Breaks: Tower of Power

A band that’s been going for fifty years probably shouldn’t be an influential force any longer. Even as Tower of Power has continued to tour and release music – some questionable at best – it’s earliest work has become the blue print for countless soul bands (and even the Aggrolites, a reggae band hailing from Los Angeles) as well as the basis for some pretty well known samples: “What is Hip?” being the most utilized. And while at this point in the Tower of Power’s career when deejays making use of its work is the best thing going, it’s still worth a look back at an important, early career recording.

Also setting aside all of the acclaim and backing work that the Tower of Power’s done over time – its backed everyone from Elton John to Merl Saunders – the group is still best known for a fist full of long players from the early ‘70s. Some of the covers are pretty iconic at this point – Back to Oakland most specifically. But even more entertaining than a road sign pointing back to the band’s home town is the cover to the group’s 1972 album Bump City.

Oakland’s known for a great many things – most of ‘em aren’t too good. But one thing that the town will always be associated with is good, greezy food. On pretty much any street one’s likely to run into a BBQ joint, or maybe just some guy with an upturned metal barrel making some chicken (and yes, I’ve actually witnessed the latter in an empty parking lot pretty late at night). The cover of Bump City, though, is simply a hand holding up a piece of tasty looking chicken with a lightning bolt flying through the background and its fluffy clouds.

On the album itself, there’s even some BBQ worthy jams. “You Strike My Main Nerve,” with its short pop construction, still holds some of the funkiest stuff that the band ever laid down. Present are those huge horn lines, but on this track its all accompanied by some guitar work that’s as slinky as anything from the Meters catalog. And in mentioning that New Orleans based group, the choruses that Tower of Power add to “You Strike My Main Nerve” tie it to that older, southern funk tradition.

If that three minutes were the only notable piece of music on Bump City, though, the disc wouldn’t be worth mentioning. “Skating on Thin Ice” retains the funky group aesthetic that the rest of the band’s catalog is comprised of, but is then able to add another Bay Area resident’s musical style to the stew. It’s not too overt, but some Latin tinged percussion gets thrown in and easily recalls Santana, no matter how briefly.

Bump City is most likely Tower of Power’s most consistent and well regarded disc – kinda sad since there’re probably twenty or so releases that follow this early ‘70s album. That fact, though, shouldn’t make the sporadic, funky highlights on this disc any less pleasurable. Cop it, sample it.