30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Summation of One of the Greatest Groups Ever, November 8, 2001
This review is from: Fourever (Audio CD)
The original Four Tops (Levi Stubbs, Lawrence Payton, Duke Fakir, Obie Benson) performed together for 43 years and recorded over 30 albums. As a long-time Tops' collector, I was psyched by the arrival of this new four-disc, career-spanning (1956-1992) box set. Amid the 85 tracks, 40 are making their debut on CD. Amongst those, ten were previously unreleased, four were previously unreleased in the U.S., and four more were never released on an album. While it's not perfect (what is?), it's obvious that a lot of effort went into the compiling of this deluxe retrospective.
The first disc leads off with samples of the Tops' pre-Motown work. The 1956 Chess single "Could It Be You" presents a higher-pitched Stubbs fronting a prime slice of doo-wap. Less impressive are the follow-ups: the 1960 Columbia single "Ain't That Love" and a 1962 uptempo rendition of "Pennies From Heaven" on Riverside. The Tops signed with Motown in 1963, and their first album, the cancelled jazz set Breaking Through (finally released in 1999), is represented by the ultra-smooth "Until I Met You." It's fine, but the magic doesn't begin until track five.
That recording, 1964's "Baby I Need your Loving," was the Tops' first collaboration with the songwriting-production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. It established a winning formula: lyrics that entail Levi yearning for or proclaiming his love for a girl he has lost or can't have; pulsating music cut in a (high) key out of Stubbs' regular vocal range, the subsequent strain causing his pleas to sound even more dramatic; background vocals with a full, almost Spectorian resonance, thanks to the addition of Motown's resident session singers, the Andantes.
(...)
Disc two opens with the Tops at their commercial peak (late 1966 to early 1967), leading off with the huge hits "Reach Out ("I'll Be There)," "Standing In The Shadows Of Love," and "Bernadette." A live version of "I'll Turn To Stone" follows, marred by poor sound quality. In late 1967, Holland-Dozier-Holland abruptly left Motown in a dispute over financial compensation. This prompted the label to release year-old remakes of "Walk Away Renee" and "If I Were A Carpenter" as follow-up Tops' singles. They are proof that the Tops could make a hit out of practically anything.
In 1968 and 1969, other Motown writer-producers like Ivy Jo Hunter (the poignant "Yesterday's Dreams"), Johnny Bristol (the haunting "What Is A Man"), and Norman Whitfield (the blah "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me") attempted to fill the void left by Holland-Dozier-Holland's exit. None of their work with the Tops, however, penetrated the pop or r & b top 20.
Besides the aforementioned singles and some assorted album tracks from 1966-1969, disc two also includes a pair of unique, previously unreleased collaborations: "Oh, I've Been Blessed" by Levi and the Vandellas (with Stubbs recording over a track that once featured Martha Reeves) and "Stranded On The Road of Love" with Edwin Starr (the Tops and Starr made separate recordings - which were later merged - on the same backing tracks). Neither rises above mediocrity.
As disc three and the seventies begin, Frank Wilson had taken over as the Tops' producer for the landmark Still Waters concept album. Wilson ditched the Andantes from the background and put more emphasis on the Tops harmonies. Payton was given more solo parts as well. As evidenced by the tracks "It's All In the Game" and "Still Water (Peace)/"Still Water (Love)" - the latter recording combined as originally intended for the first time - the Tops had risen to new melodic heights.
Next up is a pair of duets with the Supremes: the soaring hit "River Deep, Mountain High" that easily surpasses the over-rated Phil Spector-produced Tina Turner version, and the so-so "I'm Glad About It" (the latter's glorious a-side, "You Gotta Have Love In Your Heart" should have been included instead - it's available on The Four Tops Anthology as well as the Supremes box set). They are followed by more of Frank Wilson's well-crafted but (now) underachieving singles like "In These Changing Times" and "(It's The Way) Nature Planned It," plus a couple of tracks recorded in England with the Moody Blues, led by the awesome "A Simple Game" (found here in its inferior original unedited mix).
During 1971-1972, the Tops received little promotional support from Motown and struggled on the charts. Frustrated, they left the label in late 1972 and signed with ABC subsidiary Dunhill Records. Some of the Tops' best recordings from their first two Dunhill albums - produced by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter - make up the last third of disc three. They include hits like the urban message song "Keeper Of The Castle," the Shaft in Africa theme "Are You Man Enough," and the multi-format smash "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)," as well as stellar album tracks such as "Love Music" and "Main Street People."
Disc four starts off with the Tops' remaining r & b hits at ABC/Dunhill (1974 - 1976), including their funkiest recording ever "One Chain Don't Make No Prison," the stupid "Catfish," and a lively live version of "Midnight Flower" that easily tops the original. Missing is their 1978 disco hit "H.E.L.P." (the only decent track from their unrepresented 1977 and 1978 albums). Compensation comes, however, from the previously unreleased (in the U.S.) 1979 dance version of the Yardbird's "For Your Love." It's smokin'!
In 1981 the Tops signed with Casablanca and released two of their strongest albums ever. Unfortunately, we only get three tracks from this period: their 1981 retro smash "When She Was My Girl," a live version of the follow-up single "Tonight I'm Gonna Love You All Over," and the wedding staple "I Believe In You And Me" (Levi's performance buries Whitney Houston's hit version). Among the many choice recordings left off are the sassy Grease 2 theme "Back To School Again" (the only redeeming component of that film), and the buoyant "Nobody's Gonna Love You Like I Do." (They're available on the Tops' great Polygram compilation When She Was My Girl).
The Tops performed a scorching medley with the Temptations on the 1983 Motown 25 reunion special - included here - which was one of the evening's highlights. This led to the Tops re-signing with Motown for two unexciting albums represented here by their singles "I Just Can't Walk Away" and "Sexy Ways." Also contained here are two tracks previously unreleased from their cancelled 1986 Motown album Hot Nights (they weren't worth the wait).
A much stronger effort was their 1988 Arista album Indestructible, the singles of which are found here. Its defiant title track - a duet with Smokey Robinson - returned the Tops to the pop top 40 for the first time since "When She Was My Girl" and was used as a theme for the Olympics in Seoul, Korea. The reflective Aretha Franklin duet "If Ever A Love There Was" went on to make a dent on the r & b charts, while the festive "Loco In Acapulco" hit the top ten in the U.K.
A classy collaboration with Grover Washington Jr. from 1992 - "Till You Return To Me" - and the Lawrence Payton-written "The Four Of Us" (adopted by the Tops as their theme song) conclude the set on a high note. Payton's death in 1997 ended the recording legacy of the original Four Tops. This collection serves as an outstanding tribute to the unparalleled harmony they shared, in and out of the recording studio.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fitting Tribute to a Great Group, December 31, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Fourever (Audio CD)
OK, it's impossible to please everyone. And Motown box sets have always been inconsistent. There is always a favorite song that is left out or alternate version that makes you cry, "Why??" Or Motown plays it too safe with only the hits. I am one of these hard to please fans, yet I find this box set nearly perfect! It bridges four decades of work, highlighting the group's harmonies and the passionate and truely unique lead vocals of Levi Stubbs.
Most fans of the Four Tops will prefer only the Motown hits. Though the hits are strong, in my opinion only three songs are classics: "Baby I Need Your Lovin'," "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch," "Reach Out, I'll Be There." Each hit was followed by one or more nearly identical tunes of lesser quality. To sum up the Motown hits, "It's The Same Old Song." It's interesting to see the chart ratings on the follow up hits, gradually sliding off the charts until the next new sound!
It is a special treat, therefore, to listen to the non-hits. Such as the lush and beatiful "Is There Anything I Can Do," and "Just As Long As You Need Me," "What Is A Man," "I Believe In You and Me." There are many more such jewels scattered throughout this collection. Also, lesser known hits "Just Seven Numbers," and "River Deep, Mountain High" with the post Diana Ross Supremes. The alternate version of "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" is an inspired inclusion, as well as the unedited "Still Water."
The Post-Motown days are well represented here, with more Top 10 classics such as "Ain't No Woman Like The One I Got," "Keeper of the Castle," and "When She Was My Girl." The group's success after Motown proves they were more than just a cog in the Motown hit machine.
The box set itself is beatiful, with an informative booklet. Did you know the wonderful harmonies of the Four Tops were underplayed to focus on the soaring voice of Levi Stubbs? Also, Motown's studio female group the Andantes backed up most of the groups hits as well? Growing up, I always assumed the four tops had a couple male sopranos in the ranks!
To nit pick, some of the selections have poor sound qaulity and some songs just don't work. Also, the live inclusion of "I'll Turn To Stone" is unfortunate. It reeks of Motown's Vegas "supper club" aspirations of the '60s and is inferior to the studio version. Even so, the clunkers are few and far between.
This is a fitting tribute to one of America's greatest musical groups and Levi Stubbs. A feast for true Four Tops fans and a must have collection to their musical library.
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