Tower Of Power - Soul Side Of Town

Styles: Funk, Soul
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:15
Size: 136,9 MB
Art: Front

(0:55)  1. East Bay! All Day!
(5:28)  2. Hangin' With My Baby
(4:37)  3. Do You Like That?
(6:40)  4. On The Soul Side Of Town
(3:53)  5. Do It With Soul
(4:40)  6. Love Must Be Patient And Kind
(5:28)  7. Butter Fried
(4:48)  8. Selah
(4:22)  9. Let It Go
(4:25) 10. Stop
(4:11) 11. When Love Takes Control
(3:33) 12. After Hours
(4:54) 13. Can't Stop Thinking About You
(1:16) 14. East Bay! Oakland Style!

A renowned horn-driven outfit, Tower of Power emerged in the late '60s playing a dynamic blend of R&B, soul, funk, and AM pop. Along with similarly inclined groups like Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears, Tower of Power helped push the sound of brass-infused music into the rock era. Led by Detroit-born tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo, the Oakland, California-based group scored hits like "You're Still a Young Man" and "What Is Hip?" throughout the '70s. They also became one of the most sought-after backing ensembles in pop, playing on recordings by Elton John, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Aerosmith, Josh Groban, and more. While their lineup has changed over the years, Castillo remains a constant and continues to guide the ensemble live and in the studio. Although born in Detroit, Castillo opted to pursue his musical dreams in Oakland, California. It was in Oakland that Castillo put together a group called the Motowns, which, as their name suggested, specialized in '60s-era soul. In 1967, Castillo teamed up with baritone sax player Stephen "Doc" Kupka, and soon the Motowns were transformed into Tower of Power. (One of the first tunes the duo penned together was "You're Still a Young Man," which would eventually go on to be one of Tower of Power's signature compositions.) The group played regularly in the Bay Area throughout the late '60s, as their lineup often swelled up to ten members, including such other mainstays as Greg Adams on trumpet and vocals, Lenny Pickett on sax, and Rocco Prestia on bass. By 1970, the funk outfit had inked a recording contract with Bill Graham's San Francisco Records, resulting in the group's debut the same year, East Bay Grease, which failed to make an impression on the charts as Tower of Power were still trying to find their own sound.

But it soon came together for the group, as 1972's Bump City would touch off a string of classic hit albums, including 1973's self-titled release (which introduced vocalist Lenny Williams and included another of the group's most enduring tunes, "What Is Hip?"), 1974's Back to Oakland, and 1975's Urban Renewal and In the Slot. While Tower of Power remained a must-see live act, as disco became the new trend in R&B the group's original funk-laden style fell out of favor, and disco-oriented albums like 1978's We Came to Play and 1979's Back on the Streets didn't please critics or fans, and the band would go nine years without releasing an album. Despite it all, Tower of Power in particular their horn section remained a much in-demand backing group for some of pop/rock's biggest names, including Elton John, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Little Feat, David Sanborn, Michelle Shocked, Paula Abdul, Aaron Neville, Aerosmith, Public Image Ltd., and many others. In 1988, Tower of Power returned to the studio for the album Power, and in 1991 they signed with Epic Records, where they released five albums by the end of the decade. Into the new millennium, Tower of Power kept up their reputation as a strong live band, maintaining a steady touring schedule, and in 2009 they launched their own TOP Records label with The Great American Soulbook, in which they covered a dozen soul and R&B classics in the trademark Tower of Power style. In 2007, Tower of Power celebrated their fourth decade together with a special concert at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium, and a year later the show was issued in a special CD/DVD package, simply titled 40th Anniversary. In 2013, Tower of Power took a look back with the release of Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, which documented a live radio broadcast from 1974. The bandmembers also announced they would be touring in 2013 and 2014 with two other iconic acts from Northern California, Journey and the Steve Miller Band. In 2018, they celebrated their 50th anniversary with the Joe Vannelli-produced studio album Soul Side of Town on Mack Avenue Records. 

~ Greg Prato & Steve Leggett https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/soul-side-of-town/1372978636

Soul Side Of Town

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Tower Of Power - S/T

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:28
Size: 90.4 MB
Styles: Soul/Funk/R&B
Year: 1973/1990
Art: Front

[5:03] 1. What Is Hip
[2:52] 2. Clever Girl
[2:49] 3. This Time It's Real
[3:48] 4. Will I Ever Find A Love
[4:53] 5. Get Yo' Feet Back On The Ground
[3:37] 6. So Very Hard To Go
[5:10] 7. Soul Vaccination
[3:21] 8. Both Sorry Over Nothin'
[3:18] 9. Clean Slate
[4:32] 10. Just Another Day

Lenny Williams - Lead vocals; Chester Thompson - Organ, Vocals; Bruce Conte - Guitar, Vocals; Francis Rocco Prestia - Bass; Brent Byars - Congas Drums, Bongos; David Garibaldi - Drums; Lenny Pickett - 1st Tenor Sax, Flute, Clarinet, Vocals; Emilio Castillo - 2nd Tenor Sax, Vocals; Stephen Kupka - Bari Sax, Oboe, Vocals; Mic Gillette - Trumpet, Trombone, Flugelhorn, Baritone Horn, Vocals; Greg Adams - Trumpet, Flugelhorn (Solo On "So Very Hard To Go"), Vocals.

For close to 50 years, Tower of Power has been creating their own kind of soul music. Since 1968, Tower of Power has delivered their unique brand of music to their fans, appearing before sold out crowds as they tour the world each year. Tower’s sound can be hard to categorize, but the band's leader and founding member, Emilio Castillo, has labeled their sound as "Urban Soul Music."

Tower's rhythm section lays down a groove like no other band. The band’s horn driven sound is unique, and the way they approach everything, from writing and arranging to mixing and performing, is totally their own. Combine all of that with an outstanding lead vocalist and you have one of the most dynamic groups of musicians to ever hit the stage.

Tower Of Power

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Tower Of Power - East Bay Grease

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 41:36
Size: 96.4 MB
Styles: Funk, Soul
Year: 1970
Art: Front

[7:12] 1. Knock Yourself Out
[7:25] 2. Social Lubrication
[6:10] 3. The Price
[5:52] 4. Back On The Streets Again
[5:51] 5. The Skunk, The Goose, And The Fly
[9:03] 6. Sparkling In The Sand

The renowned horn-driven funk outfit Tower of Power has been issuing albums and touring the world steadily since the early '70s, in addition to backing up countless other musicians. The group's leader since the beginning has always been tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo, who was born in Detroit, but opted to pursue his musical dreams in Oakland, CA.

It was in Oakland that Castillo put together a group called the Motowns, which as its name suggested, specialized in '60s-era soul. Castillo teamed up with a baritone sax player (and Motowns fan) Stephen "Doc" Kupka, and soon the Motowns had transformed into Tower of Power (one of the first tunes the duo penned together was "You're Still a Young Man," which would eventually go on to be one of the TOP's signature compositions). Tower of Power played regularly in the Bay Area throughout the late '60s, as its lineup often swelled up to ten members, including such other mainstays as Greg Adams on trumpet and vocals and Rocco Prestia on bass. By 1970, the funk outfit had inked a recording contract with Bill Graham's San Francisco Records, resulting in the group's debut the same year, East Bay Grease, which failed to make an impression on the charts as TOP was still trying to find their own sound.

But it all came together quickly for the group, as 1972's Bump City would touch off a string of classic hit releases, including 1973's self-titled release (which included another one of the group's most enduring tunes, "What Is Hip?"), 1974's Back to Oakland, plus 1975's Urban Renewal and In the Slot. While Tower of Power remained a must-see live act, the quality of their subsequent records became erratic, resulting in some admirable releases (Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now, Live and in Living Color) and several uninspired albums that are best skipped over (We Came to Play, Back on the Streets).

East Bay Grease

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