Tower Of Power - What is hip? & Knock yourself out 1973

Tower Of Power with David Garibaldi

[@georgejordan5611]

RIP Francis Rocco Prestia..one of the best funk bass players EVER!!!

[@charlesbrazell2136]

He was a genius-that bass line was so unique! 12-9-23.

[@pudgydaddy]

And sadly got no camera time here

[@zombi3907]

His spiritual successor is a guy named Joe Dart. If you don't know, check out Vulfpeck.

[@jplew138]

Rocco played sequencer lines before sequencers EXISTED.

[@Gerard-yt3dz]

ROCCO!!!!!!

[@BillFEILHAUER-bu7go]

This is musical royalty. No one comes close to tower of power .I saw this exact lineup in Cincinnati in 73 , besides having all their albums, autographed, I had them autograph my shirt that is framed in my living room to this day. I've never missed a show within driving distance . Roccos bass strings, Garibaldis drumsticks, you name it. We are down to 2 original members, doc and mimi. Their getting up in years but still kicking butt.the 90 to 94 lineup was great for the times as the guys were climbing back for the hell of addiction. After Larry Braggs left, Rocco died and David Garibaldi hung it up I get the feeling our time with them is coming to a close . God bless the hardest working band that ever existed

[@gregoryturner6586]

I was there at the Kool Music Festival, I became a true fan that night.:-):-)

[@nachtstrom]

Even with TOP TIER Bands of today like Snarky Puppy i still have to say: nothing, yes NOTHING beats this era of Tower of Power. This brass section... they are so precise they could cut trough glass 🙇

[@jdjk7]

i mean... you're comparing funk with jazz fusion, so yeah, it's gonna be different.

[@georgesheffield1580]

Tower is still around and still very powerful and has played in Denton where Snarkey Puppy started .

[@nachtstrom]

was just mentioning the "sharpness" of the brass @@jdjk7

[@darrenmoffitt7248]

I was there! To see them live! You can't compare!

[@Raymond-zz5pi]

Yes staccato notes executed so precisely, they sound like one instrument.

[@paradoxward2533]

OMG....I was a 12 year old kid when I first saw this very clip on Rock Concert late one Saturday night. Now I am senior citizen remembering how cool this was..... god help me!

[@johngarin8290]

B4+ after Bandstand we had GTK, depending on distance from a big city &Only in B&W in Aus😊Hip-71 #music express

[@scopius2]

It makes me happy to see 207 comments. That means at least 207 people know how great Tower of Power was. It gives me faith in the human race, that so many still recognize greatness.

[@babezillafrankenstein2282]

Same, dude. Same ❤

[@IMCcanTWEESTED]

Probably all 207 are people in their late 60s early 70s like the times TOP was at their best. I was too young to see the their show at San Diego's "Funky Quarters" in 1972. But that didn't stop me from leaning up against a brick planter out front on the sidewalk, listening to the whole show. The guy at the door had mercy on me when I asked if he could please leave the door open so I could hear. He smiled and said the boss just asked him to open the doors because the AC was struggling to cool down the hot crowd. By far, their best performance. And I've seen them five times over their 56 year career.

[@JohnSteele-ln4vy]

count me in 255

[@glennrobbins5225]

TOP was the funking (not a misspell) best EVER. Saw them many, many times in the 70s and 80s.

[@johngarin8290]

Thanks to good Drs,luck & old school experience well travelled training. I think we're luckiest gen, Onya Cob,Jackie's thing

[@paulnicolosi4792]

This band at this point in time, was unbeatable. In the realm of funk and soul, unsurpassed…

[@alcambrola2834]

Definitely.

[@342rockinrandy3]

You know you’re funky when you can make the people who can’t dance dance. LOVE T.O.P. and have for 50 years!!!!!

[@marcelladillard3556]

Bravo!!!!🎉

[@marcelladillard3556]

😊q😊aq😊😊😊àaqa

[@bak-mariterry5180]

David and Rocco holding it all together ❤

[@SimirJohnson]

One of the best live bands around, even 50 years later. So glad Ive had the opportunity to see TOP many times.

[@taylorfusion]

How long were those gigs, usually?

[@SimirJohnson]

@@taylorfusion Every time Ive seen them they’ve gone a solid 90-minutes. No break, and no meet-and-greet afterwards. These guys play their butts off.

[@taylorfusion]

@@SimirJohnson very cool. LP gave me a lesson in his Greenwich Village apartment closet back in the day. Then gave me a few bucks to make my cab to the airport back home. Great dude

[@tgirard123]

You know that's Lenny Picket playing Sax with the fro. He's the sax player and music director for the SNL Band. Such a monster player!!!!

[@fretfix1]

Wait! What!? I did not know that...

[@jplew138]

​@@fretfix1- Lenny wrote and played the closing "SNL" theme song.

[@hayfordfrempong6369]

Lenny Pickett is one of my favorites Tenor Saxophone Players

[@tomcooper6108]

Live and no filler! Just great musicians!!

[@stefanpolihronopoulos723]

And the mixing was top notch.

[@mxfxdlg]

Oh my lord! This is the lineup I was raised on. Lenny is the absolute voice of TOP. And Rocco is the soul! Love these guys. Any new musicians that are introduced to this will do well in their musical growth. This is the real stuff.

[@IMCcanTWEESTED]

Still love to see Lenny Pickett blowin' on SNL as music director. And he can still do that crazy-legs dance of his. Damn...makes me realize how old I must be.

[@kathleenmancle8450]

So very glad to have experienced this. TOP is simply unsurpassed funk!

[@Alexandra_acount3]

Went to HS with Dave Garibaldi every time TOP played Frenchies in Hayward we were there, what a super group.

[@arachnipope]

Tower of Power is greatest funk band in the entire world !

[@gmoneygeffects]

The best lineup of T O P

[@garyrodriguez8414]

I always loved that big band sound especialy with that jazz/soul influence.. They are truley all talented musicians in their own right pulling together in that syncopated style, not an easy thing to perform, takes true talent!

[@Kevthkid]

Rocco my dear friend was one of the greatest soul bassist ever. Along the lines of Jamerson

[@arrjee9474]

WOWWWW … it’s now 50 years ago! Unbelievable!! The best of their time!! I first saw them I was 15 years old and my jaw was on the ground!! Damn this was some good times!!!

[@IMCcanTWEESTED]

My older bro turned me onto TOP in 1970. His traveling 6-piece showband needed to work out several Tower of Power hits and the band really got off on playing those tunes. The band's tenor sax player was an altissimo guy just like Lenny Pickett and their band gained quite a bit of popularity as a TOP cover band. My brother (drummer) perfected Garibaldi's Oakland Stroke groove and the B3 player doubled on trumpet to fill out the 3-piece horn section. The bass player also rocked Rocco Prestia's remarkable staccato style. He even looked like him.I was a huge fan of Tower of Power. All my friends who were Zepplin Heds, asked me why I was so hung up on "N!@@er music." I told them I was raised on XERB. Wolfman Jack soul music out of L.A. broadcast to So Cal and West AZ out of Baja. Wooo!

[@Kimberly-pf4iy]

Tower of Power is so extremely talented. Their horn section is fabulous. These guys have to be THE best in the world. Hats off to Lenny and the rest of Tower of Power. You guys rock!! ♥

[@petersonlafollette3521]

The tower was VERY hip in those days- evidenced by the dancing horn section.

[@kwgib]

@@petersonlafollette3521 And whattabout that OakTown Fashion Sense?

[@petersonlafollette3521]

@@kwgib And they got their soul and funk on- way on...

[@kwgib]

@@petersonlafollette3521 Despite impending Collapse of Western so called Civilization, even YuToo knows What's Hip or Not. Praise dat Poo Ole' Lord,.

[@user-mv2gh4me1q]

Need to be in R&R Hall of Fame Immediately. Seen them probably 15-20 times. Best horns in the business since 1968.

[@ed2929]

This is the Tower of Power I know with Lenny Williams. I was very fortunate to work during a lot of concerts in the 70’s to see a lot of these groups. My very first show I worked was Jethro Tull, which I learned was the bands name not the guy playing the flute.

[@jimdep6542]

Same here. The late 60's and early 70's was an incredible time to be in the SF Bay Area and going to concerts every month.

[@victorstevenson8261]

Rocco lived right around the corner from me in Fremont...when the band would practice they made sure the garage door was shut. Made know difference we still heard them play..

[@jefferybatts8005]

Saw these guys along with the Allman Brothers at the Orange Bowl sometime back in the early 70's. Every member of TOP is an incredible musician. No chopped steak with these cats, only filet mignon ! They were the best !!!! Sadly, I don't hear anything out there that remotely comes close to the TOP. I'm afraid todays rap artists couldn't tell you the difference between a major and a minor chord is their life was on the line. RIP good misic.

[@callmelegendawight8298]

That horn section was epic, Mic, Emilio, Lenny, Greg and Doc.

[@ray8304]

This is just un-f--ingbelievable!! I was 9 years old when this was on late night tv and my mom used to say this was the best music she ever heard. All you have to do is look at the audience reaction and that pretty much sums it up!! RIGHT ON T.O.P 😎🤩👍

[@leobell3502]

TOP was on fire for that performance. I heard someone in the audience yell, "Somebody call the Fire Dept. Tower Of Power is about to burn the joint down." Le😎 San Francisco, Califusa

[@michaelmmofo]

Mr. Greg Adam's on trumpet went to westmoor hs. same as me...wowwee

[@charleswinokoor6023]

Rock Concert TV show. Saw them summer of ‘73 open for Santana @ Providence (R. I.) Civic Center. Couldn’t believe how tight and funky they were. LP on tenor and whirling dervish dance steps knocked me out. Pre-rap real music.

[@victorvernon2507]

Puts a dervish to shame. Truly, Tight as F.

[@skipmessier765]

Was at the same show and they were just amazing ! Thought it was great when the horn section was rocking’ on stage and went out into the audience without missing a note. Killer band !

[@321snoot]

I saw them two years earlier at the RI Auditorium opening a show for Bo Diddley (up 2nd) and Creedence as the headliner. That 13 year old kid from Warwick was mesmerized! Boy, those were the days when it seemed like a big-time band came to town every couple of weeks - and $5 a ticket for the best seats in the house!

[@alcambrola2834]

I was at that show too. Saw Chicago 2 nights later there with Terry Kath. What a weekend.

[@TheRoafer]

Because Carlos Santana really enjoyed listening to Chester Thompson over the years, he invited him to play in his band. Chester toured all over the world with both bands.

[@petergeorgemusic]

Smokin’ TOP bringin the funk to the 21st century and beyond👍

[@gordoh7634]

To everyone who loves this video. Go see this band soon. They're not going to be around much longer. God love them. I'll be seeing them this Saturday 12/10 and I can't wait. It will be so much fun. They have a Christmas thing going on, so we'll stand by to be amazed.

[@alcambrola2834]

Since you wrote this, singer Mike Jerel is gone and they have a new guy Jordan John. They're getting up there.

[@markborges3056]

The 70s, we really started something, TOP inspires so many bands today.

[@jerryferko8309]

THE BEST BAND IN THE LAND ........ AND LENNY ....... THEIR BEST LEAD SINGER ......... AND THEY HAVE HAD SOME TERRIFIC ONES ........ LARRY BRAGG ......... for sure

[@beigenegress2979]

My dad had this album 💿 and played this constantly back in the day! 🎉 Still sounds great 50 yrs later!

[@unclemikey808]

I went to HS w Greg Adams… he was running the school band… good times… cuz really, after all…. What is Hip🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

[@dyrldouglas2087]

One of the greatest funk bands of the 70's, so many cuts & this guy was their best lead singer, Lenny Wms.

[@soulone22]

Elain Benes is in the House!!! Laying down the small kicks with the thumbs up. George and Jerry know what I'm talking about.

[@allen6924]

What a great band and excellent performance. We had some great music in the 70's

[@kevincrozier8625]

Yepper. I am 64 and still live in the 70's. Lol. Never been a decade like the 70's where everyone had their own sound. You knew who was who right off the bat.

[@robertcurrie5140]

70's definitely the best decade for quality music.

[@robertbooth3699]

What criminal put a Lowe's ad in the middle of this blissful jam?

[@JohnA000]

Always loved this band since the beginning.

[@tedhudgines8802]

❤ One the Funkiest! Tight bands of all times . They Kicked Down color barrier,s ! And Slapped the Funk out of anyone that challenged the Funky Oakland soulful sound ! Long Live TOWER OF POWER !

[@tedhudgines8802]

TOWER OF POWER ! Simply knocked The Sparks Out Your Ass ! 😎🤘🏽

[@ME-wx5dg]

I was a 16 yr old white boy from a hick town in Yorkshire who bought this album. This and the Ohio Players set mi musical life up. The good groove never fails.

[@johnnykR9]

Saw these guys in Boston in the mid 70’s. It was one of the best shows I ever saw👌

[@wendym.7648]

I’d go back in a heartbeat. 🧡🧡🧡

[@sapelesteve]

TOP is one of my favorite all time bands! Saw them once in concert a long time ago & they were totally incredible! RIP Rocco

[@Exjewatlarge]

The 2 Lenny years were utterly ridiculous. For people who heard/watched this as it aired, did you know what you were hearing? Greg Adams is still the king of that long, slow gliss. Much love to Mimi and Doc, you have made many people’s lives better and richer for your contribution.

[@user-pw7wj7hh9r]

OK. This is real funk music with a driving beat. Tower of Power was TIGHT!

[@doorswhofan]

Wow. The very essence of the era captured right here in all of its glory. Outstanding. Far out. 🙂

[@gabekarp3008]

And Chester Thompson, the Great.

[@tbluesboye]

The Mighty Tower of Power! Great tracks!

[@neilmcanally8464]

Classic TOP. They were the horn section for Little Feat's Waiting For Columbus, absolutely made the album.

[@drew-shourd]

50 years later and STILL awesome!!!

[@robinbeers6689]

Just like us.

[@normwinkler9566]

The First, The Only, The Original, The Utmost Best in the World... T.O.P. ... Saw them many times during this period in Sacramento and San Francisco Bay Area...Only 3 original members left...RUN to see them while you still can!

[@GeeThevenin]

With Don kirschners rock concert and midnight special vying for acts it was a great time to catch acts live on tv. Remember this show and others, papa John creech, frampton, tearing it up.

[@philipashbourn1538]

Part of the package Warner Bros UK tour in 1974 at the Manchester Free Trade Hall sell out - the best rock gig I ever went to. As a jazz fan I was always attracted to rock/funk bands with horns.

[@jones1351]

The incomparable Lenny Williams. ToP is Lenny, that tight rhythm section, and the Horns!! What is Hip, indeed. So Very Hard To Go.

[@DomingoAquino-vq5uy]

The best of the best of all the rest TOP

[@alcambrola2834]

Definitely. I was fortunate to see this lineup many times. RIP, Brent Byars, Bruce Conte, Mic Gillette and of course Rocco.

[@alanabond007]

Awesome! <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="911">15:11</a>-<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="922">15:22</a> 😂 they are cool. I love Lenny Williams

[@AMFUNKII]

The very best, Tower of Power ladies and gentleman!

[@stocktonrails9279]

TOP actually played during one of our rallies in high school back in the early ‘70s. They only did 4-5 songs from East Bay Grease… but they were awesome and I remember that performance to this day. 👍😀👏

[@songwriting101]

True soul and funk. Good luck finding anything like that these days.

[@brianl9579]

That one dude in the audience dancing his ASS off! Awesome

[@jimdep6542]

except for the people who sat behind him

[@stevebarnes9345]

This was groundbreaking and we all knew when we first heard this band this was instant history!

[@kennethjones8309]

My favorite band studio musician awesome tight rhythm and horns professionals 😊

[@MrMuchachos75]

Seen them in the 70s. Fantastic then and now. Music endures. Not the music of today if thats what i call it

[@genedouglas6445]

saw them chi-town 70's 2024 still da best!

[@congapilon]

I was two years old lol. Love this band been listening to tower all my life!

[@jet357]

55 years and still at it. There was years where , the Stones, Santana, Elton John all took a break....not TOP....the hardest working band that ever was.

[@ThetaMediaGroup]

I hardly ever rant but the heart of this song is the bass and drums. No camera coverage of FRP or DG. Lots of lead guitar shots. Audience shots?

[@t.seank.529]

The subtitle of this clip is “Tower of Power with Dave Garibaldi” but not a single shot of him?

[@user-bx2hm2py5i]

Love this band very much ❤️❤️

[@DiscoMood]

This band still rocks today. RIP Rocco. RIP Mick Gillette. RIP Bruce Conte. You all brought it every performance.

[@zachariatekawaare4761]

These guys have been crash with me for a long, long time! Chicago, blood sweat and tears- can’t hold a candle to the Tower! I have had the good fortune to see them on a few occasions and that horn section will pin you to the walls❤❤ <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="168">2:48</a>

[@salcipres8556]

Simply Legends.

[@kcerezo4539]

Soooooo Cooooool! My No.1 favorite band ever!!!

[@randy3907]

Saw these guys live in 1973, Tower Theatre, Upper Darby Pa...........Excellent!

[@lynneglazer2154]

A classmate with connections got them to play at our Sacramento high school gym. 72? Unforgettable and hooked for life.

[@marimbadearco]

you all were soooooo lucky!

[@callmelegendawight8298]

I wish I was still a young man.

[@alcambrola2834]

Same here. 69 next month. I've seen ToP nearly 100 times and to me this was the best lineup.

[@ricksoto1025]

Me too! But only smarter than I was at the time.

[@alcambrola2834]

@@ricksoto1025 Took the words out of my mouth!

[@fishfinder4]

I was 16yo just graduated high school, and was introduced to TOP. To this day I still listen to their music. On of my all time favorite groups..

[@nitrile2000]

Live they sound tighter than everyone else recorded and engineered.

[@hugowiberg1843]

Anybody watch the NBA Finals this year? Every break, the background music was T O P, " What is hip!!!!!!!!"

[@user-gd4hv3ww8y]

What a great group

[@jimdep6542]

My very first concert was seeing Tower of Power opening up for Rod Stewart at the Oakland Coliseum in either 1972 or early 73. Rocco was one of my bass player idols when I was a young teen just starting out on bass.

[@SteveCorella-xb9kg]

I saw them play on the beach in Cancun Mexico. I will never forget that night I was 18 in 1974

[@Kentavious444]

I used to go to Don Kirshner's rock concerts at the Long Beach Arena. Unfortunately didn't see this one. The tickets were free but you didn't know who was playing until you were seated. Saw some great bands there though!

[@lgndnhswnmnd]

Thanks for this post! Grateful for KZbin!

[@cpcattin]

All those boys were in their 20’s

[@cjpuhala5929]

Not even a question. THE best Funk/Soul band that ever existed!! Sophistifunk…..

[@petersonlafollette3521]

So hip they come around again- "I still be diggin' on James Brown."

[@DM-mg6qh]

They are the best. That is the carnation of Tower of Power that I grew up with . They used to play with Cold Blood. If I remember correctly Skip Mesquite played with Cold Blood then with Tower Of power the same night.... They are the best....

[@scotthares]

That is crisp! I hear a little funk - on the one!

[@kayciecarryl3366]

Great band, great song, excellent live version ❤❤❤

[@gup8175]

Classic! Thanks for this past blast !

[@Ronald-hx6zn]

Good memories!😊

[@brianniegemann4788]

Saw them in Seattle April 2024. Still good, but l wish I'd paid mor attention to really great music when l was younger.

[@carlritchie7139]

One of the best and from the past. The Rainbow Ballroom, Fresno, CA 1973 TOP at their assume.

[@sparkspark2314]

One of my favorite bands ever!!!! This is my favorite kind of music…everything going on…hellafied arrangements. Woooooooooooooooooow!!!

[@Paul71H]

'While you're striving to find the right road, there's one thing you should know. What's hip today might become passe." There is a lot of hidden depth in those lyrics.

[@gy8132]

Like it when the two Lennys cut loose close to the end and get down. Bloomin marvelous boys.

[@martinjackson9477]

The best ensemble ever !!!

[@claudecat]

Brilliant performance! This iteration of ToP was as good as it got. Hard to imagine anything funkier. People notice the horns but really it's the drums/bass/organ that was the secret. That and a great vocalist... People weren't smart enough to get this stuff back then, not enough of 'em at least. James Brown started it. These guys and maybe the Meters took it to levels of funkiness not heard since.

[@jansenrobingonzales4264]

Kef 😊jrvg Jej

[@jansenrobingonzales4264]

Ef

[@richardelliott8352]

you are right, the horns get all the attention, for good reason, but consider also the uniqueness of the guitar counter and lead melodies, another essential element of the band's sound

[@claudecat]

@@richardelliott8352 Yep, one of the more unique guitarists of that or any era. Like Santana, immediately recognizable. How all the parts fit together is the magic of musicianship. They were all great at that.

[@petersonlafollette3521]

This and the many cuts like down to the nightclub was proof of hip

[@empowerman1]

Got a lot of their inspiration and riffs from Funkedelic, also in vein of Steely Dan, Ohio Players, Osibisa, Lakeside, Sly and the Family Stone..Mandrill, Bohanan.. great rhythm and groove band!

[@aaacelebrations]

Rocco and Garbaldi laying down Da Funk bottom, Chester on the organ and Dem Horns - day kick A....s!!!!!!!!!!!