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What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power Anthology
 
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What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power Anthology

Tower Of Power
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews) More about this product

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Frequently Bought Together

What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power Anthology + Great American Soulbook + The Very Best of Tower of Power: The Warner Years
Price For All Three: $47.92

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  • This item: What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power Anthology ~ Tower Of Power

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    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Great American Soulbook ~ Tower Of Power

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  • The Very Best of Tower of Power: The Warner Years ~ Tower Of Power

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (September 14, 1999)
  • Original Release Date: September 14, 1999
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Label: Rhino / Wea
  • ASIN: B00000JZAD
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #73,281 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Disc: 1
1. Knock Yourself Out
2. Back on the Streets Again
3. Sparkling in the Sand
4. Down to the Nightclub
5. You're Still a Young Man
6. You Got to Funkifize
7. What Happened to the World That Day?
8. What Is Hip?
9. Will I Ever Find a Love?
10. This Time It's Real
See all 15 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Oakland Stroke
2. Don't Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream)
3. Time Will Tell
4. It's Not the Crime
5. I Won't Leave Unless You Want Me To
6. Only So Much Oil in the Ground
7. Willing to Learn
8. You're So Wonderful, So Marvelous
9. Just Enough and Too Much
10. As Surley as I Stand Here
See all 20 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Tower of Power blew--literally--out of the Bay Area's early-'70s scene at a time when hip black and white tastes were further diverging. The horn-heavy ensemble managed to find an audience of album buyers on both the soul and rock sides of the divide, though. The first disc of this chronological two-CD retrospective of tracks made between 1970 and 1997 holds most of the highlights--notably the wise, intensely grooving title track, which has only gained cachet in the quarter-century since its release, and "So Very Hard to Go," one of the classiest pop-soul singles this side of the Spinners. More a bunch of well-schooled musicians than truly inspired songwriters, Tower of Power often sounded better than its material and rarely if ever touched the magic of those cuts again. What Is Hip?'s second half shows the act's fuel running low even before it relaunched as a '90s lite-funk answer to hometown pals Huey Lewis and the News. --Rickey Wright

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
5 star:
 (19)
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 (5)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST for all T.O.P. Fans, February 8, 2000
By T. Culver "cellox2" (West Suburban Chicago, IL.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This compilation has all the Tower of Power essentials and then some. Even though I own all their C.D.'s, their selection of tunes and the chronological order in which they're presented make you feel like you're enrolled in Funk & Soul 101. Tower of Power can pick you up with their upbeat funkifized tunes, then when you least expect it throw in a gorgeous balled with horn lines crafted by the talented Greg Adams. It's all here including a couple extras that you won't find on previously released material. The anthology booklet is filled with information tracing the bands history and with photos stretching their 30 year career. Well worth the money!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars More Soul Than You Can Control, November 14, 2005
A real treasure. T of P is a frequently overlooked band that has been keeping the funk alive for decades. Their horn section is legendary, the arrangements are just too tight, and all the big hits you want are here. Worth it for Back On the Streets Again, Squib Cakes, and Souled Out alone. Bring this 2-CD set to a party and watch your friends start dancing on the ceiling. A real value.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars GET IT ! ! !, December 9, 1999
This is the perfect Christmas (or whatever holiday/season/occasion is coming up)gift to get, and will probably break up your marriage if your spouse doesnt have the same musical tastes. You will refuse to take it out of the CD player. All the trays will be filled up with Tower of Power stuff and rather than cursing out the window during that gridlocked drive home from work, youll be singing in to the chorus to WHAT IS HIP. - - The TOP formula is SLICK OAKLAND SOUL... tight horns, bumpin grooves, a touch of MEMPHIS SOUL, a touch of JB - - Ballads like YOURE STILL A YOUNG MAN will last a lifetime... Smokers like KNOCK YOURSELF OUT will forever accompany you in the gym. After you get this, youll probably want to throw on your JAMES BROWN (Greatest Hits)COLD BLOOD and SAM & DAVE CDS. If you trust my judgement on this, check out a Japanese import CD called 5 1/2 by the group KOME KOME CLUB. (Youll have to trust me on that one... no RA available.)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Tower of Power collection ROCKS
The perfect addition to our collection. We have all the older TOP albums and many CDs, but this anthology is just what we needed to fill in the gaps. Perfect Road Trip collection.
Published 3 months ago by Mary P. Ferguson

4.0 out of 5 stars Doin' the Oakland Stroke
The pride of the Avenues, the soul of the Bay, the downtown funk that set the house dancin', and the cars bouncin'! Read more
Published 14 months ago by Robert S. Estes

5.0 out of 5 stars great collection !
I had only 1 original CD of TOP and 2 old cassette tapes (remember that crap ?) a friend of mine recorded for me... Read more
Published on August 20, 2007 by A. sinai

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Hip!!!
If you like to tickle your "FUNK BONE".This is the collection to have!
Published on March 9, 2007 by Eric A. Utterback

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bay Area Sound
I was raised in the Bay Area California and Tower of Power was the real stuff. This CD is unmatched in quality and choosen tracks.
Published on February 12, 2007 by R. A. McMurray

4.0 out of 5 stars If you've got the notion, Tower's got the potion...
You will be literally blown away after a heaping helping of this masterfully assembled anthology. The best horn section in the land (no doubt influenced greatly by The JB's... Read more
Published on September 27, 2006 by P. Lanier

4.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated Funk
This was my introduction to T.O.P. and it gradually became a collection of undiscovered classics for me personally. This brand of big & intricate funk really grows on you. Read more
Published on April 19, 2006 by M. Raguz

5.0 out of 5 stars Just hearing "What Is Hip?" is worth it all!
If you're a fan of horns, soul and funk, you're going to love Tower of Power! Enough said!
Published on August 22, 2005 by EF Critical

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
Tower of Power is the best. The Anthology is all their best songs. Some songs should be included. But it's still great. You should get it.
Published on July 23, 2004 by rellimnotloc

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Recently saw TOP live in St. Pete. They were awesome. I play this CD over and over and reminds me how truly great they are.
Get to see TOP with AWB in October. Read more
Published on August 25, 2003 by Jacqueline Noveck

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power Anthology
52% buy the item featured on this page:
What Is Hip?: The Tower of Power Anthology 4.6 out of 5 stars (25)
$24.96
The Very Best of Tower of Power: The Warner Years
20% buy
The Very Best of Tower of Power: The Warner Years 4.5 out of 5 stars (21)
$8.97
Great American Soulbook
14% buy
Great American Soulbook 4.4 out of 5 stars (23)
$13.99
Back to Oakland
7% buy
Back to Oakland 4.8 out of 5 stars (22)
$13.96


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