East Bay Grease is the debut album by the soul and funk group Tower of Power, released in 1970.[1] The band was one of the early music groups to be signed by Bill Graham's Fillmore Records, which released the LP.[2][3]
| East Bay Grease | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Studio | Mercury Recording Studios, San Francisco | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B | |||
| Length | 41:35 | |||
| Label | San Francisco/Atlantic | |||
| Producer | David Rubinson | |||
| Tower of Power chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from East Bay Grease | ||||
| ||||
The album shows the band at an early stage of development, trying out several lead singers including Rick Stevens who soon left the band (1972) because of heavy drug abuse.[4] In a retrospective review, music historian Rickey Vincent said the album contained "sloppy and raggedy horn-heavy R&B."[5] Drummer David Garibaldi later said that his playing style was undisciplined during this time, that the album showed his "rough edges". He began private drum lessons with a Bay Area drum teacher named Chuck Brown, and polished his technique in time for the improvements to be heard on 1973's Tower of Power album.[6]
The album was released on CD in 1992 by Rhino Records.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
Track listing
editAll selections written by Emilio Castillo and Stephen Kupka, except "Sparkling in the Sand" by Emilio Castillo, Stephen Kupka and Lawrence Lopez.[8]
- "Knock Yourself Out" - 7:08
- "Social Lubrication" - 7:28
- "The Price" - 6:09
- "Back on the Streets Again" - 5:50
- "The Skunk, the Goose, and the Fly" - 5:55
- "Sparkling in the Sand" - 9:06
Personnel
editProduction credit [9]
- Rufus Miller - lead vocals (except "Sparkling in the Sand")
- Emilio Castillo - alto saxophone, vocals, extra greasy vocal on "The Skunk, the Goose, and the Fly"
- David Garibaldi - drums, vibes, background vocals
- Greg Adams - first trumpet
- Stephen "The Funky Doctor" Kupka - baritone saxophone, background vocals
- Skip Mesquite - tenor saxophone, flute, vocals
- David Padron - second trumpet
- Frank Rocco Prestia - bass
- Rick Stevens - lead vocal on "Sparkling in the Sand", background vocals
- Willie James Fulton - guitar, background vocals
- Mic Gillette - trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn with solo on "Sparkling in the Sand"[3]
- Ken Balzell - trumpet
- Technical
- Bruce Steinberg - cover and liner design, artwork, photography
References
edit- ^ Godbey, Matthew (2016-10-26). "Stage & Screen: "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" a not-so-lovely plot". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
- ^ Hall, J.T. (2016-11-16). "Tower of Power Gets Funky In Verona". Syracuse New Times. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
- ^ a b "Tower of Power Founder and Trumpeter Mic Gillette Dead at 64". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
- ^ Lentz III, Harris M. (2018). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2017. McFarland. p. 375–376. ISBN 9781476633183.
- ^ Vincent, Rickey (2014). Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 333. ISBN 9781466884526.
- ^ Payne, Jim (2010). The Great Drummers R&B Funk & Soul. Mel Bay Publications. p. 214. ISBN 9781609745820.
- ^ Wynn, Ron. East Bay Grease at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2007.
- ^ Wynn, Ron. "East Bay Grease - Tower of Power - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
- ^ "East Bay Grease - Tower of Power - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
External links
edit- Tower of Power - website discography Archived 2011-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
- East Bay Grease at Discogs (list of releases)