Tower of Power

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  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    Cold Blood are great, and I don't agree at all with
    the comparison between Lydia Pease and Janis Joplin.
    They may have worked the same scene and sort of material,
    but Lydia's singing is much more relaxed and easy
    on the ears than Joplin's, without the weary dramatics.
    Pease is more of a singer, in my opinion.

    Also of interest to haters of Cold Blood may be the album
    First Taste of Sin, which was produced by Donny Hathaway
    and features his smoother sounding arrangements as opposed to
    the heavy soul rock of the earlier albums, and is a unique LP
    well worth giving a listen to.

  • Going by what little I've heard, I've always thought of Cold Blood as one of those horn bands that seemed to turn up everywhere after Blood, Sweat & Tears started having hits. Never considered them as a funk band ala Tower of Power.

    Cold Blood are still around in some configuration, and apparently doing the blues festival circuit. For years I had only know of the Warner Bros. stuff and her lines in Tower Of Power's "Loves To Do It" (from the Lights Out[/b] comp on Blue Thumb), and one day I found the album on San Francisco. The San Francisco album is a lot like "Loves To Do It", where she and the entire band are just . I think if they were put into rotation in the oldies radio format, as BS&T and TOP are, people might give them a little more respect than just being the tag-alongs.

    ...and interestingly enough, the first time I heard Cold Blood was on an oldies show. Their remake of Sam & Dave's "You Got Me Hummin'" was a regional hit in 1970(#52 in the Billboard charts), and a Chicago flashback DJ (Bob Stroud, now with WDRV -"The Drive") plays it from time to time. Unfortunately, one solitary song that stiffed in the middle of the list ain't enough to get them in rotation with "Spinning Wheel."

  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    Cold Blood are great, and I don't agree at all with
    the comparison between Lydia Pease and Janis Joplin.
    They may have worked the same scene and sort of material,
    but Lydia's singing is much more relaxed and easy
    on the ears than Joplin's, without the weary dramatics.
    Pease is more of a singer, in my opinion.

    Also of interest to haters of Cold Blood may be the album
    First Taste of Sin, which was produced by Donny Hathaway
    and features his smoother sounding arrangements as opposed to
    the heavy soul rock of the earlier albums, and is a unique LP
    well worth giving a listen to.

    Having given that LP - as well as other Reprise releases - multiple chances, I feel sufficiently well-informed to say that CB's 1st album is the only one I care about, AND I'll contribute some TOP hate as well: the 1st and "Young Man" are the only releases I've ever held on to from them... unlike some, I do not think their song-writing ability is above par...

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,952 Posts
    I was surprised, given the level of interest in T.O.P. that no-one else checked my RAD thread from a while back (www.radmusic.com) - she's a disciple of the East Bay sound and has toured with His Royal Purpleness, so she has pedigree.

    The one obvious difference is the lack of a horn section, which may draw understandable "How can you do East-Bay Funk with horn section?" comments, but IIRC she has Dave Garibaldi on the most recent set ("East Babe") and if that Oakland stutter thing is your bag, you will be pleased.

    I did find the earlier sets a bit too smooth but "East Babe" has some bright spots. Anyone else familiar?

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Cold Blood are the shit too.

    Definitely. I think Cold Blood > Tower of Power

    Never understood what people heard in Cold Blood, but then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Janis Joplin-type screamers (like Cold Blood's Lydia Pense is).
    Although she was the front woman of the band (and I dont mind her singing), like TOP,

    it was the killer groove and screaming horns that made Cold Blood.
    If you like TOP, you've gotta go back an re-visit some of Cold Blood's stuff IMO.

    Going by what little I've heard, I've always thought of Cold Blood as one of those horn bands that seemed to turn up everywhere after Blood, Sweat & Tears started having hits. Never considered them as a funk band ala Tower of Power.

    I believe that there was a bay area funk scene and sound. BS&T had little or nothing to do with it.

    To me all these groups are linked; Santana, Sly & Family Stone, TOP, CB, Malo, Pete, Shelia and Coke E, Aposento Alto...

    Hey what was the name of the group Leon Patillo had that was some bay-area-private-press-xian-weak-funk?

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Cold Blood are the shit too.

    Definitely. I think Cold Blood > Tower of Power

    Never understood what people heard in Cold Blood, but then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Janis Joplin-type screamers (like Cold Blood's Lydia Pense is).
    Although she was the front woman of the band (and I dont mind her singing), like TOP,

    it was the killer groove and screaming horns that made Cold Blood.
    If you like TOP, you've gotta go back an re-visit some of Cold Blood's stuff IMO.

    Going by what little I've heard, I've always thought of Cold Blood as one of those horn bands that seemed to turn up everywhere after Blood, Sweat & Tears started having hits. Never considered them as a funk band ala Tower of Power.

    I believe that there was a bay area funk scene and sound. BS&T had little or nothing to do with it.

    To me all these groups are linked; Santana, Sly & Family Stone, TOP, CB, Malo, Pete, Shelia and Coke E, Aposento Alto...

    Hey what was the name of the group Leon Patillo had that was some bay-area-private-press-xian-weak-funk?


    Creation was Leon's band.

  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    Hey what was the name of the group Leon Patillo had that was some bay-area-private-press-xian-weak-funk?

    Leon's Creation? That's a really decent album... though not Xian, private, or funk...

  • Cold Blood are the shit too.

    Definitely. I think Cold Blood > Tower of Power

    Never understood what people heard in Cold Blood, but then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Janis Joplin-type screamers (like Cold Blood's Lydia Pense is).
    Although she was the front woman of the band (and I dont mind her singing), like TOP,

    it was the killer groove and screaming horns that made Cold Blood.
    If you like TOP, you've gotta go back an re-visit some of Cold Blood's stuff IMO.

    Going by what little I've heard, I've always thought of Cold Blood as one of those horn bands that seemed to turn up everywhere after Blood, Sweat & Tears started having hits. Never considered them as a funk band ala Tower of Power.

    I believe that there was a bay area funk scene and sound. BS&T had little or nothing to do with it.

    Going by what I've heard of Cold Blood, I didn't think they[/b] had anything to do with it either. I just hear too much of a "trying too hard" kind of thing that you get when 1970's white rock bands try to get "fonky" - that kind of overdone, Edgar Winter's White Trash kind of music. I'll try to check some sound samples on Amazon to see what I'm missing here.

    Maybe I oughta dig deeper than "You Got Me Hummin'", but I figured CB had more in common with Chase and Ten-Wheel Drive than TOP or Sly & the Family Stone.

  • mattBmattB (FTB) Anywhere 673 Posts
    Cold Blood are the shit too.

    Definitely. I think Cold Blood > Tower of Power

    Never understood what people heard in Cold Blood, but then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Janis Joplin-type screamers (like Cold Blood's Lydia Pense is).
    Although she was the front woman of the band (and I dont mind her singing), like TOP,

    it was the killer groove and screaming horns that made Cold Blood.
    If you like TOP, you've gotta go back an re-visit some of Cold Blood's stuff IMO.

    Going by what little I've heard, I've always thought of Cold Blood as one of those horn bands that seemed to turn up everywhere after Blood, Sweat & Tears started having hits. Never considered them as a funk band ala Tower of Power.

    I believe that there was a bay area funk scene and sound. BS&T had little or nothing to do with it.

    Going by what I've heard of Cold Blood, I didn't think they[/b] had anything to do with it either.

    Maybe I oughta dig deeper than "You Got Me Hummin'", but I figured CB had more in common with Chase and Ten-Wheel Drive than TOP or Sly & the Family Stone.
    Cold Blood definately had a lot in common with TOP.
    In fact, members of TOP often played with CB and vice versa. Although Im not sure which ones.
    Gotta check the collection, but if I remember correctly, "First Taste of Sin" and "Lydia" were the better CB albums.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts

    Gotta check the collection, but if I remember correctly, "First Taste of Sin" and "Lydia" were the better CB albums.

    "Thriller!" has some great tracks, too, a little later and
    more straight funky than the earlier stuff - the cover of
    "Kissing My Love" makes the album worth owning alone.

    Also, on I think the first Cold Blood album, is a great version
    of Barbara Lynn's "I'm a Good Woman" ...

  • LokoOneLokoOne 1,823 Posts
    what about LPs that the TOP horn section played on? whats ppls favourites?

  • what about LPs that the TOP horn section played on? whats ppls favourites?

    The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils' The Barbeque Of Deville on Blue Thumb (from 1972) is a good one. Not that TOP makes or breaks it, but they sound good where they're heard. Not quite R&B, but definitely R&B-influenced.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Cold Blood are the shit too.

    Definitely. I think Cold Blood > Tower of Power

    Never understood what people heard in Cold Blood, but then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Janis Joplin-type screamers (like Cold Blood's Lydia Pense is).
    Although she was the front woman of the band (and I dont mind her singing), like TOP,

    it was the killer groove and screaming horns that made Cold Blood.
    If you like TOP, you've gotta go back an re-visit some of Cold Blood's stuff IMO.

    Going by what little I've heard, I've always thought of Cold Blood as one of those horn bands that seemed to turn up everywhere after Blood, Sweat & Tears started having hits. Never considered them as a funk band ala Tower of Power.

    I believe that there was a bay area funk scene and sound. BS&T had little or nothing to do with it.

    Going by what I've heard of Cold Blood, I didn't think they[/b] had anything to do with it either. I just hear too much of a "trying too hard" kind of thing that you get when 1970's white rock bands try to get "fonky" - that kind of overdone, Edgar Winter's White Trash kind of music. I'll try to check some sound samples on Amazon to see what I'm missing here.

    Maybe I oughta dig deeper than "You Got Me Hummin'", but I figured CB had more in common with Chase and Ten-Wheel Drive than TOP or Sly & the Family Stone.

    I agree that they sound (often) like they are trying too hard. But sometimes the effort pays off. Thriller is a good suggestion for one to go back and listen to. They are never funkier or more soulful than TOP or S&TFS, but they still have moments.

    But there was a scene there that shared musicians and audience and venues that bands from CB to Santana shared.

  • Cold Blood are the shit too.

    Definitely. I think Cold Blood > Tower of Power

    Never understood what people heard in Cold Blood, but then again, I'm not the biggest fan of Janis Joplin-type screamers (like Cold Blood's Lydia Pense is).
    Although she was the front woman of the band (and I dont mind her singing), like TOP,

    it was the killer groove and screaming horns that made Cold Blood.
    If you like TOP, you've gotta go back an re-visit some of Cold Blood's stuff IMO.

    Going by what little I've heard, I've always thought of Cold Blood as one of those horn bands that seemed to turn up everywhere after Blood, Sweat & Tears started having hits. Never considered them as a funk band ala Tower of Power.

    I believe that there was a bay area funk scene and sound. BS&T had little or nothing to do with it.

    Going by what I've heard of Cold Blood, I didn't think they[/b] had anything to do with it either. I just hear too much of a "trying too hard" kind of thing that you get when 1970's white rock bands try to get "fonky" - that kind of overdone, Edgar Winter's White Trash kind of music. I'll try to check some sound samples on Amazon to see what I'm missing here.

    Maybe I oughta dig deeper than "You Got Me Hummin'", but I figured CB had more in common with Chase and Ten-Wheel Drive than TOP or Sly & the Family Stone.

    I agree that they sound (often) like they are trying too hard. But sometimes the effort pays off. Thriller is a good suggestion for one to go back and listen to. They are never funkier or more soulful than TOP or S&TFS, but they still have moments.

    But there was a scene there that shared musicians and audience and venues that bands from CB to Santana shared.

    I definitely agree that there was a larger "rock" scene that accepted Cold Blood, Tower of Power, plus that subgroup of sorta-funky Latin-oriented bands like Santana. It's just when you narrow it down to funk and nothing but, seems like Cold Blood's role gets smaller and smaller.

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    what about LPs that the TOP horn section played on? whats ppls favourites?

    The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils' The Barbeque Of Deville on Blue Thumb (from 1972) is a good one. Not that TOP makes or breaks it, but they sound good where they're heard. Not quite R&B, but definitely R&B-influenced.

    Have you ever seen/heard the self released EP that came out the year before their Capitol "Rack Jobbers Rule" album???

  • what about LPs that the TOP horn section played on? whats ppls favourites?

    The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils' The Barbeque Of Deville on Blue Thumb (from 1972) is a good one. Not that TOP makes or breaks it, but they sound good where they're heard. Not quite R&B, but definitely R&B-influenced.

    Have you ever seen/heard the self released EP that came out the year before their Capitol "Rack Jobbers Rule" album???

    No! I think I saw it listed in some price guide somewhere. Isn't it on Funky Features or some label like that? Any good?

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    what about LPs that the TOP horn section played on? whats ppls favourites?

    The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils' The Barbeque Of Deville on Blue Thumb (from 1972) is a good one. Not that TOP makes or breaks it, but they sound good where they're heard. Not quite R&B, but definitely R&B-influenced.

    Have you ever seen/heard the self released EP that came out the year before their Capitol "Rack Jobbers Rule" album???

    No! I think I saw it listed in some price guide somewhere. Isn't it on Funky Features or some label like that? Any good?

    I forget the label name but that doesn't ring a bell....it comes in a plain brown cardboard cover that's silkscreened. I put the cut "Blood Alley" on my last Waxi-Mix Swap CD....overall it's a cool record but very stripped down and garage-like. Like a cruder early Flamin' Groovies.

  • what about LPs that the TOP horn section played on? whats ppls favourites?

    The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils' The Barbeque Of Deville on Blue Thumb (from 1972) is a good one. Not that TOP makes or breaks it, but they sound good where they're heard. Not quite R&B, but definitely R&B-influenced.

    Have you ever seen/heard the self released EP that came out the year before their Capitol "Rack Jobbers Rule" album???

    No! I think I saw it listed in some price guide somewhere. Isn't it on Funky Features or some label like that? Any good?

    I forget the label name but that doesn't ring a bell....it comes in a plain brown cardboard cover that's silkscreened. I put the cut "Blood Alley" on my last Waxi-Mix Swap CD....overall it's a cool record but very stripped down and garage-like. Like a cruder early Flamin' Groovies.

    Yeah, I've always had a soft spot for these guys, even though I only have the Barbeque LP mentioned above plus a few random 45's. I've always wanted to hear this, and you using the terms "garage-like", "cruder" and "Flamin' Groovies" kinda piqued my interest even more.
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