"Testify" | |
---|---|
Single by Parliament | |
from the album Up for the Down Stroke | |
B-side | "I Can Move You" |
Released | November 1974 |
Format | Vinyl |
Genre | R&B/Funk |
Length | 3:45 |
Label | Casablanca 811 |
Writer(s) | George Clinton/Daron Taylor |
Producer(s) | George Clinton |
"Testify" is a song by the band Parliament. It is a funk reworking of the song "(I Wanna) Testify", which was originally recorded in 1967 by The Parliaments and reached #3 on the Billboard R&B chart. This new version was the second single released from the 1974 album Up for the Down Stroke, and the second track on the album.
The version of "Testify" included on early pressings of Up for the Down Stroke featured a mix that highlighted the group vocals and deemphasized the instrumental sound. On later pressings this was replaced by a version with different, more rhythm-intensive mix - the version heard on the song's single release. The original mix of the song was included as a bonus track on the 2003 CD reissue of the album.
The version of this song on the original album release also deleted a small portion of the clavinet introduction. This was restored on the 1993 compilation release Tear the Roof Off 1974-1980.