Urban Renewal (Tower of Power album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Urban Renewal

| type = Album

| artist = Tower of Power

| cover = Urban Renewal Cover.jpg

| alt =

| released = January 1975

| recorded = 1974

| studio = Record Plant, Sausalito, California

| venue =

| genre = Funk, soul

| length = 37:46

| label = Warner Bros. Records

| producer = Emilio Castillo and Tower of Power

| prev_title = Back to Oakland

| prev_year = 1974

| next_title = In the Slot

| next_year = 1975

}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}} [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r20345|pure_url=yes}} link]

| noprose = yes

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2Score = B+{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: T|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=T&bk=70|access-date=March 16, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}

}}

Urban Renewal is a Tower of Power album recorded in 1974 and released in 1975. It was the last to feature lead singer Lenny Williams, who would leave to continue a successful solo career. Drummer David Garibaldi left the band temporarily, although he does appear on the song "Willing To Learn," the first single. David Bartlett is the drummer for the rest of the album. Conga player Carter Collins replaced Brent Byars, who left after the previous album, Back to Oakland.

Track listing

  1. "Only So Much Oil in the Ground" (Stephen "Doc" Kupka, Emilio Castillo) - 3:46
  2. "Come Back, Baby" (Bruce Conte, Lenny Williams) - 3:21
  3. "It's Not the Crime" (Stephen "Doc" Kupka, Emilio Castillo) - 1:45
  4. "I Won't Leave Unless You Want Me To" (Stephen "Doc" Kupka, Emilio Castillo, Greg Adams) - 3:28
  5. "Maybe It'll Rub Off" (Stephen "Doc" Kupka, Emilio Castillo, Chester D. Thompson) - 3:15
  6. "(To Say the Least) You're the Most" (Johnny "Guitar" Watson) - 2:28
  7. "Willing to Learn" (Emilio Castillo, Stephen "Doc" Kupka) - 4:35
  8. "Give Me the Proof" (David Bartlett) - 2:35
  9. "It Can Never Be the Same" (Bruce Conte, Stephen "Doc" Kupka, Emilio Castillo) - 4:43
  10. "I Believe in Myself" (Emilio Castillo, Stephen "Doc" Kupka) - 2:00
  11. "Walkin' Up Hip Street" (Chester D. Thompson) - 5:50

Production

  • Emilio Castillo – producer
  • Tower of Power – producers
  • Alan Chinowsky – engineer
  • Tom Flye – engineer
  • Chris Morris – assistant engineer
  • Kurt Kinzel – assistant engineer
  • Bruce Steinberg – album design, liner photography
  • Recorded and Mixed at Record Plant (Sausalito, California).

Personnel

Tower of Power

Additional musicians

  • David Garibaldi – drums (7)
  • Carter Collins – congas (7)
  • Gerard Vinci – concertmaster
  • Bootche Anderson – backing vocals (1, 2, 9, 10)
  • Marilyn Scott – backing vocals (1, 2, 9, 10)
  • Pepper Watkins – backing vocals (1, 2, 9, 10)

Charts

=Album=

class="wikitable"
Chart (1975)

! Peak
position

Billboard Pop Albums{{Cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=tower-of-power-mn0000013393/awards/|pure_url=yes}}|title=Tower Of Power US albums chart history|publisher=allmusic.com|access-date=2012-12-27}}

| align=center|22

Billboard Top Soul Albums

| align=center|19

=Singles=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! Chart positions{{Cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=tower-of-power-mn0000013393/awards|pure_url=yes}}|title=Tower Of Power US singles chart history|publisher=allmusic.com|access-date=2012-12-27}}

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="40"| US
R&B

rowspan="1"|1975

| align="left"| "Willing To Learn"

| 77

rowspan="1"|1975

| align="left"| "Only So Much Oil In The Ground"

| 85

References

{{Reflist}}