“On the Soul Side of Town,” meanwhile, was co-written with Leo Sacks, who’s previously written liner notes for some of ToP’s Sony Legacy releases. And then we always have a real premier lead singer and some unique songwriting, great background vocals, some pretty decent production - that’s what makes Tower of Power.” We mess with the rhythms a lot and create this rhythm section fabric that’s very unique compared to other artists. “It’s soul music, but it’s an original style of soul music. “No matter what we do, we keep sounding like Tower of Power - it’s a curse,” Castillo says with a laugh. Castillo says the company, which has also released some archival titles, was ready to put out the whole batch at once but settled on releasing the 14-track Soul Side Of Town album, co-produced with Joe Vannelli (Gino’s brother) now and another next year. That was a difficult choice as far as Mack Avenue, ToP’s current label, was concerned. You’ve got to make the best record of your career.’ When all was said and done we had finished 28 songs and were ready to pick out the best of those.” “One of our old managers said, ‘You guys really need to ring the bell this time. “The whole idea was to make the best record of our career,” Castillo says. The Soul Side of Town album has been in the works since 2012, according to Castillo, recorded over four sessions during the past six years. I never had to take a day gig or anything. Some years we didn’t have a record deal, but we were still playing live all the time. We actually are one of the bands that did it full-time the whole time. The music sort of keeps you young at heart and it’s been a great ride. “I blink my eyes and here I am, and I still feel like I’m an 18-year-old kid in my brain. “It’s amazing to me,” Castillo tells Billboard about ToP’s longevity. In the process they’ve defined an “Oakland soul” sound as instantly recognizable as those from Castillo’s hometown, Detroit, as well as inspirations like Memphis and Philadelphia.Dolly Parton Taps Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Fogerty and More For 'Rockstar': Stream It Now The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s modest aspirations, traveling the world, enjoying hit singles on their own and backing legendary artists including Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. Tower’s window-rattling grooves and raucous party spirit has been a balm for the soul throughout their half-century existence, but the release of 50 Years of Funk & Soul: Live at the Fox Theater couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Castillo says their love of the stage is the same today as it was back in 1968.ĥ0 years later, in 2018, they returned to Oakland to celebrate their landmark 50th anniversary. Bump City, their 1972 debut for the label, was a hit on both the Billboard 200 and the R&B Albums chart, and netted them the hits “You’re Still A Young Man” and “Down to The Nightclub.” The 70s were a boom period with radio classics like “So Very Hard to Go” and “What Is Hip?,” and the bandĬontinued to tour and record over the years. He came in the band, and we eventually changed our name to the Tower of Power.” The reason for the band name change was that they had a specific goal in mind.Įast Bay Grease defined their sound and landed them with Warner Brothers. I met “Doc” Kupka back in 1968, and gave him an audition. “Rocco was the bass player, I was there, and my brother was the drummer. For over 50 years, Tower of Power has delivered the best in funk and soul music.“We were a Soul band called The Motowns.” recalls Emilio Castillo.
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