Of the Late Parliament/Funkadelic and Talking Heads Legend
“Bernie plays the organ on this with psychedelic abandon,”
says musical director and producer Evan Taylor
Bernie Worrell Photographer – Brian Diescher
LOS ANGELES — When Evan Taylor, the producer of the late Bernie Worrell’s posthumous double album Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse, went treasure hunting through the late Parliament/Funkadelic and Talking Heads funk pioneer’s personal musical vaults, he was primarily looking for unfinished compositions that he can turn into finished songs. And for most of the 13-track star-studded album, that’s exactly what he did… with a little help from some of his musician and studio friends. But then he came across a track called “Contusion.”
“‘Contusion’ was like a birthday gift,” explains musical director and producer Taylor. “OrgMusic, who put out the new album, facilitated acquiring this unreleased P-Funk track written by Bernie and Billy “Bass” Nelson. The song is still a bit of a mystery to all of us, including his widow, Judie, who helped us on this journey. We’re guessing it was probably from the early Funkadelic days.”
Evan Taylor Photographer – Drew Bordeaux
It’s unknown what album the song was originally intended for or why it was shelved, but Taylor fell in love with the track upon first listen and knew it belonged on the album. “I just love this track. It features Bernie’s Hammond organ playing in such a psychedelic manner, while still having Bernie’s stately restraint. It’s very Bernie-centric. He’s really playing the organ with psychedelic abandon.”
“It’s a great track, but I’m not particularly surprised it wasn’t released considering how much they apparently recorded and the stockpile of music they probably had in the vaults. P-Funk, and Bernie himself, were very prolific. I’m just glad it’s made it out to the world now,” adds Taylor.
Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse was released on Org Music initially on vinyl on Record Store Day (April 20, 2024) and then digitally and on CD in August 2024 at all DSPs (linktr.ee/bernieworrell). The lineup includes Bootsy Collins (James Brown, P-Funk), Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), Fred Schneider (the B-52s), Mike Watt (The Minutemen, The Stooges), Leo Nocentelli (The Meters) and Sean Ono-Lennon, Leo Nocentelli, Miho Hatori, Steve Scales, Marc Ribot, Fred Wesley, Marco Benevento, Stanton Moore, Steven Bernstein, Daru Jones, Will Calhoun, Buckethead, Norwood Fisher, and many more.
Funkadelic’s “Contusion” Production Credits:
Bernie Worrell: Keyboards
Eddie Hazel: Guitar
Billy “Bass” Nelson: Bass
Tiki Fulwood: Drums
Mixed by Nick King at 54 Sound
Produced by Funkadelic
Mastered by Steven Berson at Total Sonic Media, Cedar Park, Texas (digital tracks) and Dave Gardner (vinyl tracks)
album cover: Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse art by Raeghan Buchanan
