Four Tops Singles Collect

No, here's the ultimate Four Tops singles collection. Like Motown Select's 50th anniversary releases for the Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes, and Martha & the Vandellas, this is a three-disc anthology packaged like a hardcover book. It features nearly 60 pages of images, sleeve scans, detailed track information, and in-depth liner notes - much of which is sensibly repurposed from those like-shaped Complete Motown Singles volumes. The A-sides and B-sides appear chronologically - a terminally impressive sequence that includes the Top Five R&B singles "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "It's the Same Old Song," "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)," "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Standing in the Shadows of Love," and "Bernadette."

50th Anniversary: The Singles Collection 1964-1972 Review by Andy Kellman
No, here's the ultimate Four Tops singles collection. Like Motown Select's 50th anniversary releases for the Temptations, Diana Ross & the Supremes, and Martha & the Vandellas, this is a three-disc anthology packaged like a hardcover book. It features nearly 60 pages of images, sleeve scans, detailed track information, and in-depth liner notes – much of which is sensibly repurposed from those like-shaped Complete Motown Singles volumes. The A-sides and B-sides appear chronologically – a terminally impressive sequence that includes the Top Five R&B singles "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "It's the Same Old Song," "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)," "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Standing in the Shadows of Love," and "Bernadette." The singles are shared with the Supremes on disc two, while the third disc is heavy on the "bonus tracks": 14 sides from the U.K.-only singles, as well as Italian versions of "I Can't Help Myself," "Reach Out I'll Be There," and "Walk Away Renee." For most fans, this is overkill and then some. For voracious newcomers and collectors – perhaps even those who shelled out for all the Complete Motown Singles volumes – this is an essential release, if somewhat frustratingly so.

With 47 Pop hits and 52 R&B hits to their credit spanning nearly 25 years of recordings, The Four Tops are one of the greatest vocal groups in the history of pop music, hands down. But a big chunk of their hits, the ones they recorded for the ABC/Dunhill label, have been almost entirely unavailable in the CD era. This 2-CD collection from Real Gone Music answers the prayers of soul fans worldwide by presenting, for the first time ever on CD, all 33 rare single sides that the Tops recorded for the ABC/Dunhill label from 1972 through 1978. Just how rare are these tracks? We'll get into that in a sec; but first, a little history. Though The Four Tops (Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Lawrence Payton, and lead singer Levi Stubbs) had dominated the charts with their classic recordings for Motown in the '60s, when the label decided in 1972 to move to Los Angeles, the group, like many of their celebrated label-mates, felt it was time for a change.

Solid and steady hitmakers for Motown in the late 1960s, the Four Tops, led by the deep, soulful voice of Levi Stubbs and blessed with A-line songs from the Holland-Dozier-Holland writing team, were one of the finest singing groups the label ever produced. Singles like "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Standing in the Shadows of Love," "Bernadette," "I Can't Help Myself," and the wise-beyond-its-era "It's the Same Old Song" were radio staples in their time, and actually still continue to be staples on 21st century oldies stations. That's staying power, and it's no accident. The songs, at least the singles, were good and the Tops' sound was a hair rougher and edgier than a lot of Motown's issues at the time.

One of the few live albums that really conveys the flavor of the group without sacrificing performance quality. The Four Tops' stage shows have always been among the most participatory and enjoyable of any R&B or soul group, and that was clearly the case on this release.

"Still Waters Run Deep" is a 1970 album by the American vocal group The Four Tops released in March 1970 on the Motown label. Produced by longtime Norman Whitfield associate Frank Wilson, the album returned (the) Four Tops to the Top 40 on the Billboard album chart where it remained for 42 weeks peaking at #21. The album yielded the popular Top 30 hits, "Still Water (Love)" (#11), which was co-written by Smokey Robinson and their cover of "It's All in the Game" (#24), which featured rare co-leads by Four Tops members Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton singing alongside prominent lead Levi Stubbs. The album also served as inspiration behind singer Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", the hit title track, which was written by Benson.

Keepers Of The Castle: Their Best 1972 To 1978 is a 1997 compilation by soul group The Four Tops, representing when they moved from Motown to Dunhill/ABC Records, honoring their 1970's period. This was released by MCA.