Up for the Down Stroke

Parliament | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 20, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B000001FU9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #386,120 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Japanese only SHM paper sleeve pressing. Includes three bonus tracks. The SHM-CD [Super High Material CD] format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC & Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE R&B AND FUNK, January 9, 2007

By 

S. Marcelle (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Up for the Down Stroke (Audio CD)

This is one of the best and most creative and musically stimulating albums in existence. If you're looking for something to move you, to make you think, and to make you feel music completely differently, YOU NEED PARLIAMENT. All I can say is try it, and if it isn't for you, YOU AREN'T READY YET!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For a first album, this is pretty amazing..., April 6, 2000

By 

Robby Raeford (Greensboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Up for the Down Stroke (Audio CD)

Up For the Down Stroke was the first album of the re-worked Parliament. It layed the foundation for some of the weirder and funkier things to come. It has some classic songs, but some are rather dull.

The title track is a catchy tune that is great to hear live. The horns add great depth to the repetitive chants. This is probably one of the most funky songs on the album, and it is obvious that later albums spawned from this sound.

Testify is a rework of The Parliament's first single "I Just Wanna Testify". It has been redone and now it is a classic masterpiece. The singing is superb and the subtle horns in the background add a lot to it. It is a lot of fun to sing along to - but it isn't that great for dancing.

The Goose is a 9 minute long epic song. It is a love song with a slower beat, but not quite R&B. The singing is pretty layed back but still brilliant. It has one of the most memorable lyrics "I'm as happy as a monkey with a peanut machine" - I love that line. It does, however, stretch on too long - some of the instrumental and shouts could have been left out.

"I Can Move You If You Let Me" is a short, light, and very funky and catchy tune. It sounds almost remisent of Bootsy's sound - it is a highlight of the album.

"I Just Got Back" is just plain amazing song. Many people get turned off of it because of the oddness of the whistling. It is just singing with brilliant wistleing. It is one of the most beautiful songs that I have ever heard. I overlook the rest of the CD often because I love this song so much. I swear I am in a state of absolute peace and euphoria everytime I listen to it. You have never heard George Clinton sound so good. You must hear it.

"All Your Goodies Are Gone" is a slow song, but it has very good singing. It is similar in sound to "The Goose", but I like this better than The Goose.

"Whatever Makes You Feel Good" is a very dull song. It is slow like some of the others, and the soul sound to it is way too overpowering. It sounds very unfunky.

"Presence Of A Brain" is a great sound that is very close in sound to Eddie Hazel's brilliant works on Funkadelic's albums. The singing is great, and the keyboarding, bass, and guitar, is all superb. Another highlight.

All in all, Up For The Down Stroke is a must buy for Parliament fans. If you are just starting your P-Funk collection, I don't recomend starting with this one, unless you are coming from an R&B background. If you are familiar with P-Funk, don't pass this one up just because it is their first album - I think you will all love it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Got up for the down stroke, February 11, 2009

By 

Calvin B. Miles "DJ Warlock" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Up for the Down Stroke (Audio CD)

This is the second comming of parliament as I knew it, and boys and girls it's funky.Get this cd and start with the original version then go directly to the Alternative version then start the whole thang over again. It's worth it!! You know the band was getting to roll. I love this disc. It sets the tone for the mothership and everything that would follow. if this isn't in your archives your just to finicky for the funk. It wasn't meant to be perfect like a showroom car. It's just good to your earhole. Dance around the house or kick back on it. A little side note... My favorite track is "All your Goodies are Gone" people that really know the funk,know it as the "Loser seat". Am I telling my age? yeah and who cares. Enjoy the Original funk/Rap/Dance crazy band. Yeah, I said it, "The first Rap band". Not Run D.M.C. Sorry!!!