Four tops now & macarthur park

[Kamasu_Jr]

Basically, Four Tops Now and MacArthur Park are the same albums. The former was issued in 1968, while the latter came three years later when the title track surprisingly became a modest hit. Were tracks on both LPs the same, same mixes or were they remixed in 71? I see copies of Now on the sellers ' market, but have seen very few copies of MacArthur Park.

[marv2]

I have both albums and you are right, they are essentially the same sets with different cover artwork. I haven't listen to either in ages but I believe the mixes were the same. Good albums and Levi was magnificent on "MacArthur Park" and especially so in concert.

[kenneth]

I haven't listened to them for a long time either [[in fact I don't have the "Macarthur Park" cover), but I love when the Tops did standards or cover versions. I wasn't always a fan of Levi Stubb's voice - I didn't like when he sang in that very strained style like in "Bernadette" even though it is a great song - but I love when they did the stuff like "Macarthur Park" or the material on their Broadway LP. The formerly unreleased stuff on the "Breaking Through" and "Lost and Found" sets are really outstanding and include a lot of well known songs.

[mysterysinger]

Yep "Do What You Gotta Do" is probably my all time fave Tops number. But copies of Now on CD are rare and expensive. Let's get it back on CD - perhaps with both covers.

[masterblaster]

Yep "Do What You Gotta Do" is probably my all time fave Tops number. But copies of Now on CD are rare and expensive. Let's get it back on CD - perhaps with both covers.

With "Macarthur Park" and "Do What You Gotta Do" on the album, was this a Jim Webb concept album?
I have most Four Tops albums on CD but never got this album or "Nature Planned It". Would be great if they were both released as a 2-4-1 CD.

[kenneth]

With "Macarthur Park" and "Do What You Gotta Do" on the album, was this a Jim Webb concept album?
I have most Four Tops albums on CD but never got this album or "Nature Planned It". Would be great if they were both released as a 2-4-1 CD.

Weren't some of them released on 2fers in the UK? For some reason, I don't think it was the whole back catalog though, unlike in the releases of the Pips and Vandellas. Those were good quality CDs, much better than the Motown domestic 2fers.

[carole cucumber]

With "Macarthur Park" and "Do What You Gotta Do" on the album, was this a Jim Webb concept album?
I have most Four Tops albums on CD but never got this album or "Nature Planned It". Would be great if they were both released as a 2-4-1 CD.

I can't answer that definitively but some facts seem to indicate not:
"MccArthur Park" lists Frank Wilson as producer and Wade Marcus as arranger.
"Do What You Gotta Do" lists Frank Wilson, Lawrence Payton, and Wade Marcus as producers.
The Four Tops' 2nd Lost & Found contains two additional tracks produced by the same team of Wilson , Payton & Wade :
"Never Say No To Your Baby" and "Have A Little Faith"- neither of which is a Jimmy Webb composition.
All 4 tracks were recorded in L.A. and finished in Detroit [[Mac- Nov. 1968; Do-Dec. 1968-Jan. 1969; Never- Jan.1969; Have- Feb. 1969)

[carole cucumber]

Weren't some of them released on 2fers in the UK? For some reason, I don't think it was the whole back catalog though, unlike in the releases of the Pips and Vandellas. Those were good quality CDs, much better than the Motown domestic 2fers.

The 2001 U.K. Four Tops coupling included Four Tops/Second Album; On Top/Reach Out; Yesterday's Dreams/ Soul Spin; Still Waters Run Deep/Changing Times.
The original U.S. couplings were Reach Out/Still Waters Run Deep; Four Tops/Second Album; Live/Keeper Of The Castle. These were later offered in single lp per cd configurations and On Top, Now, Changing Times, Nature Planned It were also added in that format.
What sets the U.K. editions apart [[in addition to the 2 previously not on cd lp's) was the involvement/supervision of Harry Weinger, who utilized 3 vault researchers to find the original lp masters and the remastering skills of Jeff Willens.

[kenneth]

The 2001 U.K. Four Tops coupling included Four Tops/Second Album; On Top/Reach Out; Yesterday's Dreams/ Soul Spin; Still Waters Run Deep/Changing Times.
The original U.S. couplings were Reach Out/Still Waters Run Deep; Four Tops/Second Album; Live/Keeper Of The Castle. These were later offered in single lp per cd configurations and On Top, Now, Changing Times, Nature Planned It were also added in that format.
What sets the U.K. editions apart [[in addition to the 2 previously not on cd lp's) was the involvement/supervision of Harry Weinger, who utilized 3 vault researchers to find the original lp masters and the remastering skills of Jeff Willens.

Thanks Carole. Those would definitely be worth seeking out. I'm very disappointed in the mastering of the "Fourever" box set; some of the tracks are almost unlistenable. Now I know the UK 2fers would be much, much better than that based on what you're telling me. But too bad it didn't include "Now/Macarthur Park" and "Nature Planned It!" Then they'd be almost complete except for the "Live" and "Broadway" albums, I think.