Archie Bell & The Drells - Tighten Up

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[@tomfields3682]

Hi everybody, I'm Archie Bell and the Drells from Houston, Texas.

[@huascar66]

That this is live is incredible. I loved this song from the first time I heard it back in 1968. It has not lost one bit of its funk and soul. Amazing!

[@lisaletto7337]

Yes. On a tiny transistor radio

[@spacedaddy5517]

You need a tight bass.

[@simshill295]

Still sound good in 2023

[@davidspendlove5900]

One of the greatest bass lines.

[@thomasmcdonald5758]

Where was the bass player?

[@fredfox3851]

@@thomasmcdonald5758 Directly to the right of the drummer in the reddish Nehru jacket.

[@thomasmcdonald5758]

@@fredfox3851 that’s not a Bass Fred

[@fredfox3851]

@@thomasmcdonald5758 Freezing the screen in the first few seconds of the video shows me a guitar with four winding pegs. I see and hear a bass playing the intro with no other instruments playing and the camera focused on the bassist. It appears to be a Gibson or a Guild though they are not the only companies to make SG style basses. Now perhaps being a WORKING drummer for OVER fifty years doesn't make me an expert but... I'm sticking with that is a bass guitar. : )

[@thomasmcdonald5758]

@@fredfox3851 Fred I’m a drummer too and I’ve watched 1000’s of bass players and watch the way he’s playing and he’s strumming with the rhythm

[@LoneLee2022]

From Houston Texas, we not only sing, but we can dance just as good as we want.

[@rosalindwhittaker2030]

I love hearing him say that line--I may not be from Houston, TX but the music just makes me want to dance!!

[@cbhazle7695]

I always thought that's what he said, too, and it always made me smile to hear it... but then on another video it sure sounded like he says ....we can dance as good as we WALK....... can't say for anyone else, but I think both versions work! What a great song.....timeless!

[@copp214]

The brass section is completely on it. Great song. Dance music. Groups were showmen and sharp dressers. Class.

[@imbees2]

Archie Bell & the Drills, 1968, a song that everybody white or Black, listened to, danced to, and every body Tightened Up!!!! To your left and to your right!

[@Handbasketification]

🤣

[@Laura4Cats]

God, but they look like they were having fun performing this! Who remembers when music used to be fun?

[@reemclaughlin4260]

I want to get us a time machine and take us back! We were so very blessed! 🙏🏼☮️♥️🙏🏾

[@paulinechapman5669]

I never moved past it.. stayed in the groove with my peeps..🇨🇦

[@ettajohnson8234]

I sure do!

[@charlesbrazell2136]

I do; I was a kid then-and like one of the other repliers said, we were blessed then but didn't know how blessed we were until it was all taken away...1-21-23.

[@rosalindwhittaker2030]

Absolutely so much fun!!

[@paulamiles9559]

I was 13 in 1968. I love the way Archie would say " from Houston, Texas" I was just beginning to understand how bands started out, and affiliations with the hometown. Such a great song and enthusiastic performance. And those tight blue suits!

[@tomfields3682]

Down in Houston, they can dance just as good as they want!

[@paulamiles9559]

@@tomfields3682 They CAN dance just as good as they want! ( Just ask Beyonce and Megan the Stallion)

[@colinandpattyhowie2887]

I'm Archie Bell of the Drells, from Houston, Texas We don't only sing But we dance just as good as we walk.....

[@paulamiles9559]

@@colinandpattyhowie2887 💃🕺🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️

[@graphicdesigner7650]

Thanks. I was just getting ready to ask what year this was. 🙂

[@matildadhumxoxo5801]

Archie wrote this while he was on R and R ( rest and recuperation) from his stint in Vietnam.

[@TheTrollMastah]

I heard their original keyboardist died in Nam

[@Daisnap]

My gosh, I did not know that.

[@rosalindwhittaker2030]

God bless all the Vietnam Veterans for their service!

[@theseeingeye454]

I heard Felix Hernandez ( DJ The Rhythm Review WBGO in NYC) Tell the story that Archie and Co. cut this as a demo for local record labels in Houston. He was drafted and local fans sent it around to local radio DJ's as a going away gesture . It became a national hit from this and was played on Armed Forces Network radio while Archie was lying wounded in an army hospital in VN . He was supposed to have exclaimed " Hey ! That's me and my band!" nobody would believe him at the time. True? Can anyone verify or elaborate.. Thanks. Remember the followup? "I Just Can't Stop Dancin' "

[@ceeceetracey9839]

I read that he was in the army and it came in the radio and he was running around the barracks telling everyone it was him and they were all like "yeah right"

[@denisestinnett4414]

Wow, I have loved this song for years! Never actually saw them however. So fun!

[@Novatogal1]

Have heard this song forever and had never seen the band! Thanks!

[@jeffryhammel3035]

What a treat to see this! Such a great radio song.

[@paulnash7630]

I'm 76yrs old now and this brings back so many memories of 60's Atlantic and Stax labels music and all nighters, greatest era for music

[@stephaniejones4749]

I know what you mean. Wonderful memories

[@kavitadeva]

You got that right Paul!!

[@davidspendlove5900]

Amen to that.

[@evelynap9728]

come on lets dance

[@ritarichardson6635]

I'm right here with u at 62, even though I was just a kid then, I remember the transcended all racial and class barriers. It was just about love, peace and soul ❤️

[@josephciampa550]

An Old School Classic by Talented Musicians !!!!

[@francismichaelgarrett3465]

Love this! Really funky and an interting contrast with their musical output when they went to Philly.

[@kenbenedict-gill9676]

60s Soul Music was the zenith of Rock and Roll and Rhythm and Blues. Will never be repeated, which is very sad. Tighten Up is an immortal classic.

[@jennymacallan9071]

You are so right. I was going into high school in 1968. Those were the golden years for music.

[@neilcrowesongs9768]

Great soul bands currently on daptone and it's subsidiary, Penrose. Also, Eli paperboy reed, Darren Jones and the indications, Devon Lamar trio. Just not in popular mainstream as then

[@choward5430]

I'm reminded of when I was a kid on the verge of being a teenager. We all loved this song!

[@michaelbeloff3505]

In 1968, Tighten Up was playing on the AM band radio. I had my first flight in an airplane... I was 9 years old. My father bought an hour of flight time with an instructor for my birthday. I was at the controls! I later became a pilot, joined the US Air Force and the rest is history.

[@cynthiahawkins2389]

My sister, a musician....back in 1997 was giving birth to her daughter Grace, who has also become a fine musician. She's now in her 20's. But anyway Grace was born at home, with the help of a midwife, a cool sista named Sandy. While Val was doing the pushing and breathing, at one point she fell into a rhythm that was helping the baby arrive. So Sandy said to Val, 'Push, ok...now tighten up.." And Val started singing this drum riff riff from "Tighten up". Grace was born a half hour later, in a warm bath tub, no muss, minimal pain. So "Tighten Up" lives on in our family to this day - a song we giggle about and are thankful was around when we needed it..Tighten up, y'all!

[@deebirdwell2051]

Have this in my 45s collection, played it to death! Absolutely one of my favorite dance tunes!

[@imbees2]

Yes, on the 45s!!! I have a collection too.!

[@cocophillips9251]

Where has the time gone ? Wow ! MEMORIES !!!

[@LoneLee2022]

Time waits for no one.

[@cocophillips9251]

@@LoneLee2022 AMEN!!!

[@cantstop-wontstop2138]

Back when the singer sounded the same live as on the record

[@LoneLee2022]

Very rare nowadays.

[@josephcerminaro2782]

Actually lip syncing was big back then. Might be the reason they sounded exactly like the record.

[@68sgstandard]

This performance is LIVE. You can easily tell.

[@designertjp-utube]

@@68sgstandard Haha! Which was Nilli Vanilli's desperate wish that fateful day onstage.

[@cynthiaquinn590]

Back when music WAS music and the times was better !

[@susanbeckham7236]

Love this. I had the 45 when it first came out.

[@timper4326]

Those suits can't get any tighter, that's for sure, love the song, love the band, it was great to see them live again.

[@ronthatus]

And today those tight suits are in style lol

[@rosalindwhittaker2030]

Love those tight blue suits!! 💙 😍

[@timper4326]

LOL.

[@Grynslvr2]

I remember hearing this when it came out, but I never saw even a picture of Archie and the Drells till tonight. Grin, giggle, and even guffaw. Back in '68 we called those pants "high waters" because you could walk through high water without getting them wet. Yeah, kids are cruel. It was because some kids couldn't afford new clothes and had to wear last year's pants even though they had grown.

[@almirdossantos5102]

Aqui fala vamos calça pescando siri,rsr

[@Grynslvr2]

@@almirdossantos5102 Sorry, the online translation doesn't make much sense. "here we talk of trying to go fishing" ????

[@msgfrmdaactionman3000]

The high water pants were a thing to avoid at all costs!

[@timper4326]

They should have named the band Noah and the arks.

[@mel8517]

In '68 that was the style,the original era of Skinny Shark suits, when ones pants were so thin it showed the whole Oo7 Bond looking shoe!

[@GaryAa56]

I was 12, I still have the 45 R.P.M. one of the best songs ever!

[@davidevans6751]

This just may be the greatest video that I have ever seen!

[@wayne8276]

So Good . I'm 10 yrs old in 68 . I'll never forget this song .

[@bigdawg7703]

Me to. I was 10 and growing up in the city. I remember the summer when I first heard this. I was walking down the street with a friend and someone had their windows open playing this tune and we stopped to hear it. Now ever summer I have to hear it. That's what brought me to this video.

[@kirbywaite1586]

One of my favorite songs.

[@michaelwdukes2377]

Luv this.. one of my favs of the late 60's

[@kevinclarke1222]

Vietnam Archie Purple Heart.All Vet's thank you for the groove.

[@terrencemiller5284]

When I was a kid learning Guitar, you had to learn both the Bass & Guitar riffs. Cool, and I had the pleasure of meeting Archie much later in life

[@blowtheobstaclesawaykeepwa2355]

Rapping and dancing and rhythm I just love it. Go Archie! The dancers had so much soul and were so entertaining. The band did a great job keeping up with Archie.

[@queenbee3647]

The dancers showed you how to tighten up. I showed alot of people at school in Cleveland Ohio how to do it!

[@jl3322]

The best. This sounds like the original recording. Never saw them on video. Love it!

[@2009framat]

There is another live version of the song from a show called THE BEAT but I am not sure. The dancers almost kicked the mic stand in THE BEAT if I remember correctly.

[@jkfan2005]

"Sounds" like yes... but the arrangement is different (certain parts go longer)

[@quiteright623]

Listening to this live performance , You know the actual studio recording was done in One take .. Perfection !!

[@stephaniejones4749]

This was my dad's favorite song or one of them outside of grazing in the grass. I love this song. Bring back so many memories All those basement parties my parents used to have. Oh boy, bring tears to my eyes. How those days are long gone now 🙂😔

[@janetownley]

Only a few years into an era when an integrated band was possible

[@Kirke182]

Integrated bands and orchestras have been around since 1928.

[@gregbors8364]

Booker T & the MG’s era

[@franklinloll2229]

Bullshyte. Read more

[@sixtieskid062]

Not enough time to "Tighten Up". More! More! Encore! Encore!

[@Baribrotzer]

The original band who played on this was the T. S. U. Toronadoes (yes, that's the spelling, named after the car): • Clarence "Creeper" Harper (trumpet), • Nelson Mills (trumpet), • Darryll Busby (saxophone), • Cal Thomas (guitar/vocals), • Will Thomas (guitar/vocals), • Robert Sanders (organ), • Jerry Jenkins (bass guitar/vocals), • Dwight Burns (drums).

[@babakazi5818]

Right on

[@ettajohnson8234]

Loved Archie Bell and the Drells! I danced many dances to this song and of course, the dance was much different, but you had to be able to make those moves and I did! This song brings back so many memories of my twenties. First time seeing them anywhere and they were fantastic!

[@elderguy]

Loved this song back in the day but never seen who performed it. Thank you for posting this, now I know.😁

[@JohnRoberts-wk6rf]

Musicians these days would be incapable of such good, fun music. I do miss the 60s and 70s.

[@douglasjones2570]

Thank you!

[@Pamela-zy7vc]

*Archie Bell is still alive at 78 years old🥰*

[@imbees2]

Thank the lord,

[@CC-nl1bo]

Classic Soul!!! 👏👏

[@wendiewhitneydeprisco3663]

Got my funk on to this song. Apples peaches pumpkin pie come to mind as well. Great memories for me!

[@cochiseapache7153]

Jay and the Techniques.

[@averagevideogameplayer9802]

Archie Bell is my cousin. His mother is Ruthie Tatum

[@mel8517]

Timeless tracks like that are super dope!

[@rentslave]

If you see Archie,ask him if he remembers being on the NJ Turnpike on a Sunday in 1976 and stopping on a safety island near Newark,not knowing where to go on this confusing road.I first noticed them near Philly and followed them all the way up.

[@imbees2]

yasssss

[@kennakashima3316]

This was the first record that I bought. I still love it. FYI for those who don't know, Ricky Bell the great football player was Archie's brother.

[@averagevideogameplayer9802]

@kennakashima3316 he died of cancer I believe in the mid 80s

[@williamtukeyjr3661]

I just can't stop dancin'

[@rafaelmartinez6784]

Thank you very much. I never saw a video about this famous group in the past, just its recordings.🎹🎹🎵🎵

[@bptraveler6608]

I was their sound tech summer of 78. Great bunch of guys.

[@andrewyoung2796]

Love the unassuming drummer laying down slick beats

[@patg-money225]

Probably the best video I've seen in years.

[@imbees2]

Brass is on the money. Congas is on the money. They all on the money in the band!

[@imbees2]

Archie Bell and the Drells, playin now, with a great band!!! Git Archie Bell and the Drills. Git down with the git down!!

[@chasefreak]

In the early '70's ('72-'73) Archie was a regular at JB's Lounge in West Palm Beach-a funky lil' club that booked some fantastic artists-from another time

[@CoolRaul]

The first concert I ever saw when I was 7 or 8 yrs old in New Jersey. Thank you AB & D's!!!

[@michaelamanek8908]

He went into the army and nobody believed that he was THAT ARCHIE BELL

[@user-ic1mo7oi5p]

This Band was from Houston, Texas wrigjt on!! good song ❤

[@rubedogg6969]

Thumbs up for Vietnam Veteran Archie Bell! RIP.

[@imbees2]

3 white boys in the background. The music was ultimate for everybody. White, Black, everybody!!!

[@huben54]

I was a junior high student in Japan when this song was released. Thank you for the video.

[@cynthiagarland6715]

One of my favorites!!!!

[@electrogeek77]

My first exposure to this song was actually a Simpsons gag. I'm so glad to find the original.

[@southerndiy1]

I never knew it was a real song until KZbin recommended this video

[@kathymackler3367]

Me too!

[@bikerbrian6452]

Never get tired hearing that!

[@imbees2]

Git it white boys on the guitar and bass!!! Great song. This is how we do, back in the day. Everybody sings, plays, dances, no matter color.

[@carolbass2679]

Love those Drells!

[@chuckmiller4871]

Fabulous back then, even better now! Thanks.

[@dawnburdette3001]

Oh yeah I was eight years old ❤I remember the tighten up song 😂❤

[@hpblack1953]

Archie’s brother was Ricky Bell, star running back for Southern Cal and later the NFL Buccaneers and the Chargers.

[@cesarulisesrodriguez9724]

I remember when this jam came out in 1968

[@nicnac5133]

Classic, they were smooth.

[@elmonlarry7097]

That's really a great song

[@kimmergonzales9792]

I started playing the bass.when I first heard this line!!

[@kindell1]

My mother's theme song. I'll always cherish the moments of her getting down to this tune whenever it comes on. This song is really groovy and defined an era! 💃🕺

[@malirabbit6228]

Everyone, please give the young drummer some! He looks about 14 years old!

[@imbees2]

The entire band was white. I never knew that when I was listening to the 45! Just saying. Love it!

[@bessiegreene6903]

This was my dance contest song. And I won 1969💯💯 😎

[@anthonyharty1732]

Went to see them live back in the 70’s, they were brilliant. 😁

[@anaalban8836]

Fabulosos!

[@shannonk.6528]

My Grandma used to play this song all the time while she was babysitting us in the summers when my parents worked. Good memories. Thank you for posting.

[@georgegonzales2743]

I was 9 years old in 1968 when I first heard that song. We ran to the record store to to buy it. It only cost $1.00 and we played all day. I grew up in Houston such a beautiful city

[@deirdre108]

Proto-funk at its "mellowness". Great stuff!

[@Hawkgolf72]

Once saw them tighten up at Winthrop College in Rock Hill, SC. Circa 1970! 😏

[@rokrok60]

I was 8yrs old when this song was playing on the radio.

[@southernman22]

Dance just as good as we want.

[@MrPhotodoc]

One of the few times a White band backed up a Black act. Brings back very fond memories though.

[@thomasbridges7323]

Yup nice to see this very first great band's

[@marshalltravis3217]

I grew up near Houston and my sister wore this song out!! Them days you could go outside on the porch and have a little record player spinning the tunes. Or you could hear Skipper Lee on KCOH radio talking about: “ ladies it’s 5 o’clock, and where is your husband?” 🤣. Those who know will know!

[@MysteryLady81]

Were any of you, folks back in those days? I was there, and the music was beautiful unlike now, which the mess now cannot come even close back then. Seeing those guys and hearing that song, takes me all the way back to 1968, absolutely.

[@queenbee3647]

Loved to tighten up! And we did. 💖

[@angelodeary9475]

Momma I miss you but you left me with your music 🥲🥲

[@imbees2]

Tighten up now!!! Come on tighten up! to your left and to your right. don't you get too tight!

[@elmonlarry7097]

When this song came out I was only nine years old

[@elmonlarry7097]

It was in 1968

[@ronaldbrush4373]

I defy anyone to stand still while this song is playing!

[@Boertje247]

I love their completely honky band! Who even knew?! So many great musicians from that era, black, white, brown…oh, wait! Musicians! Color doesn’t matter!❤️

[@Baribrotzer]

Not completely - the drummer's a black guy who looks like he's about 14, and delivers a hipper intro than the original record.

[@BlueBeeThemeMusic]

Nonsense. Nobody sings like African American.

[@Baribrotzer]

@@BlueBeeThemeMusic I don't know about that: How about Michael McDonald, or Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield (the Righteous Brothers), or Donnie Weaver of the O'Kaysions? There ARE white people who can pull it off, although they're rare - they need to both have a truly big voice, and to have completely internalized black peoples' musical phrasing, speech rhythms, and pronunciation. But they do exist.

[@Boertje247]

@@BlueBeeThemeMusic the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section aka the Swampers. Not a bro in the mix, but they delivered the goods for everyone from the Beatles, to Aretha to the Stones. Also Booker T’s band, to name another legendary soulful group with a bunch of pale dudes! My point was that great musicians aren’t great because of their skin tone. They’re great because of their basic talent, hard work, years of practice!

[@chasbodaniels1744]

Frank Locklear I 💯 get your point about just enjoying good music. I would only add one thought - Folks who are STILL working on acceptance of everybody need to get old habits out of their systems. I say let’s give ‘em some slack but call them on it exactly as you did here. Boogie on man.

[@franzitaduz]

Loved the name and band! B-Pop made K-Pop possible.

[@AnthonyHamiltonOffical]

Love my in the oldies ❤❤❤

[@traceebottoms3498]

Listening to this great tune in 2024!

[@oholm09]

56 years of soul