Customer Reviews

Christmas Here With You

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I believe this is one of the finest Four Tops album that the group ever put out, not to mention one of my favorite Christmas albums. Levi Stubbs is alive to this very day, February 03, 2000. I saw him in concert three months ago. All the originals are still alive except the groups leader(not lead singer but leader) Lawrence Payton, who passed in 1997 due to stomach cancer. Paytons vocal arrangements and the groups harmony make this album a plus. Sometimes the four sound as if they were a choir of 20 their voices are so strong. The only aspect of the album I do not like was Aretha Franklin. Yes, the Queen of Soul is a great singer. However, her style of singing on some of the songs conflicted with the Tops style. Definetly listen to Track 1 and Little Drummer Boy. And don't eject it till you hear Obie Benson's two songs he wrote and sung on here. All the Tops have at least one lead on the album. BUY IT.

I love the old standards.I particularly enjoy Christmas standards. Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Sinatra,et al had that flair that made you appreciate the writings of the Lowes, Porters, Mercers etc.It certainly made quite an impression upon four men who knows what it's like to spread some cheer to people all over the globe. So when I was asked to collaborate with them to arrange their favorite Christmas songs, I jumped at the chance.Musically, this was my best piece of work. Lawrence,(what more can I say about him that hasn't been said?) Levi, Duke, and Obie were equally easy to "gel" with.Other notables that made this project successful were the engineers, the Ridgeway Sisters, doing wonderful background vocals, my rhythm section,(Pieces of the Puzzle) and of course, Sista 'Ree (Aretha Franklin) rounded out the album's charm. Also special thanks to the families that sang and supported our endeavors.One should be able to ear witness the variations of styles and personalites of each individual; connected by one common thread-- me.After listening to these tracks, I think you will find it fresh and will listen to this album for just as many years as that other "tempting" group of guys that shared the same spotlight and stage.Enjoy!

I LOVE this CD. After, Charlie Brown, it's the first CD I reach for to get my holiday hum on. The rendition of Little Drummer Boy , alone, is worth the price of the CD. It is a nice up tempo rendition with a fabulous ending ( the horns are outstanding ! ).I put it on blast, every time I play it. The Night Before Christmas, Christmas Delight and Christmas Here wih You are also very nicely done. I've just purchased 6 more copies for holiday giving.

When I think of Christmas I think of: the happiness, togetherness, & joy of the season. This CD really captures the aspect of the season not to mention three of the songs (track# 1,8,10) were original and written by the Gentlemen of Pop. And a lot of the rest were edited or added to. The harmonies of Levi, Duke, Obie, and Lawrence sound so graceful. And the special guest Aretha Franklin adds the perfect touch to the mixture. We were all so lucky that the Tops & Aretha blessed us with their voices on this CD. This is one of my favorite CD's because of the harmony it brings. When I hear it I wanna go sit by the fireplace and drink a hot liquid. I'm a lifelong Four Tops fan and always will be and I think this CD would be a great buy and addition to anyone's Christmas collection.

Many of Motown's top artists released Christmas albums in the 60s and 70s. The Four Tops, for some inexplicable reason, didn't release this CD till 1995. But better late than never. Having been a Four Tops fan and liking them better than the Tempts or the Miracles, I was always hoping for them to do this. We have a couple of new songs here, surprisingly you don't hear any of these on the radio - at least I never heard them on it. The title track is good. Aretha sings on it, as well as White Christmas and Silent Night. Away in a Manger and Have Yourself a Merry Little Xmas are beautifully done and show that these guys can still harmonize and make good music. Little Drummer Boy kicks it up a notch. The Christmas Song and Merry Christmas Baby are nice new versions to hear. The last song, "The Night Before Christmas" is the best version of that song I've heard since Fred Waring did it back in the 40s. I'm surprised it doesn't get radio play.

I just can't get into Christmas Delight or Merry Christmas to You, but I give the Tops an A for effort. It took long enough for this to happen. Thank goodness they did this. Two years after this CD was released, we lost Lawrence Payton. Obie and Levi have also since passed on, only Duke survives. They were together for over 40 years, with the SAME FOUR GUYS. That's practically unheard of. At least we have this CD to remember them by during the holidays.

This CD is not a commercial project and does not contain radio cuts, what it does contain is slightly over the top Holday cheer. It sounds like a family gathering, Christmas choir music. It's big, it's infectious and full of the holiday spirit but most of all it is full of love from some dynamic men who have passed on. Buy it for what it is a family Christmas Special.

This is a must have for any Four Tops fan. The way they harmonize sounds great. Hearing Levi makes reaching some of those high notes is impressive. They all sound great. This is a great buy.

I love this CD. There are some unusual arrangements (The Little Drummer Boy) and best of all, the Christmas Song, which has always been linked to Nat King Cole in my family - in my opinion, it's even better by Levi Stubbs. I even gave this away to friends as presents for Christmas.

CHRISTMAS HERE WITH YOU SHOWS OFF THE TOPS AT THERE BEST IN SO MANY WAYS.LEVI IS ALIVE AND WELL SINGING LEAD ON A VARIETY OF NUMBERS AND THE TIGHT HARMONIES OF DUKE,OBIE AND LAWRENCE ARE EVIDENT THROUGHOUT THE RECORDING. THE ORCHESTRATIONS OF GEORGE ROUNTREE JR. BRING THIS ALBUM INTO THE CLASSIC LEVEL OF FOUR TOPS RECORDINGS.I BELIEVE ONE WILL JUDGE THIS AS AN HISTORIC ALBUM IN THE CAREER OF FOUR GENTLEMAN WHO HAVE MADE MUSICAL HISTORY WITH THEIR TALENT.