I'm turning 37 and I am very aware majority of solid TOP fans are older. But I love old school R&B. TOP, Cold Blood, If, Friends Of Distinction, all acts at Philadelphia International are the ITs for me. But truth is, I loved a TOP song since I was a toddler - So Very Hard To Go. I was always amazed that the end chorus has a different key from the rest of the song. To cap it off, as long as music is sincere and well thought out, I'm a fan of it be it classical, punk, metal, pop, dance etc......
im 13 and my band teacher recommended this band to listen for the Bari, and im glad he did, i now realize my low horn is a force to be reckoned with, not just a filler
@@vaiagile oh my gosh I hate to say that I don't, I was working with a broken sax and didnt know until I all about gave up on the instrument. We'll see if im able to pick it up later in life!
*greg adams (red shirt, far left - trumpet) *steve kupka aka "doc" (third from left, in hat - baritone sax) richard elliot (bearded, tenor sax, next to doc) *emilio castillo (tenor sax, grey vest, on right) mic mestic - drums *rocco prestia - bass *original members ellis hall - keys, vocals
@bpabustan Oh, to be 37 again. You name some very good acts. I like the conversation that you and newberry58 discuss about TOP and music in general. As a band, Funkanauts, in the past few years we have performed locally with Lenny Williams and TOP members. They are a great bunch of musicians and likable cats. I, being "over the hill" so to speak have enjoyed TOP since the very beginning. Glad that you like them so well.
@bpabustan 1995 .. man you started way late 25 yrs later .. I was around in their beginning and a solid fan, historian not .. I knew that Lenny had left the band onto a solo career and other ventures .. I just thought this video was older .. glad to hear that you are such solid fan .. for me, fan since the early 70's .. love 'em .. they're sizzelin' hot
This is my favorite iteration of TOP. You had Ellis Hall who was a jr. Stevie Wonder, and Richard Elliot, the best tenor player in the world, and this drummer whose name escapes me. I saw this version of TOP (along with many others) live in a small club. I’ve never seen a tighter, funkier unit ever. The drummer’s groove blew me away, even more so than Garabaldi. Several of Hall’s songs should’ve been big hits if the goddamn radio stations would’ve played them.
Definetly one of the greatest bands to come out of the Bay Area ever. Having my band (Funkanauts, we are on TH-cam) perform with TOP and opening for them and Lennie Williams has been a pleasure that we will only be more than happy to do again and again. Funk on TOP.
Newburry, Lenny Williams left the band around 75-76 after recording Urban Renewal - the album that contained this song. He started a solo career not long after. His most recent hit (in our country at least - The Philippines) was in 1987 with Kenny G's "Don't Make Me Wait For Love" on Kenny G.'s album "Duotones". He still keeps in touch with TOP once in a while.
@bpabustan Yes, at Arroyo Viejo Park in South Oakland near the Oakland Coliseum (Raider's) in 2007. Agreed, TOP has had many musician's come and go, while the core members kept it all Funky over the years. So many artists are here in the Bay Area, too many to list all but a few who most may not know about are; George Duke, Narada Michael Walden, Con Funk Shun, Rafael Saadiq (ie Charlie Ray Wiggins) and his brother Dwayne Wiggins (Tony! Toni! Tone'!). Nice to be here in the Bay Area.
Organist in the hat is the fine keyboardist David Matthews who has accompanied Etta James, among others. Another wonderful, versatile musician from the East Bay.
The sax soloist is Richard Elliot he was with T O P for five years check out his cd,s. He,s a smooth jazz artist now, his solo here was sick off the chain , I met him about about 15 yrs ago in my home town Chicago. He,s quite a musician
never ceases to amaze me how in these absolutely COOKING ToP clips the crowd are commatose - can anyone explain that mystery to me?!!! Downers popular going out drugs back then - LIVELY UP YOURSELF PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Word. Saw them in 2007 in Belleville, Ontario of all places. Him and Garibaldi made me make a mess in my pants! And Larry Bragg is A juggernaut, check him out.
Vocals/Keyboards - Ellis Hall Bass - Rocco Prestia Keyboards - Dave Mathews Guitar - (I cannot verify, the Tele tells me it's Willie James Fulton but the hair tells me it's Steve Monreal - any verification please.) Drums - MIck Mestek Trumpet 1 - Greg Adams Trumpet 2 - definitely not Lee Thornburg any verification again please. Baritone Sax - Doc Kupka Tenor Sax 1 - Richard Elliot Tenor Sax 2 - Emilio Castillo
YOU JAMMED WITH LENNY WILLIAMS!!!!????!!!!! How awesome is that! Lenny Williams for me is the sweetest voice in soul. TOP has always musicians of very very high caliber. And I reckon it is always a joy and an education to be on the same stage with them - at the same time.
@newberry58 oops they started in 1968 .. 27 yrs later .. you must be young .. I'm impressed that you would be such a fan !! keep up the good taste .. keep listening !!
Check out TOP's '40th Anniversary DVD', which features the saxist, Richard Elliot on a number of tunes, including an instrumental of his own, 'Boys from the Bay', which is his tribute to TOP. And too true; he's an incredible player. And you'll love the DVD, which reunites a lot of former players. Note the tune 'As Sure As I'm Standing Here'... on the DVD it is - seriously - sensational. And for what it's worth, I saw the band a few weeks ago in London (Koko's - clips on youtube) - they smoked!
@newberry58 See my reply to bpabustan, both of you have a great conversation going. Both the "older" cat and the "younger" cat. One thing I failed to mention however is that we, Funkanauts, are part of a large and friendly tight musical local in regards to musical talent found in the Bay Area. Just last night we performed at Yoshi's San Francisco on one stage, while on the other Gil Scott-Heron performed. Now how cool is that?
The keyboard player is Ellis Hall and he is a BAD ASS singer and Multi-Instrumentalist . . . and yes, he is blind. Great band . . . often imitated NEVER duplicated!
Curious, just wonder how Buddy Rich would have been able to play along with this stuff. I'm thinkin' he might have done with a little practice in learning this style. Would have been fun to hear, anyway.
@bpabustan tats koo... i kick back and jam with Steve Monreal often,and he said that Richard Elliott is kinda a prick! he said that he was mocking Jr Walker at a gig one time while Jr was playing but we all know Jr is THEE BEST
what ?! This is the original Version of Stefanies song?? WTF :D I like her Version more than this..! Impressive! (Stefanie Heinzmann, look for it and find your fav ;)
Simeon Hagstrom True Simeon. THis is Mestek on drums. Garibaldi left TOP in the mid 70's and returned to the band in 1998 when all the guys were "clean".
The keyboard player is Ellis Hall and yes he is blind. Sorry you think it's funny :(. He's still playing and making music in California and he plays a mean bass.
Man, this is so good! Does anyone possibly know what the name of the concert or name of the dvd this performance was from?! I'd love to watch it all! Thanks for the upload!
Lenny Williams is a one off. But I like the band now with Larry. Best fit since. No knock on the other guys, He`s just that good! As for this song, it was made for someone like Richard to sing it. Some guys are better belters and some are better crooners. Larry Braggs seems to have all the bases covered.
I'm turning 37 and I am very aware majority of solid TOP fans are older. But I love old school R&B. TOP, Cold Blood, If, Friends Of Distinction, all acts at Philadelphia International are the ITs for me. But truth is, I loved a TOP song since I was a toddler - So Very Hard To Go. I was always amazed that the end chorus has a different key from the rest of the song.
To cap it off, as long as music is sincere and well thought out, I'm a fan of it be it classical, punk, metal, pop, dance etc......
Rocco is a god amongst men!!!
im 13 and my band teacher recommended this band to listen for the Bari, and im glad he did, i now realize my low horn is a force to be reckoned with, not just a filler
do you still play bari after 10 years? :')
@@vaiagile oh my gosh I hate to say that I don't, I was working with a broken sax and didnt know until I all about gave up on the instrument. We'll see if im able to pick it up later in life!
*greg adams (red shirt, far left - trumpet)
*steve kupka aka "doc" (third from left, in hat - baritone sax)
richard elliot (bearded, tenor sax, next to doc)
*emilio castillo (tenor sax, grey vest, on right)
mic mestic - drums
*rocco prestia - bass
*original members
ellis hall - keys, vocals
That tenor sax player who does that solo is a machine!
Još jedan Biser Power Of Tower funky jazz-i ludilo fali im Kire.. Brass.. ❤️🇭🇷❤️
@bpabustan
Oh, to be 37 again. You name some very good acts. I like the conversation that you and newberry58 discuss about TOP and music in general. As a band, Funkanauts, in the past few years we have performed locally with Lenny Williams and TOP members. They are a great bunch of musicians and likable cats. I, being "over the hill" so to speak have enjoyed TOP since the very beginning. Glad that you like them so well.
Stunning sound...¡¡¡ two (2) keyboards...Nice...
Thee Best E V A H..!!
Ames, Iowa Maintenance Shop..!!!
Richard Elliot W/ Ellis Hall.....pure magic..!!
@bpabustan 1995 .. man you started way late 25 yrs later .. I was around in their beginning and a solid fan, historian not .. I knew that Lenny had left the band onto a solo career and other ventures .. I just thought this video was older .. glad to hear that you are such solid fan .. for me, fan since the early 70's .. love 'em .. they're sizzelin' hot
You are so right! Never a singer with TOP like Lenny Williams!
This is my favorite iteration of TOP. You had Ellis Hall who was a jr. Stevie Wonder, and Richard Elliot, the best tenor player in the world, and this drummer whose name escapes me. I saw this version of TOP (along with many others) live in a small club. I’ve never seen a tighter, funkier unit ever. The drummer’s groove blew me away, even more so than Garabaldi. Several of Hall’s songs should’ve been big hits if the goddamn radio stations would’ve played them.
Definetly one of the greatest bands to come out of the Bay Area ever. Having my band (Funkanauts, we are on TH-cam) perform with TOP and opening for them and Lennie Williams has been a pleasure that we will only be more than happy to do again and again. Funk on TOP.
love the sax lead in line at 1.28. Epic band!!
Newburry, Lenny Williams left the band around 75-76 after recording Urban Renewal - the album that contained this song. He started a solo career not long after. His most recent hit (in our country at least - The Philippines) was in 1987 with Kenny G's "Don't Make Me Wait For Love" on Kenny G.'s album "Duotones". He still keeps in touch with TOP once in a while.
I know. I saws this version of TOP in the early 80s at a bay area nightclub. The walls were sweating!
@bpabustan
Yes, at Arroyo Viejo Park in South Oakland near the Oakland Coliseum (Raider's) in 2007. Agreed, TOP has had many musician's come and go, while the core members kept it all Funky over the years. So many artists are here in the Bay Area, too many to list all but a few who most may not know about are; George Duke, Narada Michael Walden, Con Funk Shun, Rafael Saadiq (ie Charlie Ray Wiggins) and his brother Dwayne Wiggins (Tony! Toni! Tone'!). Nice to be here in the Bay Area.
hot....hot....hot...awesome clip by an awesome band....nobody does it like these guys...they got it all
Organist in the hat is the fine keyboardist David Matthews who has accompanied Etta James, among others. Another wonderful, versatile musician from the East Bay.
The sax soloist is Richard Elliot he was with T O P for five years check out his cd,s. He,s a smooth jazz artist now, his solo here was sick off the chain , I met him about about 15 yrs ago in my home town Chicago. He,s quite a musician
never ceases to amaze me how in these absolutely COOKING ToP clips the crowd are commatose - can anyone explain that mystery to me?!!! Downers popular going out drugs back then - LIVELY UP YOURSELF PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been a solid TOP fan since 1995 and have studied their career very closely.
Word. Saw them in 2007 in Belleville, Ontario of all places. Him and Garibaldi made me make a mess in my pants! And Larry Bragg is A juggernaut, check him out.
There is only so much oil in this earth, sooner than you think there's gonna be a heavy duty dearth....best lyric ever! TOP rules!
"It's a fact we just ain't got sufficient fuel!"
Elvis !!!! The BEST singer TOP ever had.
Vocals/Keyboards - Ellis Hall
Bass - Rocco Prestia
Keyboards - Dave Mathews
Guitar - (I cannot verify, the Tele tells me it's Willie James Fulton but the hair tells me it's Steve Monreal - any verification please.)
Drums - MIck Mestek
Trumpet 1 - Greg Adams
Trumpet 2 - definitely not Lee Thornburg any verification again please.
Baritone Sax - Doc Kupka
Tenor Sax 1 - Richard Elliot
Tenor Sax 2 - Emilio Castillo
YOU JAMMED WITH LENNY WILLIAMS!!!!????!!!!! How awesome is that! Lenny Williams for me is the sweetest voice in soul.
TOP has always musicians of very very high caliber. And I reckon it is always a joy and an education to be on the same stage with them - at the same time.
Richard Elliot owns this song!!
Trumpet 2-Mike Cichowicz
Guitar-Willie Fulton
@newberry58
oops they started in 1968 .. 27 yrs later .. you must be young .. I'm impressed that you would be such a fan !! keep up the good taste .. keep listening !!
Check out TOP's '40th Anniversary DVD', which features the saxist, Richard Elliot on a number of tunes, including an instrumental of his own, 'Boys from the Bay', which is his tribute to TOP. And too true; he's an incredible player. And you'll love the DVD, which reunites a lot of former players. Note the tune 'As Sure As I'm Standing Here'... on the DVD it is - seriously - sensational. And for what it's worth, I saw the band a few weeks ago in London (Koko's - clips on youtube) - they smoked!
@dannyboyAZUSA That clears a lot of things. So the guitar player IS Willie James Fulton.
hot damn i love funk! nothing like a good horn section on top of some funky rhythm
what a saxophone solo!!!!!!!!i'm going to see them in ronnie scots!!!!!!
helemal bedankt :)
I know Danny plays with Steve cause they had a band together and I got to play with them... Cool to see you Danny!
@newberry58
See my reply to bpabustan, both of you have a great conversation going. Both the "older" cat and the "younger" cat. One thing I failed to mention however is that we, Funkanauts, are part of a large and friendly tight musical local in regards to musical talent found in the Bay Area. Just last night we performed at Yoshi's San Francisco on one stage, while on the other Gil Scott-Heron performed. Now how cool is that?
The keyboard player is Ellis Hall and he is a BAD ASS singer and Multi-Instrumentalist . . . and yes, he is blind. Great band . . . often imitated NEVER duplicated!
There is another clip of him playing bass on this concert that is great.
Yup. What a monster solo too!
They were a better group back then, no doubt. And Elvis kicks as a vocalist ! He was by far their best frontman.
The first time I saw TOP in a night club this was the lineup
lov ehtis tune, and love this band amazing!
exceptionnel
1:28 to 1:57...my goodness!!!
I want mooore!
both of these are correct.
ha, so cool to watch!
does somebody has vids from the very beginning?
amazing song and real fun to play!
their groove cant be copied though...
@neilawright Thats Richard Elliot on that horn, best sax since Jr Walker!!
never has been a band as good since topower!!
@dannyboyAZUSA Having all of their albums from East Bay Grease to The Great American Soulbook helps. Been a fan since 1995.
Damn that sax solo!!
Great sax solo by Richard Eliott
its so true mate :) they are the best
that rabbi can play the hell out of a sax!
@ lensmatic feleven the tenor sax solo player is Richard Eliott
Vocals/Keyboards: Ellis Hall
Thanks for the info!
Baddest horn section ever..
Funky soul
This is the only version for me, sorry, but these dudes are so on it! It's definitely not the coke that's making them play faster! HA!
Totally agree.!
The singer is actually Stevie Wonders younger brother...he blundered into the session...thats why he´s called "Blunder Wonder"!
OMG! love it!
I believe it is Richard Elliott on tenor. The organist/vocalist is the underrated Ellis Hall.
agree!
I would of fucking shit my pants if I saw that sax solo FUCK YEAH
Hell Yeah, One of the best on TH-cam...
Is there a full video of this concert?
Curious, just wonder how Buddy Rich would have been able to play along with this stuff. I'm thinkin' he might have done with a little practice in learning this style. Would have been fun to hear, anyway.
thank god 4 youtube
..what the drummers face when he starts clicking into what the sax player (Brecker?) is doing...these guys are moving!...
Pretty sure that's the M-Shop in Ames, IA.
Yea, right.
o_O Yeah. Same here.
it´s a matter of taste...both versions are cool in their own way.
Check out how Emilio dances on Richard Elliot's solo......
Chooch! .... Dave Matthews
@bpabustan tats koo... i kick back and jam with Steve Monreal often,and he said that Richard Elliott is kinda a prick! he said that he was mocking Jr Walker at a gig one time while Jr was playing but we all know Jr is THEE BEST
what ?! This is the original Version of Stefanies song?? WTF :D
I like her Version more than this..!
Impressive! (Stefanie Heinzmann, look for it and find your fav ;)
11356tony,
The drummers name is David Garabaldi, in my opinion one of the best or if not the best funk drummer ever!!!
Actually it's not David Garibaldi playing there. His name is Mick Mestek if I'm not mistaken.
Simeon Hagstrom True Simeon. THis is Mestek on drums. Garibaldi left TOP in the mid 70's and returned to the band in 1998 when all the guys were "clean".
Dave Mathews - Keys (in white hat)
Could somebody tell me where I can get a copy of the Tower of Power live at Iowa State University video please :-))
thinking how this version is faster than the studio version, the thought of just how fast rocco prestia can play scares me
I remember see this version of TOP in the 80's. The vocalist is blind.
mad vocals CT!!!! Sax plater from AWB?!?
The keyboard player is Ellis Hall and yes he is blind. Sorry you think it's funny :(. He's still playing and making music in California and he plays a mean bass.
Bari sax sounded like a bassoon
I saw this version of TOP a coupla times. The vocalist is blind. Wonder what happened to him?
dave mathews - organ ( in hat)
who´s playing organ on this one? that guy is awesome!
@irontailpikachu I don't see Tower Of Power on your CV champ
Man, this is so good! Does anyone possibly know what the name of the concert or name of the dvd this performance was from?! I'd love to watch it all!
Thanks for the upload!
Lenny Williams is a one off. But I like the band now with Larry. Best fit since. No knock on the other guys, He`s just that good! As for this song, it was made for someone like Richard to sing it. Some guys are better belters and some are better crooners. Larry Braggs seems to have all the bases covered.
kee ryst....look at all the comments...can you just enjoy? Listen and stop criticizing...please...peace and music.
Its all in the Gulf of mexico by the way......hunners of it!
@bpabustan where was Lenny Williams ??
Richard Elliot on tenor....
this is not David Garibaldi, it's Mike Mestek
sitting at a funky gig: that's the stupidest thing I have ever seen!!
That sax player is incredible. Who is it?
@FpMLuser:Sorry but how can you say that neither Mimi or Doc are present? Make no sense to what so ever.
Richie Elliot.
Who is the sax player along side Emilio Castillo? Richard Elliot? It's a nice solo, but he's no Lenny Pickett.
@bpabustan Steve Monreal was a drummer...not a guitar player!