Back to Oakland (1974)

Tower of Power's 1974 record is a textbook in rhythmic complexity. Francis 'Rocco' Prestia's muted sixteenth-note fingerstyle bass locks with David Garibaldi's ghost-note snare patterns, so the groove seems to shift weight every bar. Play What Is Hip? for the vocal version of that engine, then the instrumental Squib Cakes to hear it run flat out.