George Clinton started The Parliaments as a doo wop outfit. Record label trouble erupted, so Clinton simply switched names and labels. The newly dubbed Funkadelic certainly did not remain a doo wop group, but that’s another story. Eventually, in 1970, a new Parliament album did hit the market, but it sounded like a fumbled Funkadelic effort. Clinton and his crew would not use the Parliament name again until 1974, and that release, Up for the Down Stroke, was the first true Parliament album.

Still, the debut does not bear a strong resemblance to the later masterpieces such as Mothership Connection, and that fact has lead to a severe under-rating of Up for the Down Stroke. It might not entirely exude that cosmic vibe that would soon absorb the albums, and it may borrow quite liberally from James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone, but this particular incarnation of the crew was just beginning its ascent to join those two titans in the realm of funk godhood. Parliament was simply laying down a view of the land, drawing up a plan of mainstream funk’s past and present, before they would send the rumbling quakes of future albums to permanently move the mountains on the map.

This new re-release on Universal Chronicles should serve to rehabilitate Up’s reputation. Ellen Fitton remastered the album and drastically improved the sound from the previous digital releases. The music breathes freely inside a nice, fat dynamic range, resulting in a sonic quality that towers over the average contemporary remaster. The layered mix is vivid and alive, darkly murky and muted for a minute, and yet explosively propulsive when the music barrels full speed out of the tunnel. True, the label has tagged on a few bonus songs at the end, but only the first, an alternate mix of the title track previously available on a 12” collection, really adds much. Interesting, but it is the sound that justifies this re-release, and that it certainly does.

The four earlier singles that are reborn here in true mid-seventies style strengthen this sense of summation. "(I Wanna) Testify" is now "Testify" and builds with a churning rush of horns and bass that would make one swear it is a lost Sly single circa Stand. Unoriginal? Perhaps, but what Sly fan wouldn’t die to find such a song?

The lead vocals on "All Your Goodies are Gone" also betray a strong resemblance to Sly. This time, the voice echoes the stoned slur of Sir Stewart’s Riot era, though Clinton’s voice isn’t nearly as cracked or scorched. The piano pounds classical chimes in another room while the creeping bass anchors ominous background vocals slowly rising like a doomed chorus from hell, culminating in the spooky mocking of the chanted title. "The Goose" also sports some vocal fills reminiscent of the same Family Stone album. Here, Clinton’s voice debuts with a paranoid, almost new wave quality, while the guitar and groove sneak up around, threatening. He then grows breathless, gasping, panting, possibly threatening, leading the song to a lengthy instrumental ending and the band working the funk over with wavy guitars and piping organs, the whole punctuated by occasional spacey special effects. Sure, it goes on too long, and as a result, it is the weakest track here, but it does manage to hint at both the band’s influences and future.

The title track kicking the album off does much the same trick, sounding strongly like a James Brown jam session, but one where the band has completely submerged the leader. The band plays horns, bass, and drums as if they were a slinky living snake, while the funky, elastic dance floor chanting sets a fire blazing on the boards. Maybe the crew displays a little less grit than Brown would throw down, but the band certainly practices what it preaches and has no problem delivering on the album’s title.

Luckily, for an album bringing influences to life, Up for the Down Stroke never plays like a history lesson. Nothing sounds derivative, and nice touches, such as the way the classic female backup vocals on "I Can Move You (If You Let Me)" repeat the title as a soft, insistent promise, or the way the lazy dreamy melody of "I Just Got Back" is surprisingly complemented by Peter Chase’s gorgeous and wistful whistling, sound fresh tones in familiar contexts. Parliament is not simply walking in footsteps here; they are celebrating the past while laying the groundwork they would later use as a launching pad. Few R&B albums are this consistent, inventive, or joyous. Up for the Down Stroke may lack the classic Parliament sound, but it is certainly classic Parliament, and that makes it a pretty essential album for any fan of P-Funk or seventies’ funk.

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Parliament

Up For The Down Stroke

Released: April 8, 2003
Origination Year: 1974
Time: 52:37
Tracks:11
Produced by:George Clinton
Engineered by:Ralph, Jeff, and Jerry
ReMastered by: Ellen Fitton
at Universal Mastering - East
Style: Studio
Format: CD
Enhancement: Bonus Tracks/
New Liner Notes
Label: Mercury (Universal Chronicles) - Casablanca
Website:
N/A

Up For The Down Stroke
Testify
The Goose
I Can Move You (If You Let Me)
I Just Got Back From The Fantasy, Ahead of Our Time in the Four Lands of Ellet
All Your Goodies Are Gone
Whatever Makes Baby Feel Good
Presence of a Brain
Up For The Down Stroke *
Testify *
Singing Another Song **