In March 1970, after most of the members of James Brown's band quit over a pay dispute, The Pacesetters were hired as Brown's backing band and they became known as The J.B.'s. (They are often referred to as the "original" J.B.'s to distinguish them from later line-ups that went by the same name.) Although they worked for Brown for only 11 months, the original J.B.'s played on some of Brown's most intense funk recordings, including "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine", "Super Bad", "Soul Power", and "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing".
It is known that the young Bootsy clashed several times with the rigid system Brown used to discipline the young band whenever he felt they stepped out of line. After leaving the band Collins then moved to Detroit, following the advice of singer and future Parliament member Mallia Franklin
After parting ways with James Brown, Bootsy returned to Cincinnati and formed House Guests with his brother Phelps Collins, Rufus Allen, Clayton "Chicken" Gunnels, Frank Waddy, Ronnie Greenaway and Robert McCullough. The House Guests released two singles on the House Guests label as well as a third as The Sound of Vision on the House Guess label.
Franklin introduced both Collins brothers to George Clinton, and 1972 saw both of the Collins brothers, along with Waddy, join Funkadelic. Bootsy played on the subsequent Funkadelic album 'America Eats Its Young', but it would be a another couple of years before he really began to make his mark on the P-Funk mob. Appearing on Funkadelic's 'Let's Take It To The Stage' and Parliament's 'Up For The Down Stroke' Bootsy soon became a defining member, both in sound and song-writing and is credited on all of the late 70s classics.
In 1976 Bootsy, Catfish, Waddy, Joel Johnson, Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, Robert Johnson and The Horny Horns formed Bootsy's Rubber Band, a separate touring unit of Clinton's P-Funk collective. The group recorded four albums together, the first three of which are often considered to be among the quintessential P-Funk recordings. The group's 1978 album "Bootsy? Player of the Year" reached the top of the R&B album chart and spawned the #1 R&B single "Bootzilla".
Like Clinton, Bootsy took on several alter egos, from "Casper the Funky Ghost" to Bootzilla, "the world's only rhinestone rockstar monster of a doll", as part of an evolving character, an alien rock star who grew gradually more bizarre as time went on (see P-Funk mythology). He also adopted his trademark space bass around this time.
Bootsy also released a 1980 album, Sweat Band, on George Clinton's Uncle Jam label with a group billed as Bootsy's Sweat Band.
[edit] 1980s and later
In 1984, Bootsy collaborated with Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads to produce "Five Minutes", a dance record sampled and edited from Ronald Reagan's infamous "Five Minutes" speech. The record was credited to "Bonzo goes to Washington" (also referenced in the 1985 Ramones song "Bonzo goes to Bitburg", derived from Reagan's starring role as Professor Peter Boyd in the 1951 comedy film Bedtime for Bonzo).
In 1990 Bootsy collaborated with Deee-Lite on their massive hit "Groove Is In The Heart" where he contributed additional vocals. Although he also appeared in the music video playing the bass, the bassline in the song is actually a sample of a Herbie Hancock song called "Bring Down the Birds". Bootsy's Rubber Band became the defacto backing musicians for Deee-Lite during a world tour.
Bootsy collaborated with bluegrass legends Del McCoury, Doc Watson and Mac Wiseman to form the GrooveGrass Boyz. They produced a fusion of bluegrass and funk that listeners either loved as a fresh take on tradition or hated as defiling that same tradition.
In 1995, Bootsy played in the remake of Jimi Hendrix's "If 6 was 9" for Axiom Funk, a funkadelic like one off super group produced by Bill Laswell and featuring the (funkadelic members) George Clinton, Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins, (the guitar of the late) Eddie Hazel, Gary Shider and Bill Laswell . The group released only one album and the song also appeared in the soundtrack of the movie Stealing Beauty.
Bootsy has collaborated extensively with Bill Laswell and made appearances on two Fatboy Slim records, as well as reading a poem at the end of FatBoy Slims's release in the LateNightTales dj mix series. Bootsy provided "vocal spice" on the TobyMac album Welcome to Diverse City. He also appears on Nicole C. Mullens' latest album, "Everyday People". He has also worked with the Lo-Fidelity Allstars on the album 'Don't be Afraid of Love', with Praxis, and with Buckethead on several occasions, for example on Buckethead's first album, "Bucketheadland". Bootsy was featured in the 2002 film Standing in the Shadows of Motown. In 2004 he appeared on Snoop Dogg's Rhythm & Gangsta album and on the cover of "The Joker" on the Fatboy Slim album Palookaville.[2]
In 2005, Bootsy Collins added vocals to fellow bassist Victor Wooten's album Soul Circus. He also served as "Heineken's Amsterjam 2005" curator and master of ceremonies on Randall's Island, New York and appeared with Madonna, Iggy Pop, Little Richard, and The Roots' Questlove, in an American TV commercial for the Motorola ROKR phone.
Collins' signature instrument is a custom-built star-shaped bass guitar he calls the "Space Bass". Currently built for him by Manuel "Manny" Salvador of GuitarCraft in 1998. More recently, Collins has made an agreement with Traben to make a signature Bootsy Collins model bass called the "Bootzilla".
In October, 2005, Collins co-wrote a song celebrating the resurgence of his hometown team, the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League called "Fear Da Tiger" which features "raps" written and performed by several Bengals players, including defensive end Duane Clemons, offensive tackle Stacy Andrews, and center Ben Wilkerson. An edited version of the song was made into a music video which features cameos by many other Bengals players. It has garnered tremendous local airplay and is viewable on Bengals.com Additionally, Cincinnati Bell is offering "Fear Da Tiger" as a free ringtone for its wireless customers in both polyphonic and MP3 formats. Collins appeared with Little Richard, Bernie Worrell, and other notable musicians as the band playing with Hank Williams, Jr. for the Monday Night Football opening during for the 2006 season. Collins was the only all star to return with Williams for the 2007 season.
He also sings "Marshal Law", the theme song of the Cincinnati Marshals indoor football team. He debuted the song on April 29, at halftime of a Marshals home game against the West Palm Beach Phantoms.
In 2006, ABC Entertainment / A Charly Films Release released a DVD/CD from Bootsy Collins and the New Rubber Band's concert at the 1998 North Sea Jazz Festival. In the same year, Collins split from long-time friend and guitarist Odhran "The Bodhran" Rameriz, citing creative differences as the reason.
Also in 2006, Collins recorded music for the animated television series Loonatics Unleashed. Collins also voiced the character Bootes Belinda in the episode The Music Villain. [3]
In April, 2007, Bootsy announced plans to begin a restaurant/club with Cincinnati area restaurateur Jeff Ruby. The restaurant is to be called "Bootsy's." It will feature live musical acts, a museum dedicated to Bootsy's musical career and Spanish, Central and South American cuisine. It is to open in December 2008.
In June 2007, Bootsy Collins, along with Phelps Collins, Clyde Stubblefield, John "Jabo" Starks, and Bernie Worrell, participated in the recording of the soundtrack for the movie Superbad.
In July 2007, Bootsy also told Billboard magazine that he's working on a project by the name of Science Faxtion and an album called Living On Another Frequency in which he serves as bassist and co-producer along with his lead vocalist Greg Hampton. The band also features guitarist Buckethead and drummer Brain.[4] The album was released in November 2008.[5]
Collins promoted Rock the Vote for its 2008 compaign together with Buckethead.[6]
Bootsy produced Junkyard Waltz by funk band Freekbass from Ohio came out October 27.
Bootsy has been mentioned in the song "Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club in the line "Clinton's musicians such as Bootsy Collins raise expectation to a new intention", while "Got more bass than Bootsy Collins" is a line in the song "Rumble in the Jungle" by the Fugees. His influence in popular culture is seen in that he has been referenced by a number of television series. In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "Sooooooul Train", Geoffrey sneaks into the Soul Train tapings posing as Bootsy Collins, while in the The Mighty Boosh episode "The Legend of Old Gregg" an alien creature named 'The Funk' lands on Bootsy's house, giving him his ability to play the bass guitar "like some kinda delirious funky priest", as well as the ability to see around corners. His song I'd Rather Be With You was featured in the movie Baby Boy and on January 26, 2007, Bootsy, a native of Cincinnati, gave the commencement address at the graduation ceremony at The Art Institute of Ohio - Cincinnati.. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who has cited Collins as one of his primary influences, appeared in unmistakably Bootsy-esque clothing in the video for RHCP's "Dani California", and Bootsy's "What's a Telephone Bill?" was sampled for 2Pac's "Str8 Ballin'" track off the THUG LIFE album..
In 2009 Collins collaborated with Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek on the track "Internet Connection".[7]
[edit] Bass technique
Collins' bass playing is driving, rhythmic and groovy, and has been very influential in the development of funk. His characteristic juicy sound, produced by envelope filters (for example the Mutron), is one of his distinguishing traits as a bass player. He also uses highly syncopated 16th note patterns combined with a very strong slap technique, highly influenced by Larry Graham.
Bootsy's bass patterns are often up-front in the mix and more often than not, drive the song (rather than the guitars or horns)
I'd Rather Be With You
Bootsy Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, I'd rather be with you
I'd rather be with you, yeah
Yeah I'd rather be with you
I'd rather be with you until I'm through
Oh yes I do
I'd rather be with you until that day we'll fly away
If I can't have you to myself, then life's no fun
I'd rather be with you, yeah
Yeah, I'd rather be with you
I'd rather be with you, yeah
Yeah I'd rather be with you
I want to hold your hand
Oh, if I can just be your man
I want to be you friend
Not now and then, but until the end
I just love the way you act, and that's a fact
I want to be your number one, so picture that
Maybe the next time
Maybe the next time
Maybe the next time
Maybe the next time
I'd rather be with you
Yeah
Yeah, I'd rather be with you
I'd rather be with you until I'm through
Oh, yes I do
I'd rather be with you until that day we'll fly away
I just love that smiling face in the early sun
If I can't have you to myself, then life's no fun
I'd rather be with you, yeah
Yeah, I'd rather be with you
I'd rather be with you, yeah
Yeah I'd rather be with you
Oh babe
Well, uh, you might think I'm trying to be funny
But I'm really serious this time, baby
(I'd rather be with you, yeah)
Even though, uh, it's a cold world, baby
But you know deep down inside that I do love ya
I know I sound strange, but I really mean it (I'd rather be with you, yeah)
We gonna make it this time baby
(I'd rather be with you, yeah) you're the only one I really love now
I'm coming at you with both hands tied behind my back, baby
(I'd rather be with you, yeah) you got me, I'm coming at you, get ready
I'm gonna stick my love in your eye, baby (I'd rather be with you, yeah)
You can see me coming baby, just coming all over you
(Yeah I'd rather be with you)
The lyrics song by Bootsy Collins in his song “I’d Rather Be with You” depicts a man's jealousy and deep desire for his lover. Throughout the lyrics, the singer yearns to be with his lover above everything else in life until the end of their days. He adores the way she smiles at him and feels that if he can't have her all to himself, life would be pointless. He loves how she carries herself and wants to be her number one.
The lyrics also portray the singer's willingness to do anything to make his lover happy, even if it means being her friend until the end of time. This is conveyed in the line, “I want to hold your hand, oh, if I can just be your man, I want to be your friend not now and then but until the end.” Despite the ‘coldness’ of the world, the singer assures his lover that he is serious about his love for her, and they will make it work this time.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd rather be with you, yeah
The singer wants to be with their love interest more than anything else
Yeah, I'd rather be with you
Repeating the sentiment of wanting to be with their love interest above all else
I'd rather be with you until I'm through
The singer wants to be with their love interest until the end of their life
Oh yes I do
Affirming the statement that they want to be with their love interest until the end
I'd rather be with you until that day we'll fly away
The artist imagines being with their love interest until they both pass away
I just love that smiling face in the early sun
The singer finds their love interest attractive and loves seeing their happy face in the morning
If I can't have you to myself, then life's no fun
The singer wants to be the only romantic interest of their love interest and feels that life won't be enjoyable otherwise
I want to hold your hand
The artist desires physical contact with their love interest
Oh, if I can just be your man
The artist wants to be in a committed romantic relationship with their love interest
I want to be your friend
The artist wants to have a strong friendship in addition to a romantic relationship with their love interest
Not now and then, but until the end
The singer desires a long-lasting, committed relationship
I just love the way you act, and that's a fact
The artist finds their love interest's behavior attractive and enjoys their personality
I want to be your number one, so picture that
The singer wants to be their love interest's top priority in a romantic relationship
Maybe the next time
Expressing a hope for a future opportunity to be with their love interest
Oh babe
A term of endearment that the singer uses to address their love interest
Well, uh, you might think I'm trying to be funny
The artist is being sincere, despite the possibility of seeming humorous
But I'm really serious this time, baby
Reinforcing the sincerity of their feelings
Even though, uh, it's a cold world, baby
The world can be harsh, but the singer still loves their love interest
But you know deep down inside that I do love ya
The singer believes that their love interest knows how much they are loved
I know I sound strange, but I really mean it
The artist acknowledges that their words may seem unusual, but they are sincere
We gonna make it this time baby
Expressing a hope for a successful romantic relationship with their love interest
You're the only one I really love now
The artist has strong feelings of love for their love interest
I'm coming at you with both hands tied behind my back, baby
The singer is committed to pursuing their love interest, even if it's difficult
You got me, I'm coming at you, get ready
The artist is prepared to pursue their love interest with everything they have
I'm gonna stick my love in your eye, baby
A playful way of expressing the singer's desire to show their love
You can see me coming baby, just coming all over you
Another playful expression of the singer's desire to shower their love interest with affection
Yeah I'd rather be with you
Final repetition of the sentiment that the singer wants to be with their love interest above all else
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Barry Dufae, Gary Cooper, George Clinton, George McNeal, Keith Rushin, William Collins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BrownPriderFunk
Thanks for listening! Classical Christmas music fans can enjoy a nice mix here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iovAjB-VkR8
@kevinmiller3092
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@savanahlawrence3256
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@hengamanx3
You know it