CoronaVinyl Day 297 (T): Tower of Power by Tower of Power

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

Today's CoronaVinyl category is "T," and let's get funky with Tower of Power's 1973 self-titled third studio album.

The band formed in Oakland in 1968 as The Motowns, but changed their name to Tower of Power in 1970, the year they released their first album.  Complete with a horn section, Tower of Power was a soul and funk force in the early to mid '70s.  

Their third album was the first to feature Lenny Williams on lead vocals and Lenny Pickett on sax, along with the group's nine other band members.  It's a nice combination of early  funk and '70s soul.  The album was the band's biggest album, reaching #15 on the Billboard album chart and going gold in the U.S.  It spawned three singles that reached the Billboard Hot 100:  "So Very Hard to Go" (#17), which would be the band's highest-charting hit, "This Time It's Real" (#65), and the funk classic "What Is Hip?" (#91).  I first heard of the band on a funk compilation CD that I got in college that included "What Is Hip?"

Williams left the band in 1975 and went on to a successful solo career.  Pickett became a member of the Saturday Night Live Band in 1985 and has been its director since 1995.  That's his sax that you hear in the SNL theme song.

Tower of Power has continued to make music over the last five decades, even releasing an album as recently as last year.  In total, more than 60 musicians have been members of the band at some point.   

Tower's horn section has recorded with various artists over the years, including Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Elton John, The Grateful Dead, Santana, Heart, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Poison, Stevie Nicks, Phish, Toto, John Lee Hooker, Little Feat, Paula Abdul, and Cat Stevens, among many others.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Get Yo' Feet Back on the Ground"
The last song on the first side is a funky one, sounding a lot like "What Is Hip?," which is a good thing.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Soul Vaccination"
This is a nice, funky song that is particularly poignant in today's times.  For the love of God (and everyone else), get a COVID vaccine if you haven't already, you selfish prick.