Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now (1976),
We Came to Play! (1978), and
Back on the Streets (1979) are bundled in this two-CD release from the U.K.'s BGO label. The set could have been titled The Columbia Years, since it contains all the material
Tower of Power released on the Columbia label. The first of the trio features
Edward McGee as the replacement for
Lenny Williams, while the second and third albums are fronted by
Michael Jeffries, who stuck around much longer. All three albums peaked well outside the Top 20 of the Billboard R&B chart, and they're all patchy, highlighted by minor hit singles "You Ought to Be Havin' Fun," "Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now," "Lovin' You Is Gonna See Me Thru," and "Rock Baby." The first two of that foursome, along with a dozen other cuts from the same era, make up
Soul with a Capital "S": The Best of Tower of Power, a selection geared more for the casual listener, released in 2002 and still in print when this BGO set came out.