up the character “Sir Noze D'Voidoffunk.” Sir Nose is depicted in a white suit with a cape and white fedora with a black band. He is depicted standing with his back to the bird. Sir Nose has a very long, extended nose, his eyes are squeezed shut, and his hands are covering his ears. Below Sir Nose’s proper left foot is the artist’s autograph, [Overton Loyd ‘98]. In the top left corner of the jacket is the name of the band, [PARLIAMENT], printed in red and yellow disjointed text and outlined in a thick light blue. Below is the name of the album, [Motor Booty Affair], with the first letters of each word, [M], [B], and [A], drawn as illustrations of women’s nude legs and with their red panty covered backsides. The left and right interior covers open to a full illustration of a futuristic aquatic scene in the album’s fictionalized Atlantis. Along the bottom edge is a crowd of people and aquatic lifeforms with just their raised hands, fins, and claws visible. Just left of center in the crowd are webbed feet hovering upside down in the water. At the center is a blue banner with white text that reads, [WE GOT TA / RAISE / ATLANTIS / TO THE / TOP]. Below the banner is an illustration of a lobster with its claws upraised. The lobster’s proper left claw is holding a conductor’s baton. The character “Queen Freakaleen” is depicted riding a creature that is half elephant/half fish. Above her are the two characters “Monkey Sea Monkey Woo,” and below her are the characters “Octave Pussy” and “Rita Mermaid.” In the bottom right corner is a large flying saucer hovering over the crowd below. Below the saucer, in the bottom right corner, Sir Noze. He has his proper left hand covering his proper left ear and his proper right fist is raised with his index finger pointing upwards towards the flying saucer. Above the saucer are illustrations of two large, yellow birds with their mouths wide open and various fish, sharks, and outline of other flying saucers. Above many of the fish are speech bubbles. Attached to the center fold is a cardboard punch out/stand up of the city of Atlantis and cardboard punch out/stand up figures of the characters “Octave Pussy,” “Rita Mermaid,” “Mr. Wiggles,” “Howard Codsell,” “Minus Mouf,” “P-Nut Booty Jellyfish,” “Giggles,” “Squirm,” T.R.T (The Real Thing) McLean,” “Monkey Sea Monkey Woo,” and “Queen Freakaleen.” The back of the album cover is also primarily off-white. The cover is dominated by a large illustration of a stylized, fish-shaped, gold submarine hovering over a body of water. One of the submarine’s fins is a loudspeaker with musical notes hovering around it to represent blaring music. There is a stream of people walking up a stepped ramp into the submarine. At the back of the line are three women depicted in detail. Two women are wearing blue shorts and tube tops. The third wears blue, low cut skirt, and a blue and pink crop top with a raised collar. A woman with webbed feet, wearing a red swimsuit with black stripes swims above them. In the bottom right corner is a man in a white bodysuit, starfish necklace, pink sunglasses, and a white cowboy hat holding a futuristic weapon to his chest. In the top left corner is a listing of Sides 1 and 2 tracks. In the top right corner is producer credits. In the bottom left corner is black text that reads [Hear Now See Lay-Da! / A Soundtrack from a Motion Picture Underwater.], a reproduced signature of the artist that reads [OVERTON LOYD 78 / “Come in and go down”], the Casablanca logo, and copyright marks for Thang, Inc. and Casablanca Record and FilmWorks, Inc. And in the bottom right corner is the patent information, legal disclaimers, and manufacturing and distribution information.

2015.172.28c: A paper sleeve from the 33 1/3 rpm record album titled, Motor Booty Affair, by Parliament-Funkadelic. The front of the paper sleeve features a photograph of George Clinton riding a pair of dolphins, set against a sea background. He’s wearing a white shirt, white fringed vest, wooly chaps, a red kerchief tied around his neck, and a tan, ten-gallon hat. He holds a rope tied around one of the dolphin’s neck in his proper right hand and a large boombox on his shoulder and with his proper left hand. The story of Sir Nose is printed in the top left corner. The back is off-white with blue text that includes the track listings, credits, and three illustrations. The illustration on the left is of the character “Mr. Wiggles.” At the center is a red starfish character “Rock Starfish.” And the third illustration, on the right, is of the character “Duke Minusdagroove.”

Place collected

Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America

Place made

Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America

Classification

Media Arts-Audio Recordings

Movement

Afrofuturism

Type

record covers

long-playing records

Topic

Comics and graphic novels

Composers (Musicians)

Funk (Music)

Instrumentalists (Musicians)

Music

Singers (Musicians)

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2015.172.28abc

Restrictions & Rights

© 1978 Thang, Inc

Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

GUID

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5032e7ade-66ef-4030-b599-1da1bd1e2ec6