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Testify (Parliament song)

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"Testify"
Single by Parliament
from the album Up for the Down Stroke
B-side"I Can Move You"
ReleasedNovember 1974
GenreR&B/Funk
Length3:45
LabelCasablanca 811
Songwriter(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.

Original mix

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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.