''We Came to Play!'' is an album by the American band

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted ...

, released in 1978. It marked the debut of singer Michael Jeffries, who would stay with T.O.P. through the mid-1980s.

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He was the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

produced the album. It peaked at No. 89 on the ''Billboard'' 200. ''We Came to Play!'' features Victor Conte, the future founder of the controversial BALCO, on bass, and who is also the cousin of band guitarist

Bruce Conte Bruce Anthony Conte (March 3, 1950 – August 8, 2021) was an American R&B and jazz fusion guitarist, known primarily for his work with the band Tower of Power, of which he was a member from 1972 to 1979. He performed on seven albums, and rej ...

. Drummer Ron Beck takes a lead vocal spot on "Love Bug", which features founding T.O.P. drummer David Garibaldi on second drums. Garibaldi would return to the band on the next album, but neither Conte, Bruce or Victor, would after this album.

Critical reception

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' noted that "the band has traded away some distinction in dispensing with the patented horn parts (above all else, one knew it was the Tower of Power Horns when they played), but it has gained style in both the up-tempo numbers in the ballad which will please mainstream listeners without losing the rhythmic punch that was their second most identifiable trademark."

Track listing

# "We Came To Play" (Emilio Castillo, Stephen "Doc" Kupka) - 3:38 # "Lovin' You Is Gonna See Me Thru" (Clifford Coulter) - 6:04 # "Let Me Touch You" (Victor Conte, Chester Thompson, S. Beck, Ron E. Beck, Edward McGee) - 4:33 # "Yin-Yang Thang" (Emilio Castillo, Stephen "Doc" Kupka) - 4:23 # "Share My Life" (Bruce Conte, Hubert Tubbs, Coleman Head) - 3:56 # "Bittersweet Soul Music" (Rob Moitoza) - 3:28 # "Am I a Fool" ( Hubert Tubbs, Emilio Castillo, Stephen "Doc" Kupka) - 3:58 # "Love Bug" (Ron E. Beck, Steve Cropper, Victor Conte, Chester Thompson) - 4:01 # "Somewhere Down The Road" (Bruce Conte, Coleman Head) - 4:39

Personnel

Tower of Power * Michael Jeffries – lead vocals (1−7, 9) * Chester Thompson – acoustic piano, Yamaha electric grand piano,

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

ARP String Ensemble The Solina String Ensemble, also marketed as the ARP String Ensemble, is a fully polyphonic multi-orchestral string synthesizer with a 49-key keyboard, produced by Eminent BV (known for their ''Solina'' brand). It was distributed in the United ...

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

Polymoog The Polymoog is a hybrid polyphonic analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Moog Music from 1975 to 1980. The Polymoog was based on divide-down oscillator technology similar to electronic organs and string synthesizers of the time. Histor ...

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, backing vocals *

– guitars, backing vocals * Victor Conte – bass * Ronnie Beck – drums, backing vocals, lead vocals (8) *

Lenny Pickett Lenny Pickett (born April 10, 1954) is an American saxophonist and musical director of the ''Saturday Night Live'' band.

– alto saxophone, first tenor saxophone,

Lyricon The Lyricon is an electronic wind instrument, the first wind controller to be constructed. Invented by Bill Bernardi (and co-engineered by Roger Noble and with the late Lyricon performer Chuck GreenbergIngham (1998) p.184) of Shadowfax, file ...

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

contrabass clarinet The contrabass clarinet (also pedal clarinet, after the pedals of pipe organs) and contra-alto clarinet are the two largest members of the clarinet family that are in common usage. Modern contrabass clarinets are transposing instruments pitche ...

alto flute The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, pitched below the standard C flute and the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the piccolo. It is chara ...

bass flute The bass flute is a member of the flute family pitched one octave below the concert flute. The tubing length is twice as long at , which requires a J-shaped head joint to bring the embouchure hole within reach of the player. Despite its name ...

, E-mu synthesizer, synth solo (9) *

Stephen "Doc" Kupka Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the ...

– baritone saxophone *

Emilio Castillo Emilio Castillo (born September 24, 1950) is an American saxophone player and composer, best known as the founder of the band Tower of Power. Background In 1965, Emilio Castillo took to music after he and his brother Jack were caught stealing b ...

– second tenor saxophone, backing vocals *

Mic Gillette Mic Gillette (May 7, 1951 – January 17, 2016) was an American brass player, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay. He is best known for being a member of the bands; Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and The Sons of Champlin. He p ...

– trombone,

bass trombone The bass trombone (, ) is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to facilitate low register playing, and u ...

, trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals * Greg Adams – trumpet, flugelhorn Additional musicians *

– additional guitars (2, 3, 6, 8, 9) * David Garibaldi – additional drums (8) * Gerald Vinci – concertmaster * Clifford Coulter – backing vocals (2) * Carol Rogers – backing vocals (5) * Brooks Hunnicutt – backing vocals (6) * Lisa Roberts – backing vocals (6) * Karen Wright – backing vocals (6) * Jim McCandless – bass backing vocals (8)

Production

* Steve Cropper – producer * Alan Chinowsky – engineer, mixing * Frank "Cheech" D'Amico – assistant engineer * Steve Fontano – assistant engineer * Alex Kashevaroff – assistant engineer * Rick Sanchez – assistant engineer * Vic Anesini – remastering at

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhat ...

(New York City, New York) * Tower of Power – art direction * Bruce Steinberg – design, photography

References

{{Authority control Tower of Power albums 1978 albums Columbia Records albums Albums produced by Steve Cropper