Tower of Power

Tower of Power - Power 1987 - Cypress Records

Stepping back from its 1979 disco foray, Tower of Power dropped out of sight for the better part of a decade, as internal strife and member changes ripped the band asunder and the Tower of Power Horns spent more time backing other musicians. Returning to the studio in 1986 with only Steve Fulton and Willie James Fulton held over from the earlier regime, the band recorded the shaky TOP LP (different from a similarly titled 1993 date). Initially released only in Sweden, the album was trimmed of two tracks, retitled Power, and racked in America the following year. But even the rejigging couldn't help what ultimately emerged as an uninspired and mediocre set, showcasing musicians who sounded like they really didn't care anymore. It was a feeling that was only reinforced by their fans -- the album was the first to miss the charts since their 1970 debut. From the very '80s synthed-out opener "Baby's Got the Power" to "Ball and Chain," with its multiple rock riffs, and on to the mid-tempo "On the One," it feels like the band never really checked into the studio. Only on the brass-heavy "Credit" and "Count on Me" did listeners find a glimmer of the TOP they loved. The lackadaisical instrumental "Boys Night Out," meanwhile, found a modicum of success with its inclusion on the soundtrack to the Dudley Moore vehicle Arthur 2. With the songs feeling fanned only to a half life from the formerly fiery funkers, Power appeared and sank out of sight with horrifying rapidity. The band followed right behind, dropping off the radar, not to re-emerge for another four years. © Amy Hanson © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved. http://www.allmusic.com/album/power-r149084/review

One of the great TOP's weaker albums. In fact the song material is mostly mundane and unoriginal. However, the musicianship is good especially the sax and trumpet work. For this alone, the album is worth posting. One bad album doesn't make a bad group. "Power" was recorded with only two of the band's original line-up. The album was originally released in 1986 entitled "T.O.P."on the Danish Genlyd label for distribution in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. "T.O.P." excluded the Tracks "On The One", and "Up Against Yourself", and included the Tracks "Heartbreak In The Makin'", "You Ought To Be Havin' Fun", and "Doggin' At The Cathouse". Confusingly, in 1993, Tower Of Power released another album called "T.O.P." on the Epic label which has nothing to do with the two albums mentioned here. Listen to TOP's classic "Urban Renewal" album. Check out "The Very Best Of Tower Of Power The Warner Years" @ TOP/VBofTOP-TWY and check this blog for more TOP releases

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

A1 Baby's Got The Power - Ellis Hall, Greg Adams, Billy Kent 3:06
A2 Credit - Emilio Castillo, John Whitney, Stephen Kupka 4:06
A3 Some Days Were Meant For Rain - Ellis Hall 4:52
A4 Boys Night Out - Ellis Hall 5:46

B1 Ball And Chain - Max Carl Gronenthal 3:18
B2 Through Lovers Eyes - Ellis Hall, Joseph Curiale 3:39
B3 Count On Me - Kevin Wells, André Pessis 3:24
B4 On The One - Ellis Hall 3:58
B5 Up Against Yourself - Ellis Hall 3:16

MUSICIANS

Ellis Hall - (Guitar), (Guitar Rhythm), (Keyboards), (Vocals)
Willie Fulton - (Guitar), (Vocals)
Francis "Rocco" Prestia - (Bass)
Mick Mestek - (Drums)
Stanley Benders - (Percussion on "On The One")
Stephen "Doc" Kupka - (Sax Baritone)
Richard Elliot - (Sax Alto), (Sax Tenor), (Lyricon)
Emilio Castillo - (Sax Tenor), (Vocals)
Lee Thornburg - (Trumpet), (Flugelhorn), (Lead Vocals on "Ball And Chain")
Greg Adams - (Trumpet), (Flugelhorn), (Horn Alto), (Vocals)
Patty Unaitis, Maxayn Lewis, Marilyn Scott - (Vocals Background on "On The One")

SHORT BIO

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). Despite the dip in the quality of their albums, Tower of Power 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, Michael Bolton, Billy Preston, PiL, Rod Stewart, Toto, Merl Saunders, and others. Tower of Power remains very active to this day, keeping up a brisk touring schedule and issuing such new albums as 1999's Soul Vaccination: Live; while several compilations were issued around the same time: Rhino's double disc What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power Anthology (1999) and Very Best of Tower of Power: The Warner Years (2001), plus Epic/Legacy's Soul With a Capital "S": The Best of Tower of Power (2001). The band celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2008 and still retains 5 original founding members. © Greg Prato © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tower-of-power-p5677/biography