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.
Track listing "Oakland Stroke..." (Emilio Castillo, David Garibaldi, Stephen Kupka) - 0:53 "Don't Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream)" (Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Lenny Williams) - 4:28 "Just When We Start Makin' It" (Castillo, Kupka, Lenny Williams) - 6:30 "Can't You See (You Doin' Me Wrong)" (Castillo, Kupka, Williams) - 3:00 "Squib Cakes" (Chester Thompson) - 7:49 "Time Will Tell" (Castillo, Kupka) - 3:11 "Man from the Past" (Castillo, Kupka, Williams) - 4:00 "Love's Been Gone So Long" (Bruce Conte) - 4:47 "I Got the Chop" (Castillo, Kupka) - 2:59 "Below Us, All the City Lights" (Castillo, Kupka) - 4:20 "...Oakland Stroke" (Castillo, Garibaldi, Kupka) - 1:08
Personnel Tower of Power Lenny Williams – lead vocals Chester Thompson – acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, organ, bass pedals, backing vocals; arrangements (5) Bruce Conte – guitars, backing vocals Francis Rocco Prestia – bass guitar David Garibaldi – drums Brent Byars – congas Lenny Pickett – alto saxophone, bass saxophone, soprano saxophone, first tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute, piccolo Stephen "Doc" Kupka – baritone saxophone, English horn, backing vocals Emilio Castillo – second tenor saxophone, backing vocals Mic Gillette – trombone, bass trombone, trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals Greg Adams – trumpet, flugelhorn, orchestra bells, backing vocals; string arrangements, string conductor (1−9, 11), arrangements (3, 4, 6, 8, 10) Tower of Power – arrangements (2, 4, 7, 9)
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 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 Chart (1974) Peakposition Billboard Top LPs26 Billboard Top Soul LPs13
Singles Year Single Chart positions US USR&B USDance1974 "Don't Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream)" 26 22 — "Time Will Tell" — 69 27
References
External links Tower of Power-Back to Oakland at Discogs