Requested by Kesqualo
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Tower Of Power – Monster On A Leash
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Artist……………: Tower Of Power
Album…………….: Monster On A Leash
Genre…………….: Funk
Source……………: CD
Year……………..: 1991
Ripper……………: Exact Audio Copy (Secure mode) &
Codec…………….: Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
Version…………..: reference libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917
Quality…………..: Lossless, (avg. compression: 80 %)
Channels………….: Stereo / 44100 HZ / 16 Bit
Tags……………..: VorbisComment
Information……….:

Ripped by…………: AJ Productions on 10/21/2010
Posted by…………: AJ Productions on 10/21/2010
News Server……….:
News Group(s)……..:

Included………….: NFO, SFV, PLS, M3U, LOG, CUE
Covers……………: Front

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Tracklisting
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1. (00:04:25) Tower Of Power – A Little Knowledge (Is A Dangerous Thing)
2. (00:04:11) Tower Of Power – How Could This Happen To Me
3. (00:04:23) Tower Of Power – Who Do You Think You Are
4. (00:05:36) Tower Of Power – Attitude Dance
5. (00:04:56) Tower Of Power – You Can’t Fall Up (You Just Fall Down)
6. (00:05:28) Tower Of Power – Funk The Dumb Stuff
7. (00:04:35) Tower Of Power – Believe It
8. (00:05:07) Tower Of Power – Personal Possessions
9. (00:04:46) Tower Of Power – Miss Trouble (Got A Lot Of Nerve)
10. (00:04:34) Tower Of Power – Keep Your Monster On A Leash
11. (00:04:29) Tower Of Power – Someone New
12. (00:05:26) Tower Of Power – Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

Playing Time………: 00:58:14
Total Size………..: 375.74 MB

NFO generated on…..: 10/21/2010 12:44:54 PM

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Say what you will about this Tower Of Power CD, it has some very good
tunes on it. After a very bad lull of electrified, synthisized, pre-programmed,
horn chorus-filled, undignified pretentious “music” (and I use the term loosely)
during the 80s, when the premium was on formula rather than substance,
and the record producers and club owners had pretty much outlawed REAL
bands (you know the ones with real bass players, real guitar players, real
horns, and a real drummer), Tower Of Power came back ready to play. Sit
back while I tell you how I really feel!!

In the 70s, when I was in college, Tower Of Power was unlike any other band
because they crossed all types of music and cultures. It moved me because it
was real, gritty funk. Those guys were funky. They didn’t call it East Bay
Grease for nothing! And that’s what everyone loved about them. The music
was uncompromising and free and that led to their appeal.

In the 80s, the dynamic of the music business changed. My opinion was that
the club owners dictated a lot of what was happening. Music was in a growth
period. And financially, it was more advantageous to have smaller groups to
pay than larger ones. So horn-based groups tended to break up. TOP didn’t
break up, but they had to deal with the trends of the day, that included horn
chorus interfaces on keyboards that eliminated the need for full horn
sections; the development and refinement of drum machines; the infusion of
disco/techno music and the beginnings of rap, which meant the beginning of
sampling, rather than full-fledged song development. Everyone was too busy
or too high to deal with a lot of lyrics that made sense or complicated rhythms
and song changes. Simple was better.

So TOP and other groups were highly inactive during the 80s. The albums
they put out with disco overtones were not very good. That wasn’t what
they cut their teeth on, and their enthusiasm, or lack of it, showed on the
albums. So this is their first of many albums during the 90s. And they went
back to the formula that worked. No cheesy synths on this, no disco beat.
Just the formula. East Bay Grease.

Is this a classic album? Maybe not, but it’s enjoyable to say the very least,
and there are some memorable songs on it. The single “YOU CAN’T FALL UP”
was not one of my favorites. The sax solo doesn’t crank up until the song is
over. Not good. Especially for a sax player.

I do have my favorites though. I really like “PERSONAL POSSESSIONS”. The
guitar solo is a thing of beauty and the song is reminiscent of some of their
earlier mid-tempo jams. The horns work very well against the melody. Also
good are “MISS TROUBLE”, “A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE” and “MR. TOAD’S WILD
RIDE”, in honor of one of their favorite east coast clubs. Tom Bowes is an
excellent lead singer and did a reputable job on this album.

Before you’re overly critical of this album, consider the times and what had
gone on in music up to that time. Someone already wrote that it was good
driving music — and that, my friends, is something we all need. You won’t lose
with this one in your collection.
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https://mega.nz/#!5whUSAQD!uH0ZKL3vkl7e-sbqUkRl2aJYBgoGWYUUM8O693rXkEQ

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Tower of Power – Tower of Power
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Artist……………: Tower of Power
Album…………….: Tower of Power
Genre…………….: Funk
Source……………: CD
Year……………..: 1973
Ripper……………: Exact Audio Copy (Secure mode) &
Codec…………….: Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
Version…………..: reference libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917
Quality…………..: Lossless, (avg. compression: 56 %)
Channels………….: Stereo / 44100 HZ / 16 Bit
Tags……………..: VorbisComment
Information……….:

Ripped by…………: AJ Productions on 10/21/2010
Posted by…………: AJ Productions on 10/21/2010
News Server……….:
News Group(s)……..:

Included………….: NFO, SFV, PLS, M3U, LOG, CUE
Covers……………: Front

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Tracklisting
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1. (00:05:09) Tower of Power – What Is Hip?
2. (00:02:57) Tower of Power – Clever Girl
3. (00:02:55) Tower of Power – This Time It’s Real
4. (00:03:51) Tower of Power – Will I Ever Find A Love?
5. (00:04:53) Tower of Power – Get Yo’ Feet Back On The Ground
6. (00:03:42) Tower of Power – So Very Hard To Go
7. (00:05:13) Tower of Power – Soul Vaccination
8. (00:03:25) Tower of Power – Both Sorry Over Nothin’
9. (00:03:22) Tower of Power – Clean Slate
10. (00:04:34) Tower of Power – Just Another Day

Playing Time………: 00:40:00
Total Size………..: 225.77 MB

NFO generated on…..: 10/21/2010 7:29:42 PM

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by K. Swanson Amazon.com

I can’t believe this gets almost all five star reviews, but, each to his own. I
have listened to (some of) this eponymous TOP record since shortly after it
came out, as it has four amazingly funky tunes: What Is Hip, Get Yo’ Feet,
Clean Slate, and the awesome Soul Vaccination. Those tunes are five stars all
the way, and represent some of the very best funk of the 70s, up there with
the finest JBs, Sly, and a very few others.

BUUUT…good god y’all, some of the other tunes here are unbelievably
sappy, crappy, pappy cheesola! Will I Ever Find A Love? Find a bucket while
you’re at it. Just Another Day? Just Another TOP album with a few hot funk
tunes and a bunch of boring, uninspired MOR easy-listening snoozefests.

For those who like that sort of thing, no offense. But for me (and I’ve seen
many versions of this group live over the last thirty years and heard all of
their records), it’s always been a crying shame that one of the most smokin’
funk bands ever spends half or more of their time playing pap that so many
other groups can do better, when they could be laying down the true funk all
night in a way that almost no other band can touch.

That’s like Pink Floyd covering Carpenters tunes. Sure, someone will like it,
but they oughta be doing what they do best.

I absolutely love Rocco Prestia. This guy is a true legend on the bass. As a
guitarist I dream of finding a guy like him, but there’s only one. A true master
of the funk, his lines on Vaccination are supreme. So it hurts my ears to hear
track after track of boring pop, with one of the great funk bassists relegated
to playing this kind of velveeta ballad.

Same goes for the horns. One of the very best funk/rock/r&b horn sections,
they kill on the funk tunes, but are wasted on the pop. Get in your Ferrari
and drive at 20 to the mall! That’s what it’s like. I’d rather see that baby on
the highway, doing what is was built to do better than any other. Instead
they drip away on slow semi-soul, merely ok r&b tunes that never let them
loose.

But once again, if that’s the stuff you love TOP for, more power to you.
Clearly the ballads brought a lot of gals to the shows and sold a lot of singles.
Wonderful. But as a fan of deep funk, I know how hard it is to find the real
deal. And when one of the best funk bands of them all spends most of each
album (until much later in their careers) playing very non-funky, average pop,
it just frustrates me. But as always, that’s just one guy’s opinion.

So, I have a few mix cds of only their funk tracks…and those cds are unreal
party monsters. But when I listen to the entire original albums, I can only
wince when a fat groove is created, blossoms into joy…and then suddenly
dissipates as two cheesey songs follow.

Nothing against the band, their worshippers, etc. But as someone who lives
to dance to the funk, their albums are the very definition of hit and miss. At
least this one has four great funk tunes, instead of the usual two or three.

On the other hand, this is a perfect example of why mp3 downloads have
their place, overpriced and under-qualitied though they may be. There’s only
four tracks worth owning here, for my money. Get them and the two or three
best tunes off their other early albums and you’ve got a phenomenal
collection o’ funk.
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http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/y9yb05

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Tower Of Power – Urban Renewal
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Artist……………: Tower Of Power
Album…………….: Urban Renewal
Genre…………….: Funk-Soul
Source……………: CD
Year……………..: 1974
Ripper……………: Exact Audio Copy (Secure mode) &
Codec…………….: Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
Version…………..: reference libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917
Quality…………..: Lossless, (avg. compression: 98 %)
Channels………….: Stereo / 44100 HZ / 16 Bit
Tags……………..: VorbisComment
Information……….:

Ripped by…………: AJ Productions on 8/3/2012
Posted by…………: AJ Productions on 8/3/2012
News Server……….:
News Group(s)……..:

Included………….: NFO, SFV, PLS, M3U, LOG, CUE
Covers……………: Front

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Tracklisting
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1. (00:03:48) Tower Of Power – Only So Much Oil In The Ground
2. (00:03:22) Tower Of Power – Come Back, Baby
3. (00:01:47) Tower Of Power – It’s Not The Crime
4. (00:03:32) Tower Of Power – I Won’t Leave Unless You Want Me To
5. (00:03:17) Tower Of Power – Maybe It’ll Rub Off
6. (00:02:30) Tower Of Power – (To Say The Least) You’re The Most
7. (00:04:37) Tower Of Power – Willing To Learn
8. (00:02:36) Tower Of Power – Give Me The Proof
9. (00:04:44) Tower Of Power – It Can Never Be The Same
10. (00:02:03) Tower Of Power – I Believe In Myself
11. (00:05:50) Tower Of Power – Walkin’ Up Hip Street

Playing Time………: 00:40:41
Total Size………..: 221.06 MB

NFO generated on…..: 8/3/2012 8:35:32 AM

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by Alex Henderson AllMusic

Tower of Power was very much in its prime in 1974, when the Bay Area outfit
tore up the soul charts with the outstanding Urban Renewal. Lenny Williams,
a passionate, wailing, gospel-influenced dynamo of a singer, had joined
Tower the previous year, and he worked out remarkably well; whether
digging into tough funk or romantic ballads, Williams is in top form. Funk
doesn’t get much more invigorating than horn-driven gems like “Maybe It’ll
Rub Off,” “Give Me the Proof” and “Only So Much Oil in the Ground” (a
commentary on the mid-’70s energy crisis), and soul ballads don’t get much
richer than “Willing to Learn” and “I Won’t Leave Unless You Want Me To.”
Tower (an influence on everyone from L.T.D. to the Average White Band)
recorded a number of essential albums in the ’70s, and Urban Renewal is at
the top of the list.
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http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/o92oon

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Tower of Power – In The Slot
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Artist……………: Tower of Power
Album…………….: In The Slot
Genre…………….: Funk
Source……………: CD
Year……………..: 1975
Ripper……………: Exact Audio Copy (Secure mode) &
Codec…………….: Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
Version…………..: reference libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917
Quality…………..: Lossless, (avg. compression: 56 %)
Channels………….: Stereo / 44100 HZ / 16 Bit
Tags……………..: VorbisComment
Information……….:

Ripped by…………: AJ Productions on 10/21/2010
Posted by…………: AJ Productions on 10/21/2010
News Server……….:
News Group(s)……..:

Included………….: NFO, SFV, PLS, M3U, LOG, CUE
Covers……………: Front

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Tracklisting
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1. (00:03:26) Tower of Power – Just Enough and Too Much
2. (00:03:08) Tower of Power – Treat Me Like Your Man
3. (00:03:14) Tower of Power – If I Play My Cards Right
4. (00:05:14) Tower of Power – As Surely As I Stand Here
5. (00:00:16) Tower of Power – Fanfare: Matanuska
6. (00:02:54) Tower of Power – On the Serious Side
7. (00:06:45) Tower of Power – Ebony Jam
8. (00:03:12) Tower of Power – You’re So Wonderful, So Marvelous
9. (00:01:34) Tower of Power – Vuela Por Noche
10. (00:00:35) Tower of Power – Essence of Innocence
11. (00:04:57) Tower of Power – The Soul of a Child
12. (00:03:12) Tower of Power – Drop It in the Slot

Playing Time………: 00:38:27
Total Size………..: 220.51 MB

NFO generated on…..: 10/21/2010 2:50:51 PM

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by Bemby Jo Amazon.com

Sure, East Bay Grease is great because it’s the first TOP album ever
released…

Sure, Bump City is great because it gave us hits like You’re Still A Young Man
and Down To The Night Club…

Sure, the Lenny Williams-fronted albums–Tower Of Power, Back To Oakland,
and Urban Renewal– were TOP’s greatest commercial success and brought
us the greatest hits…

And sure, we got some fun songs from the late-1980s and 1990s TOP
lineups, including Credit, Soul With A Capital “S”, and Diggin’ On James
Brown…

But I don’t hear or read enough people discussing and hailing In The Slot as
among the greatest funk/soul albums of all-time–or at least TOP’s Top 2 or 3
ever!

The difference-maker for me on this album can be summed up in two words:
HUBERT TUBBS. He’s the TOP singer you probably forgot about because he
only recorded one studio album (this one) and one live (Live And In Living
Color). He didn’t have the buttery-smooth vocals that his predecessor, Lenny
Williams, had, but what he undoubtedly had was SOUL.

Current TOP frontman, Larry “LB” Braggs, was quoted as saying (on the TOP
official site):

“There have been a lot of lead singers over time in Tower, but I really count
only three – Rick Stevens, Lenny Williams and Hubert Tubbs; every other
singer tried to duplicate what they did…. Hubert…was a mix of both. He
didn’t have Lenny’s range but he had the grit of the soul era, so the band
didn’t lose a step.” (Source: […])

Now, about the album: there is NOT ONE BAD TRACK. It’s a shame Amazon
has run out of copies (as of July 20, 2010), but treat yourself to great music
and buy a copy from one of the sellers carrying it. This album has it all:
*Pop-friendly song: You’re So Wonderful, So Marvelous
*Ballad: As Surely As I Stand Here (TOP’s next best ballad after You’re Still A
Young Man)
*Instrumental: Ebony Jam (in some instances, even better than Squib Cakes)
*JUST PLAIN FUNKY: On The Serious Side and Drop It In The Slot (funkiest
TOP tracks on this album, the likes of which we won’t hear again until the
1990s after TOP’s somewhat “Dark Ages”)

by Jason Elias AMG

In the Slot came off a four-year string of classic singles and albums. As Bump
City era lead singer Rick Stevens exited, the phenomenal Lenny Williams
replaced him. With Williams, Tower of Power became a hit-making machine as
albums like Back to Oakland and Urban Renewal became R&B standards. In
the Slot marks the first album of vocalist Hubert Tubbs. he possessed a
throaty more muscular voice a few shades lower than his predecessor. While
it was serviceable, Tubbs’ voice didn’t have the same grace and agility as
Williams’. On the rollicking “Just Enough and Too Much” the difference is slight
and the track is one of the band’s most potent tracks. The ballads were
where the contrast is most striking. “As Surely As I Stand Here” and the “The
Soul of a Child” display not only a drop off in lyrical quality, but also the
clearest indication that the band did indeed miss Williams’ skill at making even
bromides ring. Oddly enough, the great and too brief B-side “Stroke ’75”
wasn’t included here. After many failed attempts, band and singer do end up
on the same page. On “Drop It in the Slot” and “On the Serious Side” the
groups’ trademark rhythm section and the horns come on stronger and match
Tubbs’ more volatile style. This effort in effect put an end to the string of
“classic” albums from the group. In The Slot, despite its enviable firepower,
finds the band missing Lenny Williams’ skill at putting all of the pieces
together.
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https://mega.nz/#!IpBjnTyA!2Mw5wWTA6vgX3oI_W8hy8SbjO10CJGKVpG7x6XctRBc

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Tower Of Power – Bump City
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Artist……………: Tower Of Power
Album…………….: Bump City
Genre…………….: Funk
Source……………: CD
Year……………..: 1972
Ripper……………: Exact Audio Copy 0.99 prebeta 4
Codec…………….: Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)
Version…………..: reference libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917
Quality…………..: Lossless, (avg. compression: 63 %)
Channels………….: Stereo / 44100 HZ / 16 Bit
Tags……………..: VorbisComment
Information……….:

Ripped by…………: dadarkda74 on 4/21/2009
Posted by…………: AJ Productions on 3/15/2012
News Server……….:
News Group(s)……..:

Included………….: NFO, M3U, LOG, CUE
Covers……………: Front Back CD

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Tracklisting
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1. (00:04:34) Tower Of Power – You Got to Funkifize
2. (00:04:15) Tower Of Power – What Happened To The World That Day?
3. (00:03:37) Tower Of Power – Flash In The Pan
4. (00:03:44) Tower Of Power – Gone (In Memory Of Jacqueline Mesquite)
5. (00:02:55) Tower Of Power – You Strike My Main Nerve
6. (00:02:46) Tower Of Power – Down To The Nightclub (Bump City)
7. (00:05:38) Tower Of Power – You’re Still A Young Man
8. (00:03:51) Tower Of Power – Skating On Thin Ice
9. (00:04:31) Tower Of Power – Of The Earth

Playing Time………: 00:35:52
Total Size………..: 227.76 MB

NFO generated on…..: 3/15/2012 10:35:31 PM

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Ron Wynn All Music Guide

The second Tower of Power LP, Bump City was the first to make any impact.
The group went to Memphis, cut their first great single in “You’re Still A Young
Man,” and learned firsthand about funk and soul. The production and
arrangements were much improved over the debut album, as was the
engineering and overall technical quality. Their lines were crisper, the unison
and ensemble passages much sharper, and they were beginning to round into
shape.

David Bertrand Wilson, WARR.org

The band’s key formula of Rocco Prestia’s rock-solid, sixteenth-note bass
lines, punchy horn charts and memorable hooks is present from the opening
notes of “You Got To Funkifize,” and a few other tunes are just as good (the
uptempo blues “Flash In The Pan”). However, for much of the disc they seem
to be imitating Chicago – “What Happened To The World That Day?” with its
breezy brass melody and vocal harmonies; the concluding impressionistic “Of
The Earth” – and it’s not particularly exciting. I also don’t care for the soul
ballad “You’re Still A Young Man,” though it remains a concert staple. Most of
the writing is again by Castillo and Kupka, though they collaborated with
Garibaldi (“Down To The Nightclub”) and Williams (“You Strike My Main
Nerve”), and the slow “Gone” was contributed by Adams and first sax Skip
Mesquite. The last album featuring vocals from Rick Stevens, who flipped out
on drugs a few years later and killed two people – a crime for which he is
incarcerated to this day. Produced by Ron Capone and the band.
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https://mega.nz/#!k5pD2QhA!CLSb7FHnObJSlv7KI70vMdvUXfn84T3-_RRSUi23FRw

Tower Of Power Live In Concert

Performing a subtle mix of soul jazz and rock is Tower of Power’s forte, and this live concert captures them in their element. Recorded in Germany, on July 1st 1998, check out these talented Californian’s on this stunning live video.

Maaaaan…this is the funkiest white boy group since Charlie Manson went Helter Skelter up and down the Cali Coast! The band is tighter than a pair of James Brown’s shark skins. Mo funky than a Louisiana slaughter house in the dead of Summer…with no AC! If you don’t groove to this hour long funk fest then you got a hole in your Soul!

Songs

Strokes 75
Souled Out
I Like Your Style
You Strike My Nerve
East Bay Way, Soul Vaccination
What Is Hip?
Squib Cakes
Diggin’ On James Brown
Soul with a Capital S
So I Got to Groove

https://mega.co.nz/#!4hA2GZqC!GzCUOyJgxKLUjl3B-1WkPh49wJYQG4c5vcCyxOCrUoM