Tower of Power - On the Serious Side - Leverkusen Funknacht Live

[shastakeys]

east bay grease at it's best....get down

[Gnarly669]

Dont try to dance to this you will break all your bones.

[TheStampedehero]

You have not experienced all life has to offer if you had not seen TOP live. They are legendary. The zipper heads in the bogus rock hall fame induction group have negated their accreditation simply because lesser artists are in there and legends like TOP are ignored

[minacciosa]

Right, straight 4/4. Just effing phenomenal playing. Phenomenal.

[guitaralchemist7]

Whew, how nasty can a band get!!! Their just the best!!!

[jimbalio]

Entire tune is straight 4/4, front to back, including the bridge....count it out. Easy. In this particular version, DG is "pushing" the cadence just by anticipating "the one" just a teeny tiny bit. It's a very subtle time shift on an already funky phrase and the rest of the band keeps it right in the pocket. Hey... this is Tower Of Power - expect nothing less.

[mugwaii2008]

EVERYONE.... there is NO skipping, your ears deceive you, its a straight 4/4 ..... BUT BUT BUT..... Ive tried and tried... somebody please tell me the time signature in the bridge and how they come back in the " on the serious side".... Ive been listening to this song for 30 years and havent figured out the bridge time yet...... Id be SO grateful...

[remydrums]

@mugwaii2008 They don't change time signatures, they just it as if the AND of 1 is the downbeat. When you count over it, it makes regular 4/4 on the offbeat of their playing. Very Latin-inspired. Very David Garibaldi!

[jimbalio]

"It ain't no laughin' matter

Stop ALL yo' piddly patter

'Cause the idea of the Peanut gallery

Went out with the demise of Howdy Doody....."

[tattoo39369]

I have the DVD and it doesn't skip. This video does tend to skip a bit. Believe, DG and Rocco don't skip live - just not possible with those two.

[Mis4el1973]

One of the greatest funksoul-bands in the world, if not the greatest!!

[05Bodhi]

05Bodhi here again.

I listened to other performances of this tune, and it is a consistent FUNKY 4/4. I suspect that the digital file uploaded to YouTube has dropouts.

LTdrumma, their ability to play does NOT exceed your ability to hear! :-)

Funk on!

[05Bodhi]

LTdrumma,

This is the first time I've heard this TOP song, but it seemed to me that every so often, the composition skips a half-beat, for bar of 3 1/2 beats instead of 4. A device common to styles like the Don Ellis big band and in English progressive bands, like Yes.

Does their ability to play exceed your ability to hear? :-)

Stay funky!

[tucaronick]

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS......EXCEPT, WE CANT PLAY IT!! HAHAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA............­...NOBODY CAN TOUCH THEM WHEN IT COMES TO FUNK......EVEN OUR GREAT JAMES BROWN TOOK HIS HAT OFF!!

[ddrums001]

Yeah! That was serious!

[AdverseOficial]

gosto mais do adverse

[MCGEHEE1]

I must say, with all respect Larry blows all past T.O.P singers away.

[alrck6]

On the serious side TOP has never gotten the credit they deserve in the music business.....but if you're from the bay area TOP is the best and we know it!!!!! I have listened and been a fan of TOP for over 30 years!!!

[LTdrumma]

haha, this has to be the most complicated riff ever made its sick, and btw theyre not messing up adn its not sloppy its supposed to sound like this, lets just say its "unnatural"

[slamcrank]

@LTdrumma well, sort of. It's a difficult rhythm... but Garibaldi is "pushing" the tempo, and sometimes he pushes a little too foward and ends of getting in front of the beat; ie. putting the rhythm "off" for a bit. But the band is good enough to follow and not fall apart. Good stuff.

[dbassmd]

@slamcrank....Do yourself a favor & listen to the studio version before claiming the rhythm is "off"...It's dead on, just the way it was written. TOP is so talented its a little scary. Believe me, this band has been around for over 40 years, if there was an even remote chance of it being "not true to form", they would not perform it on stage. I agree with LTdrumma on this one..it's "unnatural" & so tight.

[TehChuckeh]

The groove seems to be a bit off sometimes. Reminds me DG is only human after all :-) Or maybe it's the recording!

[chaymonyou]

@TehChuckeh yeah the bass run up the scale seems off with the bass drum - weird!

[MCGEHEE1]

Uncut funk!

[spicginny]

Roger Smith solo....just sayin'

[streethero9]

politzer is fucking amazing

[Oneness100]

It sounds a little loose, I think the tempo notches up a tittle during the keyboard solo.

[tattoo39369]

@Oneness100 It's supposed to ramp up during the B-3 solo

[Oneness100]

@tattoo39369 i wasn't aware of that. I wish I could get the transcriptions. Anyone have them on line anywhere? I wish TOP would publish their entire catalog of transcriptions. that would be cool

[Oneness100]

Jimbwlio. I hate to burst your bubble, but DG doesn't have to cop licks from Vinnie. This song originally came out in 1975, which was about the same time Vinnie stopped wearing diapers. Get it together. VC rips garibaldi grooves.

[Bosphorus92]

@Oneness100 In 1978 Vinnie was playing with frank zappa's band, hardly just out of diapers.

[Oneness100]

@Bosphorus92 .Well, as good as Zappa is, Gariobaldi was originating grooves that Vinnie studies, so IMO, Garibaldi is MORE original. the problem with Zappa is that Zappa wrote all of the drum parts and the drummers have to read them and play what is written. Vinnie, unfortunately didn't write his own drum parts while with Zappa. I don't why anyone should compare garibaldi to anyone, he has created so many classic grooves that most funk players listen and learn to play.

[Oneness100]

@Bosphorus92 By 1978, DG with TOP had about 10 studio recordings and a couple live recordings. Many of which have original classic drum grooves that EVERY funk drummer was learning how to play. Many of which have been sampled for other songs.

[1PeeDee]

That cooks! Tight, so tight, yet tough to play. Kudos to TOP for their musicianship. Wow. They're alone with this sort of music simply because nobody else can play it. I mean play it live, and play it flawlessly. Wow.

[jimbalio]

The groove on this rendition feels like a bar of 4/4 followed by a bar of 15/16. The first sixteenth note of the second bar is chopped ('cept for the chorus and bridge). DG ripped a tiny piece of a page outta Vinnie's "I'm Tweaked" ? Either way, it gets the blood pumpin somethin fierce and you never quite catch up. 43 years and you move two blocks down Broadway Mimi?...Dayamn.

[tattoo39369]

@jimbalio I think DG has been around a little longer than Vinnie.

[sticktrik]

@jimbalio NO!.......DG didn't rip anything of off of " I'm Tweaked"... this groove was original since 1975

and this tune is in 4/4... I have the DG transcript of the whole groove written out by him. I don't know

where you got 15/16 from, man!!! It's just broken up sixteenth notes voiced between hihat, kick and snare.

On this version DG just changed the hihat pattern.

[robtowler]

GREAT !

[DRUMTOY2002]

This performance is soooooooo BAD ASS!!!!

[towerofpowerfan]

This is indeed still in their set list, at least as of Seattle shows Fall 2010. Love this tune! 

[robtowler1977]

Fab track, funky !

[ohfunkydrummer]

Awesome footage!!!! Where can I get a copy of this concert?!?!

[topfan337]

I talked to Doc about this and he said it is still in their playlist and if you see them enough you'll hear it... I agree, I saw them 3 nights in Vegas back in June of 2010 and it was played... It's jamin son of a bitch!!!

[windycityopenmic]

I miss this song - they don't play it enough anymore.. And d*mn, at 2:53 - um, nice...

[delijica]

YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!