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The Ultimate Collection series was a rare success from Motown, one of the first of the label's many compilation series to do justice to some of the finest performers, arrangers, and musicians of the soul era. Nearly every artist with an entry was given the luxury treatment, with a disc-filling running time, excellent compilation decisions, and a pleasing design scheme that reflected the artists in their prime. The Four Tops' entry is arguably the best in the series, since the 25 tracks prove the perfect length to summarize the group's decade at Motown. From 1963 to 1972, the group reached the R&B charts 28 times, and all but a very few are presented here (among the missing are three decidedly unnecessary covers: "MacArthur Park," "If I Were a Carpenter," and "River Deep -- Mountain High"). Though the tracks aren't presented chronologically, thoughtful sequencing makes for an even better listen; The Ultimate Collection opens with "Reach Out (I'll Be There)," perhaps the ultimate pop single of the '60s, and flows smoothly through the best of their 1964-1967 prime: "Baby I Need Your Loving," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "It's the Same Old Song," "Bernadette," and "Standing in the Shadows of Love." And though the hits began to dry up after the Holland-Dozier-Holland machine departed Motown in 1968, the Four Tops' later years are represented well with "It's All in the Game," "Still Water (Love)," "(It's the Way) Nature Planned It," and the driving non-album hit "A Simple Game." Unless you're the type of fan who needs the box set (2001's Fourever), this is all the Four Tops-on-Motown you really need to hear.
© John Bush /TiVo
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Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - Renaldo Obie Benson, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Lawrence Payton, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1966 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1967 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ivy Joe Hunter, Producer, ComposerLyricist - William Mickey Stevenson, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1965 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1964 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Renaldo Benson, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Edward Holland Jr., ComposerLyricist - Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - The Andantes, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Lawrence Payton, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs Jr., Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1964 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Renaldo Benson, Vocals, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Edward Holland Jr., ComposerLyricist - Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - The Andantes, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Lawrence Payton, Keyboards, Vocals, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1965 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Stevie Wonder, ComposerLyricist - Ivy Joe Hunter, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1966 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Renaldo Benson, Vocals, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - The Andantes, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Lawrence Payton, Keyboards, Vocals, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1965 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Renaldo Benson, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Edward Holland Jr., ComposerLyricist - Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - Lawrence Payton, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1965 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1967 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - R. Dean Taylor, Producer - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1968 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lamont Dozier, Producer - Brian Holland, Producer - Michael Brown, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - Tony Sansome, ComposerLyricist - Bob Calilli, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1968 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Renaldo Benson, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Johnny Bristol, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Doris McNeil, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - Lawrence Payton, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs Jr., Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1969 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Renaldo Benson, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - MIKE PINDER, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - Tony Clarke, Producer - Lawrence Payton, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs Jr., Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1971 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jerry Long, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Roach, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - SMOKEY ROBINSON, ComposerLyricist - Frank Wilson, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1970 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Melvin Ragin, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Leonard Caston, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Renaldo Benson, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Pam Sawyer, ComposerLyricist - Jerry Long, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jack Ashford, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Cal Harris, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Andrew Smith, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Eddie Willis, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Frank Wilson, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Brown, Bongos, Conga, AssociatedPerformer - Four Tops, MainArtist - Dennis Coffey, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - James Jamerson, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - David Van dePitte, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Rick Allen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Lawrence Payton, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs Jr., Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1972 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Renaldo Benson, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Jerry Long, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jimmy Roach, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Carl Sigman, ComposerLyricist - Charles Gates Dawes, ComposerLyricist - Frank Wilson, Producer - Four Tops, MainArtist - Lawrence Payton, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs Jr., Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1970 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Renaldo Benson, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Edward Holland Jr., ComposerLyricist - Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - The Andantes, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Lawrence Payton, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Abdul Fakir, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Levi Stubbs Jr., Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1967 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Edward Holland Jr., ComposerLyricist - Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1967 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Edward Holland Jr., ComposerLyricist - Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1967 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - R. Dean Taylor, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1967 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Lamont Dozier, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Eddie Holland, ComposerLyricist - Brian Holland, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1966 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ivy Joe Hunter, Producer, ComposerLyricist - William Mickey Stevenson, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist
℗ 1965 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Pamela Sawyer, ComposerLyricist - Vernon Bullock, ComposerLyricist - Ivy Joe Hunter, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Four Tops, MainArtist - Jack Alan Goga, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1968 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
The Ultimate Collection series was a rare success from Motown, one of the first of the label's many compilation series to do justice to some of the finest performers, arrangers, and musicians of the soul era. Nearly every artist with an entry was given the luxury treatment, with a disc-filling running time, excellent compilation decisions, and a pleasing design scheme that reflected the artists in their prime. The Four Tops' entry is arguably the best in the series, since the 25 tracks prove the perfect length to summarize the group's decade at Motown. From 1963 to 1972, the group reached the R&B charts 28 times, and all but a very few are presented here (among the missing are three decidedly unnecessary covers: "MacArthur Park," "If I Were a Carpenter," and "River Deep -- Mountain High"). Though the tracks aren't presented chronologically, thoughtful sequencing makes for an even better listen; The Ultimate Collection opens with "Reach Out (I'll Be There)," perhaps the ultimate pop single of the '60s, and flows smoothly through the best of their 1964-1967 prime: "Baby I Need Your Loving," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," "It's the Same Old Song," "Bernadette," and "Standing in the Shadows of Love." And though the hits began to dry up after the Holland-Dozier-Holland machine departed Motown in 1968, the Four Tops' later years are represented well with "It's All in the Game," "Still Water (Love)," "(It's the Way) Nature Planned It," and the driving non-album hit "A Simple Game." Unless you're the type of fan who needs the box set (2001's Fourever), this is all the Four Tops-on-Motown you really need to hear.
© John Bush /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 25 track(s)
- Total length: 01:11:29
- Main artists: Four Tops
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Motown
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
© 1998 Motown Record Company L.P. This Compilation ℗ 1997 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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