Archie Bell & The Drells - Tighten Up!

[48censor]

OLD MUSIC



[curtisjones400]

these guys were aweosme what would really be cool if the young people of today would do a remix of this song and get a taste of what real music is all about

[amayachoify]

@MultiSurvivor93 Damn~~

[deocampo13]

my jamm

[blac2thafuture]

never knew they had a white band

[soulgriot]

@blac2thafuture The band was called "The TSU Tornadoes"

[blac2thafuture]

@soulgriot wow , thanks a million , im from philly and i knew they did some work with gamble and huff , never knew this though

[Korbits]

Gay

[meeces13]

@Korbits youtube really isnt the forum for coming out. but congrats on being a homosexual!

[Mikelan082]

The drummers looks like "Roger Thomas"from the 70's show"What's Happening"

[lafaith111]

Now That's what I call real music with a Twist!

[gourmetpunk]

the dude on bass is rad.

[zodiolestes]

Cute little Black nerd on the Drums!

[jazzyfayy1983]

@zodiolestes that nerd was bad on them drum

[Swamie55]

Those white cats in the pajamas aint cuttin' it!

[BegoneJonah]

The has got to be the dumbest song, ever.

[ABlastFromYourPast]

What a great tune !!!!!

The Beatle Man's " A Blast From Your Past "

Philadelphia , Pa

[Salguine]

I find myself wondering why the Drells have a microphone.

[Soulvigilante]

The drummer is badass as all hell!

[miamiwax]

that band needs to tighten up! those can't be the tsu tornadoes, can they??

[koolinturn]

ok don't laugh at me, but I ALWAYS thought the dude singing this was James Brown. Great freaking song.

[Nancyjean24]

@koolinturn That cracked me up! Maybe that's why he says "I'm Archie Bell" in the beginning of the song." Ha ha ha ha...no disrespect meant. Just struck my funny bone. Song WAS the best!

[unagocchin76]

きっかけはYMOの「増殖」。ノリのイイ６８年の傑作。恐らく後­のヒップポップ業界に多大な影響を与えているはず。尊敬してしま­います。

[DameDisco78]

Well, we NY kids, were just paying attention to the beat, not the words. haha.

[TheSmd7474]

Archie's brother was Rickey bell who played in the NFL

[uselessjoe]

@TheSmd7474 yes..he was a running back for USC and 2nd in the Heisman vote......he died too soon,

[iDoodlekinz]

Probably the worst song I've ever head. Lolololol. xD 

[DameDisco78]

Really? 19, oh my gosh! Does he still live in Tx.?

[MultiSurvivor93]

A little trivia about Archie Bell. He was only 19 when he recorded this song. Soon after he was drafted into the military!

[69ways2sunday]

IS THIS NOT AWESOMENESS???? WAOW!!!!

[CptnKillswitch]

You Look Nice Today sent me here. I'm going to go do the fishstick.

[Mizzle211]

F'ing EPIC....gonna go tell my wife to tighten up...

[vireogilvus]

I'm guessing these Drells didn't get paid a whole lot.

[PERIZ99]

Killer tune..!!

[deweypug]

brother Malcolm X on the sweet drum kit!

[reveilleforradicals]

What, a white guy on bass and 3 brothers dancing like white people! WOW

[jga665]

@reveilleforradicals dancing like white ppl? hmmm Are we watching the same video?

[lsmith869]

@reveilleforradicals Oh shit that's hilarious

[MsSunnysmith]

@reveilleforradicals  LOL!

[connie390]

@reveilleforradicals  Yeah ! & white guys on the horns too. WOWWEE --HA

[MrBillyboyroge]

Looked up this track due to the following vid:

Jamiroquai - Tighten up (Live 1993) [Pro-Shot] Part 1

Pretty good cover for a bunch of white dudes from Engand

[brithgob]

Buzz off, Guiseppe!

/homer

[itdoesntmatter56789]

Those were the same kind of pants I wore in 1968 in Wichita Falls, TX. doing my 4 with the USAF. Wow! Great video. Thanks for this one MecanicB!

[FilmNoirFan1]

I didn't know the name of the group back in the day but I definitely remember this song when I was 5. My older siblings would play this, the Temps, Marvin Gaye, all those popular R & B artists of the time. I can vividly remember hearing I Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye for the first time and how we used to sing Stay in My Corner by the Dells. Although I was 4-6 in the last 60's, I still remember so many songs. My sibs have given me wonderful music memories.

[kricky71]

Excellent!

[eddie486us]

One of them dudes puttin to much hip into it.

[miamiwax]

@eddie486us i think those pants are itchy, that's all. lol

[gblueslover2]

@eddie486us He mighta had a bit too much sugar in his tank that day...

[bigstuff52]

Outstanding!!

[darktansuperman]

archie was agreat bandleader and the drells are bad ass motherfuckers

[darktansuperman]

archie was agreat bandleader

[djlowcut]

That's the original "dougie" at 2:22!

[TPBXDRicky420]

@djlowcut Straight up! XD LOL!!!

[KrackenCanDrum]

The guitarist is my grandpa..just saying..

[Sangria3]

This was the summer jam in New Orleans... Thanks for the posting... I love this group...

[triunearts]

Is that John Barclay on trumpet?

[blackolive666]

Wonder who the band is on this? I know on the studio version it's the TSU Toronados, but that's not them on this

.

[TJLL22]

I love this tune, let's make it mellow!

[fatbowe]

...Archie Bell did not go to Viet-nam...He went to Germany as a truck driver...

...I know because I was with him at Fort Polk,louisiana...Boot camp...ETC...

[tjjt678]

Thumbs up for the guy who kicked the mic (the first one on the left)

[MissJackieM]

This is off the chain!!!

[jarbusrambus120]

Far out

[ThorstenHodge31]

Dowwnload the audio from this tune at thetunify doht cohm.

[chyman]

screw the cha cha slide!!

[urban298]

I was on a cruise and late in the night they had Karaoke and some guy was singing this but he was basically talking! I never laughed so much in my life!

good times!!

[BobBlec]

@lwmson Good question... ;-)

My source for the info was Dave Marsh's "The Heart of Rock & Soul". *Marsh's* info about Archie Bell mentioned both the fact that his Army buddies didn't believe he was *the* Archie Bell, nor did they believe that Ricky Bell was his brother, so it *implied* that both had happened during his Vietnam service...

I stand corrected. :-)

[BobBlec]

@lwmson Good question... ;-)

My source for the info was Dave Marsh's "The Heart of Rock & Soul". *Marsh's* info about Archie Bell mentioned both the fact that his Army buddies didn't believe he was *the* Archie Bell, nor did they believe that Ricky Bell was his brother, so it *implied* that both had happened during his Vietnam service...

I stand corrected. :-)

[curtisjones400]

This was a nice song i was in 8th grade when ths song came out in 1968-talk about some funky music-man those were the times-these guys were cool

[BobBlec]

Interestingly, Archie Bell was drafted and went to Vietnam right as "Tighten Up" was climbing the charts; in fact, his fellow soldiers didn't believe that he was *the* Archie Bell, nor did they believe that Ricky Bell (then at USC) was his brother!

While he was in Vietnam, things got weird back home, and several bands started billing themselves as the Drells; Archie finally had to get official leave in order to come back and set things straight!

GREAT tune, though!!! :-)

[lwmson]

@BobBlec But Archie served in the Vietnam War during the late 60s, and Ricky didn't start play ing for USC until '73 and didn't become a major star until at least a couple of years later. That said, how could Ricky's celebrity status be an issue with Archie's fellow soldiers over in Vietnam?

[kb6kgx]

I don't know if this has been mentioned in any earlier postings, here, but Archie Bell is the older brother of NFL player RIcky Bell.

[brunodosreis81]

Damn! The kid on the drums looks like a young Ryan Leslie. LOL!

[GaelaMorgana]

NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL MUSIC!!! :)

[Luckey2007]

So much "family" in the group....LOL!

[no1likezet]

Wish I could press a LOVE button for this one!!

[theseventhprotocol]

Wow ! so many great soul classics in 68 ! Archie Bell,The Intruders,Sly and the Family Stone,Chamber Bros.etc. What a year for music soul,rock and jazz !

[danthaman409]

This song comes on the radio station I listen to all the time .. bunch of classic stuff .. and this song is so damn great .. all the little solos are nice when they drop in .. NOW TIGHTEN UP!

[arielioness]

digable planets "where I'm from" sample...

[view4evah]

Still tight after all these years!

[bapyou]

Man, I love the old black groups who sang and performed these dance moves. They were so alive. And classy.

If I have to watch another rapper with his pants down around his ankles, grabbing his crotch, saying "fuck bitch yo" one more time, I'm going to puke. Compared to these old soul singers, 99% of all rappers are inconsequential. They bring no joy.

[MattHatter]

@bapyou: There has been a lot of white groups in the last 10 years who have tried to revive the '60s rock formula, but where are the black groups that are trying to do the same thing?!

[bapyou]

@MattHatter Actually, there are some black performers patterning themselves on the old soul formula. I heard one of these artists interviewed on the radio last year. Can't recall his name offhand; they're certainly not in the public eye all that much.

I guess all things must change. Doesn't mean the change is for the better.

I'm one of those people who thinks the 1980s Michael Jackson couldn't hold a candle to the Motown Michael. That's heresy to most people.

[TruthAxe]

Nerdy guys laying down the funky rhythm.

The Drells look like flamers.

[effie96]

OMG I LOVE THIS SONG! THATS WHY I ONLY LISTEN TO GOOD OLD SCHOOL MUSIC!

[steakdiaper]

this was the last time a bunch of black guys danced to music played by white people

[justinemiller1946]

Archie was in an army hospital in Germany recovering from wounds received in Viet Nam when he heard the news that this song was on the top.

[lewoehler]

outstanding vocal performance. Archie Bell's nephew was a heck of a running back, too.

[luvureally]

@lewoehler The late Ricky Bell was Archie's younger brother.

[woehler00000]

@luvureally ooops ... thanks for the correction.

[youstolemyeggo]

i love everything about this video

[SkidRowJosephine]

@youstolemyeggo No sh!t! I dig the '60s mixed race band Archie put together. The skinny negro boy on the drums is beyond '60s authentic. Shirt buttoned to the neckline, Buddy Holley horn rim glasses. Three dancing negro go-go boys! Crap, this has it ALL!

[BBQFanNo1]

Love the Bass on this song. Woooohoooo smokin!!!!!

[joezop]

Congratulation for finding this out about the wealth of grate Music that has been abandon buy the majority of Black people... This music is just bound belief

I have it all Its part of my life. just to good to be left behind and Rap is nothing compared to this

[froggyhoover]

we need more music like this today

[xsugarxhighx]

i get chills when i hear this song, i love it sooo much!

[LilJomore]

I love this type of music boy I was bron in the worng time zone

I missed out

[Thesupernova711]

Bass is kickin'

[mounces]

You just can't beat the moves, the colors, or the clothes! A print nehru jacket, a pink and brown shirt with plaid pants, and those baby blue suits!! I love the 60s!!

[brandoon111]

Can you spot the guy doing the fishstick?

[mrmojo1953]

Damn. These guys not only sing, but they dance just as good as they walk.

=D

What's a Drell?

[1987corine]

I can not believe I am related to archie Bell

[AREA51MAJESTIC]

The trumpet player looks just like the trumper player from the O'Kaysions "I'm A Girl Watcher"

[DancingSpiderman]

@AREA51MAJESTIC The trumpet player in the orange shirt looks like Steve Madaio, Stevie Wonder's trumpet player... I don't recognize the other trumpet guy on the left

[ftlom1]

Ha! I was an FM DJ when I was 16 and played the heck out if this. That was around '89. Still love it. Thanks for posting it!

[intahipp]

For any guitarists out there who might want to know, the chords are second position F#maj7 (index finger on E fret one, middle finger on B fret two, ring finger on G fret three and pinky finger on D fret four) and second position Bmaj7 (index finger bars D,G,B on fret 4 and ring finger on E at fret 6). Alternately, you can take that F#maj7 and slide the whole thing down to fret 6.

[Xinkey]

Everyone do the fishstick with the gang!

[lillysneech07]

The "Tighten Up!" Wow! I never learned how to do this dance and I'm to old to learn now! If I try moving like that now, I'd get stuck in one position!!!

[dminze52]

Who Knew this song/dance looked like this??? I'm not sure I would like it as much as I did/do?!!!!

They played the Angleton Fair Grounds!

[zachNewYork]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Tpeta]

have this song stuck in my head

[oropcarr]

Need to see if we can get a shit load of people together to 'Tighten Up' and set a Guiness World Record

[dandman1575]

Great post, I must have enjoyed this song over 1000 times, but I never seen them sing it, now I know how to do the "Tighten Up". Thanks for a posting this classic song.

[jimmyjamzit1]

COME ON & DO THE TIGHTEN UP, BABY!

[polarisathena]

Everyone and everything in this clip looks so 60's.

[tumsabai1]

@polarisathena

The 60s hippiies meet the 60s soul guys!!!!

[coolwafferman]

I first heard this song around 1999, when I was 10. At that time, I didn't listen to really any type of music. I hated rap. This song is what really made me start to like 60's soul music. I'm now 20 and only listen to old music now. I thank Archie Bell and the Drells for making this song. It opened my eyes to the great sound that my parents used to listen to. This is really music.

[dunkirchen1940]

@coolwafferman I would have been 11 in 1999, and I was the same way. My dad always had the oldies station playing and I just grew to love the music!

[1987corine]

@coolwafferman you sound like me I am 22 and I really love that slow R&B

[coolwafferman]

@1987corine What other R&B groups do you listen to?

[styylinmark]

@coolwafferman

aweome u and me both

[joezop]

@coolwafferman

Congratulation for finding this out about the wealth of grate Music that has been abandon buy the majority of Black people... This music is just bound belief

I have it all Its part of my life. just to good to be left behind and Rap is nothing compared to this

[upinhere7]

@coolwafferman Yes that's a great comment you have about GREAT music! Thanks for the input! 

[marqwill1124]

@coolwafferman Wonder if some kid in his 20s in 2040 will say that about the "Dougie" song.

[craig98shari]

@coolwafferman Glad you found out what we baby boomers were soooooooooooooooo lucky to experience. Nothing likegrowing up with the 60's music and going dow to buy new records at the drug store every weekend or waiting to hear them play on the radio.You are a cool person.

[blueyesoul1l]

in some hotpants

[blueyesoul1l]

IT would have been better with girls dancing.

[blueyesoul1l]

They should have girls dancing.

[3kingkool]

That was the dance everybody was doing back in the day!

[kirmokin]

@3kingkool Really? I'm serious though did a lot of people dance like this?

[3kingkool]

It depended on the group you were with. If you were with a young group, they would dance like this. But if you were with an older or more sophisticated group, there was an alternate dance to this song. But everybody danced!

[cakeyx]

これがYMOのTighten Upの原曲か、いいね～。

細野さんの選曲だろうな。

今現在、この動画の人気が最も高い地域:がロシアなのは、なぜ？

[hamilton59840]

These guys have the moves to the groove.

I dig this song, and it also soared to the

top of the charts in 1968 too. :)

Tighten it up now. :)

[PadreMDB]

tighten up ...baby!

[MsTexas73]

I swear every time I see this I get the feeling that this performance was on UpBeat here in Cleveland.

[PrinceOfSoulMusic]

yep this is from Upbeat

[MsTexas73]

☺

[melstra24]

Thanks so much for sharing this video!

[metallicaroc]

Lol yea right. I wish. Though I'm a bronx kid so I don't know nough but the F to say you're wrong haha

[Atomank68]

Thanks for the share., "MsTexas".

[MsTexas73]

Ur welcome ☺

[MsTexas73]

They jammed!

[jissous67]

les débuts de la funk......

[gravitica]

one of the greatest songs! and check that drummer! and those dance moves!

[craig98shari]

@gravitica Hey ... I think that the drummer is cool too and those dance moves are like their very own thing... lovin it.

[WMC1Inucham]

really goodd idea put it!

With a good soud!

Thanks