Up for the Down Stroke
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. "Up for the Down Stroke" is notable in that it regenerated 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.