East Bay Grease & Bump City (+lp)

1 CD/2 LP For over four decades, Tower Of Power have been the one of the premier soul, funk and rock bands of our time. Captivating audiences all over the world, the mighty Bay Area ensemble continues to tour extensively and release great music but it all started with the two classic soul masterpieces you now have in your hand 1970's East Bay Grease and 1972's Bump City.

East Bay Grease reigns as one of the most notable debuts in funk history. With six super long jams from the pens of founders Emilio Castillo (alto sax/vocals) and Stephen Kupka (baritone sax/vocals), the album was a perfect vehicle for the band to be one of the first artists to get signed to the late Bill Graham's San Francisco Records label. It also did well on the underground radio format as well as R&B outlets across the country. Solid champions like Knock Yourself Out, Back On The Street Again and the soulful ballad groove of Sparkling In The Sand and the James Brown vibe of The Price made this album truly memorable. While only a member for this one LP, Rufus Miller does a stellar job on vocals. Long time members David Garibaldi debuts his awesome TOP drum sound on this masterwork, along with the incredible five horn attack of Castillo and Kupka, with co-horts Greg Adams, Skip Mesquite and David Padron. Bump City was their debut release for the Warner Bros. Label and it also included their first hit single You're Still A Young Man. The band changed things up a bit for this fine album including a new lead singer with Rick Stevens as more success materialized for this hardworking band. Radio was more receptive as tunes like Down To The Nightclub and You Got To Funkifize made this the funk album of choice for many programmers in 1972. Frequent touring at larger venues and more exposure on major market radio stations and television made Tower Of Power a very popular entity in a very short time, which would reward their hard work with over forty years of success. Friday Music is no stranger to the soulful and funk sounds of the legendary superstars Tower Of Power. Therefore it is with much honor to continue our Tower Of Power/Friday Music Original Master Series with their first two albums in a first time two-fer collection East Bay Grease & Bump City (2 LP's on 1 CD). Impeccably mastered by Joe Reagoso (Tower Of Power/Isley Brothers) from the original San Francisco Records and Warner Bros. Tapes, we've also included the original LP cover graphics to further enhance your Tower Of Power experience. Knock Yourself Out!