Tower of Power (album)

For the 1969 Dexter Gordon album, see The Tower of Power!.
Tower of Power
Studio album by Tower of Power
Released May 1973[1]
Recorded 1973
Genre Soul, funk, jazz-funk
Length 39:56
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Tower of Power
Tower of Power chronology

Bump City
(1972)
Tower of Power
(1973)
Back to Oakland
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]

Tower of Power is the third album release for the Oakland-based band, Tower of Power. This is their most successful album to date, which was released in May 1973.

The album peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Top LPs chart in 1973 and received a gold record award for sales in excess of 500,000. The album spawned their most successful single, "So Very Hard to Go". The single peaked at No. 17 during the week of July 28, 1973 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two other singles from the album also charted on the Billboard Hot 100: "This Time It's Real" and "What Is Hip?". It marked the debut of Lenny Williams being the lead vocalist (though Williams had a solo career prior to joining T.O.P., plus he co-penned the song "You Strike My Main Nerve" from the previous album Bump City). Tower of Power also introduced the world to saxophonist and future Saturday Night Live band leader, Lenny Pickett, who was the youngest member of the band at the time, replacing original lead sax player Skip Mesquite. Also joining the lineup was organist/keyboardist Chester Thompson and guitarist Bruce Conte, who replaced original guitarist Willie James Fulton.

Track listing

All songs written by Emilio Castillo and Stephen "Doc" Kupka except when noted.

  1. "What Is Hip?" (Castillo, Kupka, Garibaldi) - 5:08
  2. "Clever Girl" (Castillo, Kupka, Fulton) - 2:56
  3. "This Time It's Real" (David Bartlett, Castillo, Kupka) - 2:54
  4. "Will I Ever Find a Love?" – 3:51
  5. "Get Yo' Feet Back on the Ground" (Fulton) - 4:52
  6. "So Very Hard to Go" – 3:41
  7. "Soul Vaccination" – 5:13
  8. "Both Sorry Over Nothin'" (Castillo, Kupka, Williams) - 3:25
  9. "Clean Slate" (Castillo, Kupka, Fulton) - 3:22
  10. "Just Another Day" (Conte) - 4:34

Personnel

Charts

Year Album Chart positions[3]
US US
R&B
1972 Bump City
1973 Tower of Power 15 11

Singles

Year Single Chart positions[4]
US US
R&B
US
Dance
1972 "You're Still a Young Man"
1973 "So Very Hard to Go" 17 11
"This Time It's Real" 65 27
1974 "What Is Hip?" 91 39

References

  1. "Tower of Power (Advertisement)". Billboard (Billboard Publications, Inc.): 1, 52. May 26, 1973.
  2. Ron Wynn. "Tower of Power - Tower of Power - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. "Tower Of Power US albums chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  4. "Tower Of Power US singles chart history". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2011-06-23.

External links