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The Four Tops

Four Tops, The

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Four Tops Kept Trying and Won!

Profile and Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 26 August 1966

"IF AT FIRST you don't succeed, try, try again." A tired old saying, but it gets new life this week as the Four Tops climb ...

NME Chart News Woke Up The Four Tops In Record Time!

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 21 October 1966

THE PHONE rang eleven times in Room 3055 at New York's Hilton Hotel before Lawrence Payton roused himself from his slumbers and dragged it towards ...

Four Tops On The Four Tops

Interview by Carol Deck, KRLA Beat, 22 October 1966

WHEN FOUR handsome young men from Detroit put out a record that immediately grabs everyone's attention, people soon want to know everything there is to ...

The Soul Parade

Overview by Maureen O'Grady, Rave, November 1966

RAVE's Maureen O'Grady puts on parade some of the greatest and the latest singers of "soul". The sound the "in" crowd said would happen. ...

Blind Date: The Four Tops

Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 19 November 1966

The stars single out the new singles ...

Blowing their TOPS! The Four Tops, Easybeats, Cliff Bennett: Saville Theatre, London

Live Review by Penny Valentine, Disc and Music Echo, 19 November 1966

The 'Reach Out, I'll Be There' boys hit town and cause a sensation among the stars and fans at their concert ...

The Four Tops: Saville Theatre, London

Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 November 1966

TREMENDOUS TOPS SCORE AT SAVILLE ...

The Four Tops: Saville Theatre, London

Live Review by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 19 November 1966

UNIQUE ATMOSPHERE AT TOPS SHOW ...

Four Tops Spin Thru Britain

Report by Rochelle Reed, KRLA Beat, 31 December 1966

EPSTEIN BOOKS TOUR ...

Nancy and The Who Making It Big

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 6 January 1967

AT THE RIPE old age of 23, Nancy Lewis isn't exactly a teenager. But Detroiter Nancy is swimming right in the middle of all the ...

Singles From the Four Tops, Percy Sledge et al

Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 7 January 1967

A lack of new ideas but another Tops success ...

Blind Date: Paul Jones

Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 14 January 1967

NOW IT'S psychedelic Blind Date. At least, that's what Paul Jones' session in the hot seat seemed like at the time. First of all, the ...

New Singles from the Rolling Stones, Four Tops et al

Review by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 14 January 1967

GOODIES THIS WEEK INCLUDE A MUCH-BETTER ROLLING STONES, SIMILAR, BUT DISTINCTIVE SOUND FROM TOPS, AND A PLAINTIVE PAUL JONES, NOT-SO INSTANT VAUDEVILLE BAND, AND A ...

Holland-Dozier-Holland: This Tamla Trio Top The Hitmakers Chart

Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 28 January 1967

HOLLAND-DOZIER-Holland may sound like a firm of solicitors, but they must rank among the most prolific songwriting teams in history. ...

Four Tops Plan a Motown Choir

Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 February 1967

SWINGING London was practically rocked off its hinges the first time the famous Four Tops descended among us last year – the year of 'Reach ...

The Four Tops, Madeline Bell, the Merseys, the Remo Four: Royal Albert Hall, London

Live Review by Penny Valentine, Disc and Music Echo, 4 February 1967

Ball at the Albert Hall ...

The Four Tops, The Merseys, Madeline Bell, Remo Four: Royal Albert Hall, London

Live Review by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 4 February 1967

FOUR TOPS HAD US ALL ON OUR FEET reports Alan Smith ...

The Four Tops: Four Tops 'Live' (Tamla Motown TML 11041, Stereo STML 11041)

Review by uncredited writer, Beat Instrumental, March 1967

GREAT! THAT'S the only way to describe the Four Tops' performance on this "live" album. And it really is "live", too. Recorded at the Upper ...

Drop the Tops in Britain — And the Crowds Go Wild

Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 3 March 1967

WHAT DO you get when you mix the Motor City's Four Tops with the British public? A whole lot of love flowing both ways. ...

Jimi Hendrix, Four Tops, Jeff Beck et al: Singles Reviews

Review by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 25 March 1967

Catchy debut solo from Jeff Beck, and a typical but powerful Four Tops. Better showcase for Jimi Hendrix on his newie, and best yet from ...

Tamla Keeps Hits Rolling

Report and Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 25 March 1967

Wives taught us to dance — FOUR TOPS ...

Four Top A Week: Laurence Payton, The Quiet One

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 6 May 1967

LAURENCE the Top has a homely round face, honest, open eyes, and a liking for big shirts with big collars. He sits with his dark ...

Four Top A Week: How I Got Out Of The Ghetto by Renaldo Benson

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 13 May 1967

TOP RENALDO is the most instantly likeable man I ever met. Happiness was made for Renaldo. It sparkles out of his honest eyes. It gleams ...

Four Top A Week: Easy-Going Abdul Fakir

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 20 May 1967

TOP ABDUL is the one the others call Duke — why, he doesn't quite know. Maybe it's his air of royal dignity. ...

Four Top A Week: Levi The Leader

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 27 May 1967

MUSTACHIOED LEVI Stubbs is the undoubted leader of the Four Tops — the man in front, the quiet man of influence, and a singer with ...

Loraine Alterman on Records: New Albums from Vanilla Fudge, Big Brother et al

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 3 September 1967

Vanilla Fudge: Exciting Album ...

The Supremes: Psychedelic Tamla!

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 18 November 1967

Brian Holland, one of Motown's famous composing team, speaks to Alan Smith, and tells about PSYCHEDELIC TAMLA! ...

Major LP Release from Tamla

Review by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 13 January 1968

THE BIG R & B companies have a habit of LP release lists which make mouths watery with anticipation. Of course the omnipresent financial problem ...

Tamla's Miracles Break Through At Last!

Report by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 20 January 1968

THE FIRST of the Tamla Motown groups, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, have finally made it big in the British charts with their runaway transatlantic ...

Four Tops Live Up To Their Name

Profile by Mike Gormley, The Ottawa Journal, 22 March 1968

THEY HAD reached the top — all four of them. ...

No Mo' Motown?

Comment by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 August 1968

CHRIS WELCH records the demise of a chart influence ...

The Four Tops: Yesterday's Gone (Tamla Motown Stereo ST ML 11087).

Review by Lon Goddard, Record Mirror, 18 January 1969

SOME UNEXPECTED selections on this long awaited 4 Tops collection. The Tops are classics of The Male Motown list and have certainly put some brilliant ...

Four Tops Hoping For British Tour, Diana Splits Next Year

Report by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 25 October 1969

ALAN SMITH reports the latest views from DETROIT, A CITY PACKED WITH NATURAL MOTOWN TALENT. ...

The Four Tops: Tamla's senior citizens

Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 14 March 1970

THE SUCCESS of the Four Tops was instrumental in making the Motown sound of major importance in the development of rock music during the mid-Sixties. ...

On Disc: Singles Reviewed By John E. Abbey

Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 29 March 1970

RECORD OF THE FORTNIGHT ...

Four Tops Reach Out

Interview by uncredited writer, Beat Instrumental, May 1970

THE BIG QUESTION hanging over the heads of the Four Tops, Tamla Motown's long-running stars, is just how much they are going to miss the ...

The Four Tops: Changing Times

Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 9 October 1970

IN THE FIVE short months that have passed since the last time the Tops came to Britain, a great deal has happened to them. ...

The Four Tops: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Royston Eldridge, Sounds, 17 October 1970

THE WORST part of growing up is that your teenage favourites tend to lose their magic as the years pass. Thankfully, whatever the Tops have ...

Supremes and Tops aren't Puppets of Motown

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 17 July 1971

NME's Alan Smith on the phone to Supreme Jean Terrell in Los Angeles. ...

The Magnificent Seven Live: The Supremes and the Four Tops live at the Royal Albert Hall, London

Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, 17 December 1971

DUE TO lack of publicity, the International Children's Aid Charity concert on Tuesday November 30 at the Royal Albert Hall was not as well attended ...

Stylistics sock it out sweetly

Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, New Musical Express, 10 June 1972

THOUGH THE music of Detroit, Memphis and Muscle Shoals receives more publicity over here, the East Coast city of Philadelphia, just over 100 miles south ...

The Pointers: Sign of a Wasted Rock Culture

Profile by Vernon Gibbs, New Musical Express, 29 September 1973

ANYTIME THE American media welcomes a new act with such an overt display of scraping and bowing for superlatives, it's time to be suspicious. ...

Four Tops, Delfonics, Tymes: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, 17 December 1974

THIS WAS probably the soul event of a fairly inconspicuous year for our music as far as concerts in the capital are concerned Without thinking ...

Tamla albums round-up

Review by Cliff White, New Musical Express, 2 August 1975

FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS. The Supremes' new LP is a winner. ...

Four Tops Don't Walk Away Ever!

Interview by Gavin Martin, New Musical Express, 6 February 1982

MY FIRST TASTE of Motown music was many summers ago as I mulled away my school holidays in a sort of passive ignorance, more interested ...

The Four Tops: One More Mountain (Casablanca)

Review by Gavin Martin, New Musical Express, 4 September 1982

WHEN MARVIN Gaye recorded What's Going On in the early '70s it was part of an important transition for the Motown label, its mixture of ...

The Great Levi Stubbs

Memoir by Dave Marsh, Rock and Rap Confidential, October 2008

WHEN I WAS 15, I met the Four Tops on a downtown Detroit street, where they were doing a photo shoot with the Supremes. ...

Motown at 50

Retrospective and Interview by Alan Light, MSN.com, January 2009

FIFTY YEARS AGO this month in Detroit, a 29-year-old African-American songwriter named Berry Gordy, Jr – a former boxer, autoworker, and Army veteran – borrowed ...

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