Four Tops - 50th Anniversary Anthology (Dig)

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Music reviews of 50th Anniversary Anthology (Dig)

Music Review: Reach For The Top(s)....
Rating: 5 Stars

After struggling for 10 years on major record labels like Chess and Atlantic, The Four Tops (originally known as The Four Aims) hit it big when they signed to Motown in 1964. They were paired with the production team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. The trio produced the foursome's first single for the label, "Baby, I Need Your Loving". After years of struggle, the Tops hit it big when the single broke into the top 15 on Billboard's Hot 100. Two more Holland - Dozier - Holland songs, "Without The One You Love (Life's Not Worthwhile) and "Ask The Lonely", failed the match of the success of the first single. The band had yet to have a top 10 hit. The wait ended when Brian, Lamont and Eddie gave them "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "It's The Same Old Song". The wait was finally over: the former song went to number one for 2 weeks while the latter ascended to number five. Two more top 20 hits followed before their writer/producers gave them what are probably their 3 greatest songs. The first in this string was the uplifting "Reach Out, I'll Be There". The song returned them to the top of the charts for two weeks. The next single was as simlar to reach out as "It's The Same Old Song" was to "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)". Nonetheless, "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" soared into the top 10. The next single was yet another soundalike, though with a slightly different lyrical content, "Bernadette", their third consecutive top 10 single. Their next single, "7 Rooms Of Gloom", only went top 20, and they abandoned H - D - H for cover versions of "Walk Away, Renee" and "If I Were A Carpenter", both of which became top 20 hits. In late 1967, Holland, Dozier and Holland left Motown, leaving the Tops without a guiding force. After Johnny Bristol and Norman Whitfield produced two consecutive flops for the group, they teamed with Frank Wilson, who produced two hits for the group, a cover of Tommy Edwards' number one hit "It's All In The Game" and "Still Water (Love)". After that, they had a hit with a duet with The Supremes on a cover of "River Deep, Mountain High". Three singles produced by Wilson an group member Lawrence Payton followed, including a dynamic cover of "MacArthur Park".

Disc 2 begins with their final two Motown singles, "A Simple Game" and "(It's The Way) Nature Planned It". Neither helped boost their chart status at home, though the former, a strange collaboration with The Moody Blues, was a top three hit in Britain. In 1972, they finally left Motown. They signed with Dunhill. Their first single for the label was the Dennis Lambert - Brian Potter composition "Keeper Of The Castle". Recording the song turned out to be a wise move; it was their first top 10 hit since "Bernadette", climbing up to number ten. But it was the next single that proved to the world that the Top were back on top. The cool, swaying ballad "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)" featured a great vocal by Levi and sailed to number four. The next single, "Are You Man Enough", made the top 15, but subsequent singles like "Catfish", "One Chain Don't Make No Prison" and "H.E.L.P" failed to match the success of the first three singles. By the end of the 1970s', they were again without a record label. In 1980, they signed with Neil Bogart's Casablanca Records. Their first single for the label was "When She Was My Girl". The record was a monster hit, reaching number 11 on the pop charts, number 1 on the R & B charts, number 9 on the Adult Contemporary Charts, and number 3 in the U.K., an impressive feat for a band many assumed had peaked in 1967. But, alas, the renaissance was short - lived, as subsequent singles on the label flopped. In 1983, they returned to Motown and were reunited with Holland - Dozier - Holland for the single "I Just Can't Walk Away". The single failed and they left the label yet again. In 1987, they released an album on Arista titled "Indestructible". The title track featured an appearance by Smokey Robinson and went into the top 40, their last single.

This is a great collection to celebrate the anniversary of The Four Tops. The set is filled with timeless music. Not to mention a great booklet with insightful liner notes and details about the songs. Buy it today.

Description of 50th Anniversary Anthology (Dig)

* 50 Years Of Hits and Counting.
* Two Career-Spanning CDs Featuring I CAN'T HELP MYSELF, REACH OUT I'LL BE THERE, BABY I NEED YOUR LOVING, WHEN SHE WAS MY GIRL, AIN'T NO WOMAN and Many More.
* Newly Remastered, Great-Sounding Mixes, New Essay and Photos from the Archives!

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