TOWER OF POWER – BUMP CITY LP – EXC+ A1/B1 UK 1972 FUNK JAZZ FUSION

Tower Of Power – Bump City
(Warner Bros Records  1972  K46167)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing

Vinyl in Excellent+ condition
(there are quite a few surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from some light pops/crackles)

Sleeve in Very Good+ condition
– name written on front & back, some wear to edges and a few small marks on front

Tower of Power (or TOP for short) is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968.They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section and precisely syncopated bass-guitar lines. There have been several lead vocalists, the most famous being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success. Their biggest hits include “You’re Still a Young Man”, “So Very Hard to Go”, “Soul With a Capital S”, “Soul Vaccination”, “What Is Hip?”, and “Don’t Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)”.

Bump City is the second album by the soul/funk group Tower of Power. The album cover is derived from a sketch by David Garibaldi. It’s also their first album for Warner Bros. Records. With Rufus Miller now gone, Rick Stevens took the reins as the sole lead vocalist for this album.

Track listing

All songs written by Emilio Castillo and Stephen “Doc” Kupka unless otherwise noted.

1. “You Got to Funkifize” – 4:31
2. “What Happened to the World That Day?” – 4:11
3. “Flash in the Pan” – 3:34
4. “Gone (in Memory of Jacqueline Mesquite)” (Greg Adams, Skip Mesquite) – 3:41
5. “You Strike My Main Nerve” (Kupka, Castillo, L. Williams, L. Gordon) – 2:52
6. “Down to the Nightclub” (Kupka, Castillo, David Garibaldi) – 2:43
7. “You’re Still a Young Man” – 5:35
8. “Skating on Thin Ice” – 3:48
9. “Of the Earth” – 4:30

Personnel

• Rick Stevens – lead vocals
• Skip Mesquite – first tenor saxophone, flute, vocals (lead on “Gone”)
• Emilio Castillo – second tenor saxophone, vocals
• Greg Adams – trumpet, flugelhorn (solo on “Gone”), French horn, piano (on “Gone”), vocals^[3]
• Stephen “Doc” Kupka – baritone saxophone, vocals
• Mic Gillette – trumpet, trombone, French horn, vocals
• Willie James Fulton – guitar, vocals
• David Garibaldi – drums
• Francis Rocco Prestia – bass
• Brent Byars – conga drums, vocals
• Jay Spell – piano (on “What Happened to the World That Day”, “You’re Still a Young Man” and “Of the Earth”)
• Memphis Strings – arranged and conducted by Greg Adams on “What Happened to the World That Day?”, “You’re Still a Young Man” and “Of the Earth”

Technical

• Ron Capone, Steve Cropper – mixing