Forming in Detroit, Michigan, the Four Tops would become one of Motown Records’ most successful groups. Having twenty-four of their singles reach the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, it all began in July of 1964 when radio stations debuted the single “Baby I Need Your Loving.”
A song that immediately caught many listeners’ ears, it would reach number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was a prelude to a career that produced over fifty million records sold. Factors that make them truly iconic musical figures, some would consider “Baby I Need Your Loving” one of the greatest songs ever, but how many remember the album Four Tops itself?
Riding high off the success of “Baby I Need Your Loving,” the Four Tops released “Without the One You Love (Life’s Not Worth While)” later in 1964, before the third single “Ask the Lonely” in early 1965. The latter, eventually hitting twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, was the perfect segue into the self-titled Four Tops which arrived on January 21, 1965.
With a superior instrumental foundation in place thanks to the legendary Funk Brothers, Four Tops was largely the writing/production work of the Motown hitmaking trio of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland. The team that produced/co-wrote most of Motown’s early hits, the combination of them with the unmistakable leading baritone voice of Levi Stubbs backed by Abdul Fakir (first tenor), Renaldo Benson (backing bass), and Lawrence Payton (second tenor), made the Four Tops extraordinarily appealing.
Truly a classic Motown-sounding album, Four Tops would hit number one on the R&B charts and sixty-three on the Billboard 200, but it was merely a prelude to grander success toward the end of 1965 when the group released the Four Tops Second Album which featured the mega hits “I Can’t Help Myself,” “Something About You,” and “It’s the Same Old Song.”
Interesting to look back on, Four Tops itself is a very compelling listen beyond only “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Without the One You Love (Life’s Not Worth While),” or “Ask the Lonely.” In fact, there is so much more; including “Where Did You Go,” “Love Has Gone,” and the richly groovy “Teahouse in China Town.”
Just some of the highlights, now in 2024 Four Tops’ fans have the opportunity to own this debut album in a reissued limited edition vinyl format. Made possible by Elemental Music, the late-year release arrived on November 15th and is presented in the original mono format. Something to consider, the album initially arrived in mono, and this new press offers it in this format from the original mono master. Very exciting, you get the distinctive separation of the Four Tops’ voices and heavy instrumentation… and it sounds fantastic on the 140-gram vinyl.
Also including the original front and back artwork, this reissued LP is a perfect Christmas gift for yourself or the R&B lover in your life who wants to recapture where it all started for the Four Tops. The second Four Tops album reissued in 2024 by Elemental Music, the first being 1970’s Still Waters Run Deep (which arrived in June), Cryptic Rock gives this limited edition pressing of Four Tops 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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