For other meanings of the word "testify" see Testify (disambiguation)

Testify (disambiguation)

Testify may refer to:* The act of providing testimony, particularly in a court of law* Testify , a remix EP by The Damned* Testify , a 2007 album by Dynamic Praise* Testify , an album by M People...

"Testify" is a song

Song

In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...

 by the band Parliament

Parliament (band)

Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...

. It is a funk

Funk

Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 reworking of the song "(I Wanna) Testify", which was originally recorded in 1967 by The Parliaments

The Parliaments

The Parliaments were a doo-wop quintet from Plainfield, New Jersey, formed in the back room of a barbershop in the late 1950s and named after the cigarette brand. After some early personnel changes their lineup solidified with George Clinton, Ray Davis, Fuzzy Haskins, Calvin Simon, and Grady Thomas...

 and reached #3 on the Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

R&B chart. This new version was the second single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 released from the 1974

1974 in music

-January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17...

 album Up for the Down Stroke

Up for the Down Stroke

Up for the Down Stroke is a 1974 album by Parliament. It was the band's second album , and their first to be released on Casablanca Records. The album's title track was Parliament's first chart hit and remains one of the most well-known P-Funk songs...

, and the second track on the album.

Original mix

The version of "Testify" included on early pressings of Up for the Down Stroke featured a mix

Audio mixing (recorded music)

In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...

 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

Bonus track

In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...

 on the 2003 CD reissue

Reissue

A reissue is the repeated issue of a published work. In common usage, it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions....

 of the album.

The version of this song on the original album release also deleted a small portion of the clavinet

Clavinet

A Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...

 introduction. This was restored on the 1993 compilation release Tear the Roof Off 1974-1980

Tear the Roof Off 1974-1980

Tear the Roof Off: 1974-1980 is a 2-CD compilation album by the funk group Parliament featuring songs recorded for Casablanca Records during the band's career with that label from 1974 to 1980. The compilation was released in 1993...

.