P-Funk in coasting mode could still crank out a couple gems here and there, even with the threat of a dozen-ish side projects cutting into their full artistic potential and threatening to stretch Clinton’s empire thin. Things were on well on their way to snapping in the early years of the ’80s, but while the last Parliament LP is merely under-inspired rather than an embarrassing burnout, it’s also pretty hard to love. Hopping on a groove and riding it out for a while isn’t the worst idea in the world when the core of said groove is notoriously strong, but this is one record that’s severely Worrell-deficient, and the ensemble-cast arrangements shake the foundations into question — “Humpty Dance” sample source “Let’s Play House” aside, side 2 sounds like Parliament Lite compared to the more cohesive and characteristic set in the first four cuts. And that waters down an already lyrically flimsy vibe. The concept on the record hints at jokes surrounding P-Funk mythos antagonist reformed anti-dance zealot Sir Nose, his newly discovered ability to pick things up with his titular trunk (complete with some groaner coke-snorting nod-and-wink references), and his plan to use his newfound knowledge to attempt out-funking Star Child himself. But the idea evaporates like so much sneezed-away marching powder after track two, after which we’re left with a mish-mash of generic dance-move paeans, half-baked puns, and non-sequitur cliches (ad-slogan-derived and otherwise). Only “Agony Of Defeet” and its ten-toed wordplay funks like they did just a couple years prior; it’s just as well the Parliament name wound up semi-retired after this one.