PeaceNHarmony
04-07-2017, 08:26 PM
Elemental has recently issued the last Motown LP by the 4 / Four Tops [["Four" on the spine, "4" on the cover ...), the 1972 'Nature Planned It'. Though technically a bare-bones reissue [[no extra tracks) Elemental has created a must-have release for Motown, Tops, and 70s soul music fans.
This reissue comes in a glossy, fold-out reproduction of the original LP's cover and insert. The sound is [[to me!) superb with 'just right' separation of tracking.
'Nature Planned It' was also the LP's lead single, and the follow-up semi-cover 'Hey Man / We Gotta Get You A Woman' [[by Todd Rundgren) got a good amount of airplay here in the Newark / NY area's AM soul stations. It is that extended track that caused me to purchase this CD, and I am not disappointed.
The LP is a mix of ballads and up-tempo material, with Tops renditions of Motown-lp-popular title 'Happy [[Is A Bumpy Road'.
Levi Stubbs is majestic as always and the instrumentations are excellently produced by the great Frank Wilson who is probably at fault for the major problem I have with this LP, which is the lack of singing by the other Tops. Backing vocals are frequently mixed low, or feature [[probably) the Andantes instead of the Tops.
In closing I can highly recommend this elegantly produced [[and, according to a sticker on the cover, limited edition) CD to fans of well-made CD reissues. Dusty Groove sold out 3 times before I got my copy!
This reissue comes in a glossy, fold-out reproduction of the original LP's cover and insert. The sound is [[to me!) superb with 'just right' separation of tracking.
'Nature Planned It' was also the LP's lead single, and the follow-up semi-cover 'Hey Man / We Gotta Get You A Woman' [[by Todd Rundgren) got a good amount of airplay here in the Newark / NY area's AM soul stations. It is that extended track that caused me to purchase this CD, and I am not disappointed.
The LP is a mix of ballads and up-tempo material, with Tops renditions of Motown-lp-popular title 'Happy [[Is A Bumpy Road'.
Levi Stubbs is majestic as always and the instrumentations are excellently produced by the great Frank Wilson who is probably at fault for the major problem I have with this LP, which is the lack of singing by the other Tops. Backing vocals are frequently mixed low, or feature [[probably) the Andantes instead of the Tops.
In closing I can highly recommend this elegantly produced [[and, according to a sticker on the cover, limited edition) CD to fans of well-made CD reissues. Dusty Groove sold out 3 times before I got my copy!