Rating: 
Summary: Could've Been Better
Review: This version of the band has Brent Carter on vocals, and I never liked him as much as Tom Bowes before and Larry LB Braggs after. The sound on this disc sounds like it was taken from T.V. You can't even hear Rocco that well. The show is from 1998 and was not T.O.Ps first performance on Ohne Filter. They also played there in 1991 with Tom Bowes singing and the sound quality is much better, plus I think it is a better show. It's too bad that that show has still not been released officially, although it does pop up on Ebay from time to time un-officially. T.O.P. really needs to get a concert video of the current band released and show people just how hot they are right now. This DVD is a must for T.O.P. fans, but I would pass if you're not hardcore about the band.
Rating: 
Summary: Sour Tower of Power
Review: Being a hard-core fan since the "East Bay Grease" days, I was thrilled that TOP was finally bringing to market a concert DVD. I've seen them in concert several times going all the way back to when they did a split bill with Cold Blood (still the best concert I have ever been to). Being an owner of Soul Vaccination: Live, I was expecting comparable audio quality and boy was I let down! The producers and mixers of this project should be ashamed of themselves! Not to mention those cheesy graphics that appear after the beginning of each tune. This may be the way they do it in Germany, but drop it for the USA. We know the tune by the third note coming out of the Funky Doctors Sax. I can't believe the boys in the band whole heartily endorse this project. Save your money on this one for the next time TOP is in town or pick up Soul Vaccination: Live.
Rating:
Summary: Sour Tower of Power
Review: Being a hard-core fan since the "East Bay Grease" days, I was thrilled that TOP was finally bringing to market a concert DVD. I've seen them in concert several times going all the way back to when they did a split bill with Cold Blood (still the best concert I have ever been to). Being an owner of Soul Vaccination: Live, I was expecting comparable audio quality and boy was I let down! The producers and mixers of this project should be ashamed of themselves! Not to mention those cheesy graphics that appear after the beginning of each tune. This may be the way they do it in Germany, but drop it for the USA. We know the tune by the third note coming out of the Funky Doctors Sax. I can't believe the boys in the band whole heartily endorse this project. Save your money on this one for the next time TOP is in town or pick up Soul Vaccination: Live.
Rating:
Summary: Not great...but not horrible
Review: Having seen T.o.P many-a-time, I wanted to see how well a live show translated onto DVD. Overall, not very impressive. I'm not sure how the audience was picked (even though Brent Carter alludes to it being in a TV studio, which is obvious)but they don't seem to be representative of the "hardcore" Tower of Power fans. The set list is very reminiscent of the Live CD put out during the time of this taping, with the exception of the slower ballads and the #1 "You're Still A Young Man" (Which are surely missed on the DVD) The sound on the DVD isn't all that great either. There is also a Dolby 5.1 option which I didn't try yet, but perhaps that is why the sound just doesn't jump out at you. The bonus features are also quite lax. A third rate bio with spelling and pronunciation errors which any person with the least bit of knowledge about T.o.P should know and an interview with the producer of the German TV series (like we care??) And I'm sure that Norbert Statchel (even though not with the band anymore) is thrilled that his name is spelled Bobert in the band lineup. Overall, its a necessary, if not expected addition to any T.o.P collection. However, get out and see T.o.P when they come near your home. Their live performances will blow you away!!
Rating: 
Summary: Tower of Power was SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I give this band the 5 stars as they deserve it. They have been playing for 3 decades and are nothing but a top notch band. But, I was told this DVD performance was a new concert and if you look on the technical info, it shows 2003, when in fact, this was done in 1998. I find that to be very misleading and as the other person said, the venue deters from the bands quality and professional image. The videography absolutely stinks. Whoever produced this mess needs to see a proctologist. This is a great band folks, why wasn't a live performance done in a much more suitable venue and in 2003??
Come on, get real.........Great band, but either their management needs to be fired or whomever is responsible for this mess. They played well and I love them, but its like a Picasso hanging in the mens' room of McDonalds!
Rating: 
Summary: production valueLESS
Review: I still love these guys....TOP has been a one-of-a-kind funk phenomenon for over three dacades. But any true TOP fan would tell you 30 seconds into this video that the live (or should I say dead) audience assembled for this show had never heard of The Funky Doctor before show time. The Oakland Stroke in Badenbaden, Germany? Nice try, Deiter, but I've seen better production values on my local cable access channel. What a shame, cause they're such a great band. They deserve to be showcased in a much better venue than this. What is hip? Not this DVD. Thankfully I have just about every one of the band's recordings where the production values always rise to the high standards of Emilio, Doc and rest of this talented band. My advice to the German production company responsible for this train wreck....don't quit your day jobs.
Rating:
Summary: Where Is The Power?
Review: I was so excited to see Tower was finally going to release a dvd. However , maybe they shouldn't have. The audio is terrible , it is all horns & lead vocals. Drums,keys,guitar,bass & backing vocals are buried in the mix. Save your money. Tower is much stronger than this. If you want to see a great Tower video , check out Francis Rocco Prestia's "Fingerstyle Funk" instructional video. It has some clips of T.O.P. in concert playing most of the classics & the audio is very good. They also have some great closeup shots of Rocco layin' it down. Like other reveiwers have said,go see them live & you won't be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Wait
Review: I've been a TOP fan since they released "East Bay Grease" on San Francisco records. I've seen them in concert and have also followed the careers of since departed band members like Lenny Williams, Richard Elliot, Lenny Picket and of course Greg Adams. Footage of TOP is rare. In the late 70's I did see TOP on "Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve Party" broadcast on network T.V. and on "Soul Train". All this to say in light of the scarcity of TOP video I was extremely excited when I learned of this DVD. Rocco has released an excellent instructional video which fades or cuts to the full band doing the piece on which Rocco is instructing. It was made during the Tom Bows era. For TOP fans, who have been waiting to see the funky doctor blow that opening baritone line to "Squip Cakes", up close the waiting is over.
Rating:
Summary: funkywhiteboy
Review: I've enjoyed TOP since the 70's. My first concert was TOP at Circle Star Theater in California. What a performance! Regarding this DVD, I agree with the other reviewers about the sound quality. However, I gave it 5 Stars because I'm so damn happy someone finally released TOP on DVD. Recently I found another DVD on the Amazon.UK website. It was filmed in the 80's and is called, "Tower of Power, What is Hip, Live at Iowa State University". It has 21 songs total, all of it their older material. Ellis Hall is the lead singer and is one of two keyboardists on this performance. At one point he even borrows Rocco's bass and jams for a little bit. Besides being extremely talented, the most impressive part is that Mr. Hall happens to be blind. Again, the sound quality is subpar, however, if you're a true TOP fan I think you'll dig this DVD too.
Rating:
Summary: Only for Hard Core Fans...
Review: Since we see so little of Tower on conventional media (a head-scratcher for sure) I applaud the Germans for wanting to capture this great band--and if they had some audio folks that understood how to mix, this would be a very exciting disc. As it is, it documents a good performance with a good lineup on the band, but because the audio is so bad (it sounds as tho it was recorded with a cassette recorder at the back of the hall) it really brings the presentation down. I'm a fan, and would rather have something than nothing, but I really can't recommend this as a good representation of one of my favorite all-time bands. Sadly...
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