Back to Oakland

Back to Oakland
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 1974
Recorded1974
StudioRecord Plant, Sausalito, California
Kaye/Smith Studios, Seattle, Washington
GenreSoul, funk
Length43:05
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerTower of Power
Tower of Power chronology
Tower of Power
(1973)
Back to Oakland
(1974)
Urban Renewal
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[2]

Back to Oakland is the fourth album by Bay Area based band Tower of Power, released in early 1974 on Warner Bros. Records. It was voted by Modern Drummer magazine as one of the most important recordings for drummers to listen to. The cover photography was by Bruce Steinberg at San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, San Francisco, California.[3]

Track listing

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  1. "Oakland Stroke..." (Emilio Castillo, David Garibaldi, Stephen Kupka) - 0:53
  2. "Don't Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream)" (Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Lenny Williams) - 4:28
  3. "Just When We Start Makin' It" (Castillo, Kupka, Lenny Williams) - 6:30
  4. "Can't You See (You Doin' Me Wrong)" (Castillo, Kupka, Williams) - 3:00
  5. "Squib Cakes" (Chester Thompson) - 7:49
  6. "Time Will Tell" (Castillo, Kupka) - 3:11
  7. "Man from the Past" (Castillo, Kupka, Williams) - 4:00
  8. "Love's Been Gone So Long" (Bruce Conte) - 4:47
  9. "I Got the Chop" (Castillo, Kupka) - 2:59
  10. "Below Us, All the City Lights" (Castillo, Kupka) - 4:20
  11. "...Oakland Stroke" (Castillo, Garibaldi, Kupka) - 1:08

Personnel

[edit]

Tower of Power

Additional musicians

  • Bud Shank – alto saxophone (10), flute (10), alto flute (10), piccolo (10)
  • Ray Gillette – trombone (6)
  • Kell Houston – trombone (6)
  • Frank Rosolino – trombone (10)
  • Tommy Shepard – trombone (10)
  • David Duke – French horn (10)
  • Vincent DeRosa – French horn (10)
  • Richard Perissi – French horn (10)
  • Harry Betts – string conductor (10)
  • Marylin Scott – backing vocals (2, 3, 4, 6, 8)
  • Pepper Watkins – backing vocals (2, 3, 4)
  • Alice Thompson – backing vocals (6)

Production

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  • Tower of Power – producers
  • Emilio Castillo – supervising producer
  • Alan Chinowsky – sound production, mixing
  • Tom Flye – recording
  • Jim Gaines – recording, mixing
  • Bruce Steinberg – album design, photography

Charts

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Chart (1974) Peak
position
Billboard Top LPs[4] 26
Billboard Top Soul LPs[4] 13

Singles

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Year Single Chart positions[5]
US US
R&B
US
Dance
1974 "Don't Change Horses (In The Middle of a Stream)" 26 22
"Time Will Tell" 69 27

References

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  1. ^ "Back to Oakland - Tower of Power | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: T". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "Musical Maps". Musicalmaps.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Tower Of Power US albums chart history". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  5. ^ "Tower Of Power US singles chart history". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
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