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Rating: I took a spin around music sites before I sat down to write this stuff, and I found that the third self-titled album by Tower of Power is widely regarded as the one where the group definitively defines their musical offering. The two that follow, also products of what can be considered the best formation of the group, are generally cited as works where the band reaffirms itself at excellent levels, but with no significant new developments. In the particular case of “Back to Oakland,” I'm not sure how appropriate it is to see it this way. It's probably true that in terms of substantial ideas, the group didn't go much further than where they'd already reached with tracks like "What Is Hip?", but differences in sound can be found compared to the previous album, and personally, I prefer this one, even if only slightly.
The main ingredients of the group's musical recipe are the same: funk in the vein of Sly & the Family Stone, soul in the Curtis Mayfield direction (thanks to Imasoul, I know who that is), a prominent baritone saxophone in the horn section, with additions of jazz and rock in varying quantities from time to time. Again, the two overflowing souls of the band, the rhythmic and the melodic, manage to find a balance, and my feeling is that it's tilted more in favor of the rhythmic soul. The two gears that form it, Rocco Prestia (bass) and David Garibaldi (drums), seem less willing than before to loosen the threads of their dense rhythmic fabric to allow Lenny Williams' beautiful voice or the horn line to venture into airy melodic modulations that tend to sweeten the mood. The mellow moments are there but are generally executed with a slightly more jazzy approach and include tasty parts like the great organ solo in “Just When We Start Makin' It.” In general, the sound seems a bit more angular compared to the previous album, the pace tighter, and the instrumental and jazz parts have more room (fantastic “Squib Cakes”).
The color palette is vast, and the work of blending and embellishing between the various souls of the band by Chester Thompson's organ (not to be confused with the Genesis drummer) and Bruce Conte's guitar deserves mention. But my passion for Tower of Power is primarily thanks to Rocco Prestia. Along with Bootsy Collins and Larry Graham, he forms the great group of innovators in the funk domain of electric bass. Listening to his work, you understand where many people (e.g., Jamiroquai) come from. His famous bed of sixteenths and ghost notes, executed with his distinctive way of muting the strings, leaves a lot of freedom for David Garibaldi to create textbook grooves for drummers. Together they form a powerful rhythmic machine ("Oakland Stroke...", "Squib Cakes") capable of making the group's music timeless. I first heard Oakland Stroke not very long ago; at that time, the track was already about thirty years old, yet it still hit me hard. Great album.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Don't Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream) (04:45)
Five long years
We have been together
Your love and understanding
Has brought us through stormy weather
I must admit girl
I haven`t always been good
But you stuck by me
Just like you said you would
Chorus:
Hey I know, that enough is enough
But you shouldn`t be talking `bout
Givin`it up
Turn it loose
It might be right, it seems
The wrong decision will spoil all our dreams
So if you don`t want to spoil our secret dreams,
Don`t change horses
In the middle of a stream.
Giddy-up, giddy-up
Hi-o Yeah
Giddy-up, giddy-up
Hi-o Silver
I only did the things I thought I had to do
But if I hurt you baby
I`ll make it up to you
I can`t say I haven`t done any wrong
Let him without sin
Cast the first stone
Chorus
Giddy-up, giddy-up
Hi-o Yeah
Giddy-up, giddy-up
Hi-o Silver
Let`s forget about the past
Ride to a brand new day
Jumpin` over stumbling blocks
As they wander in our way
We got to keep goin`
`til we reach our destination
Don`t let nothin`
Hinder your inspiration
Top40db: The most accurate lyrics site on the net.
Chorus
Don`t change horses
In the middle of a stram baby
Don`t change horses
In the middle of a stream now
It might spoil our secret dream, child
It might spoil our secret dream, baby
Ride, ride, ride, ride
Oh girl, hey hey hey
Ride, ride, ride, ride
05 Can't You See (You Doin' Me Wrong) (02:55)
I've tried hard to do my best, ooh baby
So I could stand out from the rest, yeah
I can't figure out what you're all about, no
And I'm left standing here in doubt
(Can't you see) I want you
(Can't you see) yeah, yeah, yeah
(You're doing me wrong)
For much too long (for much too long)
Baby, I can't go on, no, this way
Girl, I wish you only knew, ooh baby
What you're putting this man through, yeah
Sometimes I think you're on my side, baby
Well, but you keep changing with the evening tide
(Can't you see) I want you
(Can't you see) yeah, yeah, yeah
(You're doing me wrong)
For much too long (for much too long)
Baby, I can't go on, no, this way
Ooh, there must be something I can do, do
To get this message through to you, you
And you know that I can't give up on you, no
No matter what I try to do
(Can't you see) I want you
(Can't you see) yeah, yeah, yeah
(You're doing me wrong)
For much too long (for much too long)
Baby, I can't go on, no, this way
(Can't you see) I want you
Why you hurt me, baby
(Can't you see)
Why you wanna make me feel so bad, baby
(Can't you see)
Said I want you, ooh, oh yeah
(Can't you see)
Ohh, baby
(Can't you see)
Girl, and I'm trying hard to do my best
(Can't you see)
Girl, I wanna stand out from the rest, baby
(Can't you see)
I said I want you, ooh, oh yeah
(Can't you see)
I'll give you what you want
I'll give you what you need, baby
(Can't you see)
Girl, I've tried hard to do my best
(Can't you see)
Girl, I wanna stand out from the rest
(Can't you see)
Baby, baby, baby, I want you, ooh, oh yeah
(Can't you see)
07 I Got the Chop (02:57)
Went down in the valley,
I jumped back in the alley,
Scaled the highest peak,
I even plugged the biggest leak.
Ain't none quicker than I,
Slicker than Superfly,
I don't even have to try,
I got the chop!
I got the chop!
I can't be stopped,
I'll never get popped,
I got the chop, hey now!
I possess the keenest mind,
perhaps of all mankind,
My cranium do contain
Undoubtedly the greatest brain
My (sight?) is not the type,
Baby get sucked up all night,
I maintain outta sight
I got the chop!
I got the chop!
I've been through a lot,
Give it all I've got,
I've got the chop!
If somehow you still have doubt as to what I'm talkin' 'bout,
Your insight�s extra dumb if you can't tell where I'm comin' from,
'Cause if I ain't got the chop, if I ain't got the chop;
Moby Dick was a minnow,
Dumbo was a drunk,
Popeye was a pussy,
And Pinocchio was a punk!
No! That's a buncha bunk!
SAX SOLO
I will fulfill your every need,
Satisfaction guaranteed,
Double your money back,
Your gonna swear I got the true knack.
Ain't no haughty boast,
It's a fact that I'm the most,
Just the most from coast to coast
I got the chop!
I got the chop!
I hit the spots,
Call all the shots,
I got the chop!
Oh, girl, I am the cream of the crop,
See, I'm the most from coast to coast,
I won't get popped, I can't get stopped,
I've been through a lot,
Give it all I got,
I got the chop!
Oh-oh, girl,
Oh, now,
Satisfaction guaranteed�
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