The Four Tops: Reach Out - 1967
This was the peak of The Four Tops' career, and by far their best-selling album.
After the somewhat schizophrenic nature of their previous album, On Top, which had one side of classic Motown and one of inessential, schmaltzy covers, this one redressed the balance, slightly, in favour of quality Motown material. The album is in stereo and has a pretty good sound quality. This would prove to be the group's last album with legendary songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland, who left Motown after this in a financial dispute. Quite what possessed Motown to commission drawings/paintings of some of their groups for several album covers such as this one is unclear. They were pretty awful.
Would you believe the rhyme scheme on the iconic Reach Out I'll Be There was inspired by Bob Dylan's contemporary material? The same goes for Levi Stubbs' phrasing too. I would never have thought that, but, listening to it, I can hear it. It's the emphasis on the last words in the verses. Guess what too? You got it - Quality Control had problems with it - Smokey Robinson hated it. What did he know eh? It is possibly the most famous Motown song of all time.
I have long loved The Four Tops' cover of The Left Banke's Walk Away Renee but at the same time have also felt that it suffered from a somewhat tinny, poorly-produced sound. Time has not changed my opinion, but Levi Stubbs' peerless lead vocal and the song's singalong chorus always override any negatives. Actually, The Left Banke's version is quite feeble in comparison, so there you go. More kudos for this one. It is Southside Johnny's version that out-does them all, though. After all that, the first few notes of The Four Tops' version still send shivers up my spine. The remastered version on this collection is probably the best you will hear of it.
Seven Rooms Of Gloom is up next as the hits just keep coming. It is actually quite a complex song, with what is, I am sure, a difficult vocal to deliver and a huge, pulsating bass line. i love the keyboard line. It is solid and robust as opposed to pure pop and not quite as instantly catchy as some songs, but, before you know it, it's got you. Blondie also covered the song live in the late seventies.
Need a break from hits? Not yet, now we get the sublime Tim Hardin cover, If I Were A Carpenter, with its melodic keyboard intro and, once again, wonderful vocal. It features another magnificent James Jamerson bass line. Great stuff.
For some reason, the producers of The Four Tops saw for the group to cover Monkees hit singles during this period. On this album we get Last Train To Clarksville and I'm A Believer, both of which are sung impressively, but inessential. Believer is played wonderfully, though, with a big, thumping bass. I would rather the originals, to be honest.
In between these two, though, is another Motown classic I'll Turn To Stone, which found popularity in the seventies on the UK Northern Soul scene. It is one of my favourite Four Tops tracks - an uplifting, lively, soulful and underrated song. The classics don't end, though, the iconic "Reach Out part two" of Standing In The Shadows Of Love and the powerful, bassy Bernadette further enhance what is already a corker of an album.
Standing In The Shadows Of Love has been covered a few times in slowed-down fashion, notably by Barry White and Rod Stewart. Neither of which worked. The Four Tops' original upbeat, conga-driven style is the only way to go, for me. More great percussion features on here - just as on Reach Out I'll Be There - check out those groovy pre-chorus congas.
