East Bay Grease
East Bay Grease | ||||
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Studio album by Tower of Power | ||||
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 | ||||
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Singles from East Bay Grease | ||||
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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]
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 | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
Track listing
All 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
Production 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
- ^ 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
- Tower of Power - website discography Archived 2011-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
- East Bay Grease at Discogs (list of releases)
- v
- t
- e
- Emilio Castillo
- Stephen 'Doc' Kupka
- Roger Smith
- Adolfo Acosta
- Tom E. Politzer
- Jerry Cortez
- Marc van Wageningen
- Dave Richards
- Pete Antunes
- Jordan John
- East Bay Grease (1970)
- Bump City (1972)
- Tower of Power (1973)
- Back to Oakland (1974)
- Urban Renewal (1975)
- In the Slot (1975)
- Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now (1977)
- We Came to Play! (1978)
- Back on the Streets (1979)
- Power (1987)
- Monster on a Leash (1991)
- T.O.P. (1993)
- Souled Out (1995)
- Rhythm & Business (1997)
- Step Up (2020)
- Live and in Living Color (1976)
- Direct (1981)
- Soul Vaccination: Live (1999)
- Greg Adams
- Rocco Prestia
- David Garibaldi
- Lenny Williams
- Herman Matthews
- Lenny Pickett
- Mic Gillette
- Bruce Conte
- Michael Jeffries
- Victor Conte
- Richard Elliot
- Hubert Tubbs
- Euge Groove
- Brandon Fields
- Harry Kim