Up for the Down Stroke
1974 studio album by Parliament
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Up for the Down Stroke is an album by the American funk band Parliament. It was the band's second album (following 1970's Osmium), and their first to be released on Casablanca Records. The album was released on July 3, 1974. Its title track was Parliament's first chart hit and remains one of the most well-known P-Funk songs. The album also contains a funk reworking of the Parliaments' song "(I Wanna) Testify" under the title "Testify". The original title of the album was Whatever Makes Baby Feel Good, and the cover featured group leader George Clinton hovering over a woman in distress, sporting a black wig and monster-type gloves.
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| Up for the Down Stroke | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 3, 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1973–1974 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:12 | |||
| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Producer | George Clinton | |||
| Parliament chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Up for the Down Stroke | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Blender | [6] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A−[7] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[2] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [9] |
| Spin | 8/10[10] |
Up for the Down Stroke rekindled George Clinton's professional relationship with bassist Bootsy Collins, who had taken a two-year hiatus from the group. Collins would play a pivotal role in all of the Parliament albums released through Casablanca Records.
Track listing
Credits taken from LP liner notes.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Up for the Down Stroke" | George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Fuzzy Haskins, Bernie Worrell | 5:07 |
| 2. | "Testify" | Clinton, Deron Taylor | 3:29 |
| 3. | "The Goose" | Clinton, Eddie Hazel | 9:09 |
| 4. | "I Can Move You (If You Let Me)" | Clinton, Cordell Mosson, Worrell, Collins | 2:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Just Got Back (From the Fantasy, Ahead of Our Time in the Four Lands of Ellet)" | Peter Chase | 4:28 |
| 2. | "All Your Goodies Are Gone" | Clinton, Haskins, Billy "Bass" Nelson | 5:02 |
| 3. | "Whatever Makes Baby Feel Good" | Clinton, Hazel | 5:55 |
| 4. | "Presence of a Brain" | Clinton, Garry Shider | 3:18 |
| Total length: | 39:12 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Up for the Down Stroke (Alternate Mix)" | 5:39 |
| 10. | "Testify (Alternate Mix)" | 4:03 |
| 11. | "Singing Another Song" | 3:04 |
| Total length: | 51:58 | |
"Up for the Down Stroke" was later remade by Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns on their first album, A Blow for Me, a Toot to You. "Testify", "The Goose", and "All Your Goodies Are Gone" were remade from old Parliaments tunes from the 1960s. "Whatever Makes My Baby Feel Good" was remade from the 1968 tune of the same name by Rose Williams and Funkadelic, however, Funkadelic had revamped it earlier in 1973 with the track "Can't Stand the Strain". There is another version of "The Goose" recorded by Funkadelic in 1970, which showed up on Toys, released in 2008. The vocal group the Dells covered "Testify" and "All Your Goodies Are Gone" in 1978.
Personnel
- George Clinton – Lead Vocals on "Testify", "The Goose", "I Just Got Back", and "All Your Goodies Are Gone", Co-lead Vocals on "Up for the Down Stroke",[11] Arrangement, Producer, Vocals
- Bernie Worrell – Arrangement, Keyboards
- Eddie Hazel – Lead Vocals on "Presence of a Brain", Co-lead vocals on "Up for the Down Stroke",[11] Vocals, Guitar, Arrangement
- Bootsy Collins – Bass, Guitar, Drums
- Garry Shider – Lead Vocals on "I Can Move You",[11] Guitar, Vocals
- Ron Bykowski – Guitar
- Cordell Mosson – Bass
- Gary Bronson – Drums
- Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood – Drums
- Raymond Davis – Vocals
- Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins – Co-lead vocals on "Up for the Down Stroke",[11] Vocals
- Calvin Simon – Vocals
- Grady Thomas – Vocals
- Peter Chase – Whistling on "I Just Got Back"
- Ralph – Engineer
- Tom "Curly" Ruff – Mastering
- Rod Dyer – Design
- Jon Echeverrieta – Design