On The Soul Side Of Town

Album: Soul Side Of Town (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Tower Of Power was extant for 50 years when they released their 25th album, Soul Side Of Town, in 2018. Their early years were spent honing their skills in the gritty clubs around Oakland in areas like they describe on this song, the album's title track.

    "It's about that area of town," founding member Emilio Castillo said in a Songfacts interview. "The dark-side-of-the-moon area of the town where all the barbecue joints are and where the drug dealers are and where the down-to-earth, blue collar people are. That was the vibe we were going for."
  • Castillo wrote this song with a journalist named Leo Sacks, who also does reissues for Sony. It was written about 10 years before it was recorded, as getting everyone in the band together to make an album is always a challenge.
  • Ray Greene sang lead on this track, but by the time the album was released, he had joined Santana. Marcus Scott replaced him in Tower Of Power and sang on some of the other tracks on Soul Side Of Town. Tower Of Power wasn't pleased when Santana stole away their frontman, but the bands have lots of history and goodwill: Both are from the Bay area in California, and Santana championed ToP early on, bringing them on tour in the early '70s.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.