Tower of Power/NY,USA 1984

After losing their record contract in 1979, they worked as backs for Huey Lewis, while steadily moving towards a comeback with the release of the 1981 live studio album Direct, which was a direct recording of their performance, and T.O.P., which was released only in Scandinavia, such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland, in 1986. There is a live compilation from that period. However, this recording was recorded on September 8, 1984, an earlier performance in Syracuse, with an audience recording that makes you think of a very immersive soundboard. The first song is an unreleased song called “Time For Fun”. At this time, lead vocals, keyboard, and Ellis Hall were there, and it may have been written by him. It’s a very TOP-like, lively funk. They also played a new song at the time, “Direct.” The jam of “Squib Cakes” was cut somewhat due to a tape change, but it is probably a cool jazz funk with Ellis as the main character. The drummer is Mick Mystec, and the rhythm is effective in a different sense from Garibaldi. Other TOP hits are galore, and it’s great to discover new live recordings from the genius Ellis Hall era. Walnut Park University of Syracuse Syracuse, NY 1984-09-08 01 Intro 02 Time For Fun 03 Down To The Nightclub 04 Credit 05 So Very Hard To Go 06 You Got To Get Funkifize 07 This Time It’s For Real 08 Don’t Change Horses 09 Squib Cakes… 10 … Squib Cakes 11 What Is Hip? 12 You Ought To Be Having Fun -> 13 We Came To Play -> 14 Knock Yourself Out -> 15 You’re Still A Young Man