Four Tops ABC/Dunhill Singles Collection coming soon from Real Gone Music!

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

Someone from Real Gone Music posted on the Steve Hoffman forum that a Four Tops ABC/Dunhill singles collection was next up on their schedule! I did some sleuthing on the Internet and found this track list:

Disc 1

1 Keeper Of The Castle
2 Jubilee With Soul
3 Ain't No Woman [[Like The One I've Got)
4 The Good Lord Knows
5 Are You Man Enough
6 Peace Of Mind
7 Sweet Understanding Love
8 Main Street People
9 I Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind
10 Am I My Brother's Keeper
11 One Chain Don't Make No Prison
12 Turn On The Light Of Your Love
13 Midnight Flower
14 All My Love
15 Seven Lonely Nights
16 I Can't Hold On Much Longer

Disc 2

1 We All Gotta Stick Together
2 [[It Would Almost) Drive Me Out Of My Mind
3 Mama You're All Right With Me
4 I'm Glad You Walked Into My Life
5 Catfish
6 Look At My Baby
7 Feel Free
8 I Know You Like It
9 Strung Out For Your Love
10 You Can't Hold Back On Love
11 The Show Must Go On
12 Runnin' From Your Love
13 H.E.L.P.
14 Inside A Brokenhearted Man
15 Just In Time
16 This House
17 Guardian De Tu Castillo

Here's the link: https://cdon.eu/music/four-tops/complete-abc-dunhill-import-45168029

[Fourtopsbiggestfan]

Finally some Tops news. They should've just released all the albums plus the 1979 YOUR SONG.

[marv2]

This looks like a good one. Finally indeed!

[Bluebrock]

Someone from Real Gone Music posted on the Steve Hoffman forum that a Four Tops ABC/Dunhill singles collection was next up on their schedule! I did some sleuthing on the Internet and found this track list:

Disc 1

1 Keeper Of The Castle
2 Jubilee With Soul
3 Ain't No Woman [[Like The One I've Got)
4 The Good Lord Knows
5 Are You Man Enough
6 Peace Of Mind
7 Sweet Understanding Love
8 Main Street People
9 I Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind
10 Am I My Brother's Keeper
11 One Chain Don't Make No Prison
12 Turn On The Light Of Your Love
13 Midnight Flower
14 All My Love
15 Seven Lonely Nights
16 I Can't Hold On Much Longer

Disc 2

1 We All Gotta Stick Together
2 [[It Would Almost) Drive Me Out Of My Mind
3 Mama You're All Right With Me
4 I'm Glad You Walked Into My Life
5 Catfish
6 Look At My Baby
7 Feel Free
8 I Know You Like It
9 Strung Out For Your Love
10 You Can't Hold Back On Love
11 The Show Must Go On
12 Runnin' From Your Love
13 H.E.L.P.
14 Inside A Brokenhearted Man
15 Just In Time
16 This House
17 Guardian De Tu Castillo

Here's the link: https://cdon.eu/music/four-tops/complete-abc-dunhill-import-45168029
This collection is long overdue. I know David Nathan has been trying to license an Abc /Dunhill collection for a few years, but was never given any encouragement. I would have preferred the complete albums being given the reissue treatment,but in the absence of that i will happily take this.

[smallworld]

Good to see another singles set from Real Gone Music.

I wish they'd finally release some of their promised further volumes for:

Ben E. King
The Complete Loma Singles [[Linda Jones! The Apollas!)
Wilson Pickett

[drewschultz88]

Happy to see this, but I would love to see the full albums released in their entirety, including the unedited live album. There is so much good material in the Tops' ABC/Dunhill catalogue!

[mysterysinger]

And I just love "The Good Lord Knows" - one of my most favouritest Tops tunes of all.

[PeaceNHarmony]

Thanks for the info; I did love that Tops era -

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

I also wish someone would finally release the full albums on CD, but I'm also excited to get the original single versions on CD! This new 2CD set is the natural compliment to the 3CD Four Tops Motown singles collection released by Hip-O Select.

I have the singles collections released by Real Gone Music for Mark Lindsay, The Mamas & The Papas, and The Rascals, and they did a superb job with all three of them. The Mamas & The Papas collection even included solo singles as a bonus.

If that's the final track list, it includes all of the ABC/Dunhill US singles, but is missing the Four Tops recordings released as Lawrence Payton solo singles:

"One Woman Man"/"Love Makes You Human"
"Tell Me You Love Me [[Love Sounds)"/"I Found The Spirit"

And if they had space to include the missing UK singles, they are:

"The Well Is Dry"/"Midnight Flower" [[the B-side is already on the CD as an A-side)
"For Your Love"/"You'll Never Find A Better Man"
"Put It On The News"/"When Your Dreams Take Wings And Fly"

[TomatoTom123]

"Put It On The News"

They NEED to put that one on there ;)

[Bluebrock]

They NEED to put that one on there ;)
I agree. There will be sufficient space on the cd's to include it, and the other UK only singles.

[deyvideo]

The ABC albums were all remastered, and made available in the iTunes store within the last 2 years. The ABC singles were not unique mixes like the Motown-era stuff.

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

The ABC singles were not unique mixes like the Motown-era stuff.Even though they're the same mixes, some of the singles are shorter edits compared to the album versions.

[marv2]

Now a killa dilla would be to have an all inclusive box set of all of the Four Tops Motown singles, along with the Chess Records, Red Top, Riverside, Columbia, ABC-Dunhill, Casablanca and Arista singles. Whew! That would be a Christmas gift to end all gifts! LOL!

[luckyluckyme]

And here's the cover:

14535

[TomatoTom123]

Ooh reminds me of Curtis Mayfield's Superfly !! :)

[TomatoTom123]

I agree. There will be sufficient space on the cd's to include it, and the other UK only singles.

I had no idea "Put It On The News" was released as a single in the UK Bluebrock, but I'm glad that it was! Sounds like a SMASH to me! :D

[[Even though it wasn't)

[snakepit]

Surely "Four Tops" and not "The....".
Not sure about that cover either.

[mysterysinger]

Yes it should just be Four Tops not The Four Tops. That is a basic error which is a bit of a shame on a set like this.

[snakepit]

I'm sure the CD will very good.
It just looks like the type you'd buy in a supermarket, the type that says these are re- recordings and may not feature the original artists...£3.99.

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

I like the photo and the fonts, but I'd change the colors. The magenta looks good with the blue tones of the picture, but then the yellow with orange clashes. And it's okay it says "The Four Tops" instead of "Four Tops"--even some of their albums weren't consistent with the official group name, such as Nature Planned It which calls them "The 4 Tops" [[at least the colors match with the picture though--Haha!):

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61d4os02aJL._SS500.jpg

[snakepit]

Buttered,
That's a good spot...without checking I would have thought that ALL Motown albums said "Four Tops".
Perhaps that indicates that by then, the "Four Tops" had slipped down the ladder and this was a bit sloppy. Are there other Motown albums with " The Four Tops"?
This cover just suggests to me the group are not excited about this project. I do appreciate it is from the ABC timeframe.
No doubt I'm wrong.

[TomatoTom123]

Hi snakepit I don't think there are any other Motown albums credited to "The Four Tops", but there are a couple post-Motown, including Main Street People, At The Top, One More Mountain and Tonight! :)

[snakepit]

Tom
Interesting....I wonder if it was deliberate on their part...or the record company.
In the scheme of things it's not important.
However, my initial thoughts on viewing this CD was....sloppy.

[booty]

Their US Greatest Hits package was released as The Four Tops, whilst the covers of the Live album and On Broadway album shows the as 4 Tops!

[soulster]

The ABC albums were all remastered, and made available in the iTunes store within the last 2 years. The ABC singles were not unique mixes like the Motown-era stuff.

"Keeper Of The Castle" was. The single is mono with a unique mix. "One Chain Don't Make No Prison" was faded early, though that could be created from the album version.

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

Here's a write-up on Amazon for the CD set:

With 47 Pop hits and 52 R&B hits to their credit spanning nearly 25 years of recordings, The Four Tops are one of the greatest vocal groups in the history of pop music, hands down. But a big chunk of their hits, the ones they recorded for the ABC/Dunhill label, have been almost entirely unavailable in the CD era. This 2-CD collection from Real Gone Music answers the prayers of soul fans worldwide by presenting, for the first time ever on CD, all 33 rare single sides that the Tops recorded for the ABC/Dunhill label from 1972 through 1978. Just how rare are these tracks? We’ll get into that in a sec; but first, a little history. Though The Four Tops [[Renaldo “Obie” Benson, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Lawrence Payton, and lead singer Levi Stubbs) had dominated the charts with their classic recordings for Motown in the ‘60s, when the label decided in 1972 to move to Los Angeles, the group, like many of their celebrated label-mates, felt it was time for a change. They thus signed with ABC Records’ Dunhill imprint and hooked up with producer Steve Barri [[The Grass Roots) and songwriters Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who re-created their classic Motown sound on Top Ten hits like “Keeper of the Castle” and “Ain’t No Woman [[Like the One I’ve Got).” In all, The Tops recorded 17 A-sides [[including a Spanish-language version of “Keeper of the Castle”) for ABC/Dunhill during their six years on the label, notching a total of 11 Billboard Pop hits and 15 R&B hits, but those original hit singles [[and their even rarer B-sides) have been almost impossible to find on CD. Why? Well, in a sad tale we’ve told before on our previous Dunhill singles collections featuring The Mamas and The Papas, Steppenwolf, and The Grass Roots, legend has it that label head Jay Lasker threw out the tapes, deeming them worthless. A few singles—those identical to the album versions—have leaked out on CD, but here is the breakdown: of the 33 tracks [[the seven earliest mono, the rest stereo), 27 have never been available on CD in their correct single versions, and 13 songs have never appeared on CD in any version! Like on our previous collections, the “Dunhill dream reissue team” of engineer Aaron Kannowski, liner note writer/A&R man Ed Osborne, and co-producer Gordon Anderson is at the helm for this release; Osborne’s notes [[which are always a fun, informative read) feature quotes from original writers/co-producers Steve Barri and Dennis Lambert, with great photos to boot. Special notice must also be given to Aaron Kannowski, who once again went to the ends of the earth to track down sources for this collection. It’s the missing chapter in the career of one of the greatest vocal groups of all time…a very, very proud addition to our Real Gone Music roster and a Four Tops collection you’re gonna want to spin again and again!

[snakepit]

Being priced up at £29.99 on Amazon.
Seems a bit on the high side ...or am I wrong?

[smallworld]

Real Gone Music releases, particularly the 2CD sets, tend to be a little on the pricey side. From what I've seen, they don't tend to come down in price on most websites. The upside is that the Real Gone Music website sometimes has sales with quite large savings. I'm not sure I'd chance it, though, for an act/disc of particular interest.

Here's the Sale link, for anyone that might like to keep an eye [[there doesn't seem to be any items on sale at the moment, though):

https://shop.realgonemusic.com/collections/sale

[Sotosound]

Here's a write-up on Amazon for the CD set:

With 47 Pop hits and 52 R&B hits to their credit spanning nearly 25 years of recordings, The Four Tops are one of the greatest vocal groups in the history of pop music, hands down. But a big chunk of their hits, the ones they recorded for the ABC/Dunhill label, have been almost entirely unavailable in the CD era. This 2-CD collection from Real Gone Music answers the prayers of soul fans worldwide by presenting, for the first time ever on CD, all 33 rare single sides that the Tops recorded for the ABC/Dunhill label from 1972 through 1978. Just how rare are these tracks? We’ll get into that in a sec; but first, a little history. Though The Four Tops [[Renaldo “Obie” Benson, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Lawrence Payton, and lead singer Levi Stubbs) had dominated the charts with their classic recordings for Motown in the ‘60s, when the label decided in 1972 to move to Los Angeles, the group, like many of their celebrated label-mates, felt it was time for a change. They thus signed with ABC Records’ Dunhill imprint and hooked up with producer Steve Barri [[The Grass Roots) and songwriters Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who re-created their classic Motown sound on Top Ten hits like “Keeper of the Castle” and “Ain’t No Woman [[Like the One I’ve Got).” In all, The Tops recorded 17 A-sides [[including a Spanish-language version of “Keeper of the Castle”) for ABC/Dunhill during their six years on the label, notching a total of 11 Billboard Pop hits and 15 R&B hits, but those original hit singles [[and their even rarer B-sides) have been almost impossible to find on CD. Why? Well, in a sad tale we’ve told before on our previous Dunhill singles collections featuring The Mamas and The Papas, Steppenwolf, and The Grass Roots, legend has it that label head Jay Lasker threw out the tapes, deeming them worthless. A few singles—those identical to the album versions—have leaked out on CD, but here is the breakdown: of the 33 tracks [[the seven earliest mono, the rest stereo), 27 have never been available on CD in their correct single versions, and 13 songs have never appeared on CD in any version! Like on our previous collections, the “Dunhill dream reissue team” of engineer Aaron Kannowski, liner note writer/A&R man Ed Osborne, and co-producer Gordon Anderson is at the helm for this release; Osborne’s notes [[which are always a fun, informative read) feature quotes from original writers/co-producers Steve Barri and Dennis Lambert, with great photos to boot. Special notice must also be given to Aaron Kannowski, who once again went to the ends of the earth to track down sources for this collection. It’s the missing chapter in the career of one of the greatest vocal groups of all time…a very, very proud addition to our Real Gone Music roster and a Four Tops collection you’re gonna want to spin again and again!

Barri, Lambert and Potter didn't actually recreate their classic Motown sound at all. They actually sent the Tops in a new musical direction and it was a goodun.

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

Barri, Lambert and Potter didn't actually recreate their classic Motown sound at all. They actually sent the Tops in a new musical direction and it was a goodun.True! Yeah that sentence didn't make sense at all. Although, now in my head I'm imagining what a Motown-ed up version of "Keeper Of The Castle" and "Ain't No Woman" would sound like. Haha!

[snakepit]

Reduced to £23.79 on Amazon uk

[Sotosound]

The ABC/Dunhill sessions gave Levi Stubbs the chance to really sing; and the way that the tracks were arranged, recorded and mixed really showcased this. I’m not certain that Motown would have made the most of those songs. They’d have pitched them in a higher key and made Levi strain.

I like it when there’s light and shade in Levi’s vocals and when he moves between his lower and upper registers. “I Believe In You And Me” is a prime example of Levi at his best. So is “Do What You Gotta Do”, which is one of those Motown tracks that I can play again and again because of Levi’s vocals. This track was folded into mono and released as a single in the UK, and whoever mastered it did a fantastic job. That 7” pressing is my go-to version.

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

My copy arrived today and of course I had to immediately compare the differences between the single and album versions! Here's an updated list to let you know which singles are shorter than the album versions:

Disc: 1
1. Keeper of the Castle [[Mono) [[Edit)
2. Jubilee with Soul [[Mono)
3. Ain't No Woman [[Like The One I've Got) [[Mono)
4. The Good Lord Knows [[Mono)
5. Are You Man Enough [[Mono)
6. Peace of Mind [[Mono)
7. Sweet Understanding Love
8. Main Street People
9. I Just Can't Get You Out of My Mind [[Edit)
10. Am I My Brother's Keeper
11. One Chain Don't Make No Prison [[Edit)
12. Turn on the Light of Your Love
13. Midnight Flower [[Edit)
14. All My Love
15. Seven Lonely Nights
16. I Can't Hold Out Much Longer

Disc: 2
1. We All Gotta Stick Together [[Edit)
2. [[It Would Almost) Drive Me Out of My Mind
3. Mama You're All Right with Me [[Edit)
4. I'm Glad You Walked into My Life [[Edit)
5. Catfish [[Edit)
6. Look at My Baby [[Edit)
7. Feel Free [[Edit)
8. I Know You Like It
9. Strung Out for Your Love [[Edit)
10. You Can't Hold Back on Love
11. The Show Must Go On [[Edit)
12. Runnin' from Your Love
13. H.E.L.P. [[Edit)
14. Inside a Brokenhearted Man
15. Just in Time
16. This House
17. Guardian De Tu Castillo [[Mono)

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

"One Chain Don't Make No Prison" was faded early, though that could be created from the album version.That's what I thought before too, but now after doing a thorough comparison, I noticed you can't just simply cut off the coda to make the single version. On the album version it fades to silence before the song comes back, and on the single version the fade goes on longer past the part where the song comes back on the album version.

[Fourtopsbiggestfan]

Any nice photos and notes to go along with the music?

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

Any nice photos and notes to go along with the music?There are only 3 other pictures of the group inside the booklet [[but one of them is a picture of them with a jar of Skippy peanut butter--which now can be the natural compliment to the Supremes white bread pictures--Haha!) It does have a very lengthy 14-page write up though, and then the last 2 pages have all of the notes for the songs. :)

[soulster]

My copy arrived today and of course I had to immediately compare the differences between the single and album versions! Here's an updated list to let you know which singles are shorter than the album versions:



Thank you for doing the leg work on these. It will help me to further tag my ripped files. I like to be 100% accurate. I could only determine eight or nine songs that differ from the stereo counterparts.

[soulster]

The sound on this set is very nice. The singles sound just like the 45s. Since the label head Jay lasker threw out the mono tapes, I wonder what the remastering engineer used for sources.

The liner notes give a nice story of how the producers/songwriters show how The Four Tops on ABC/Dunhill developed. Turns out they were trying to re-create the Motown sound as Motown itself was moving away from it with the loss of H-D-H. There has always been a high demand for the classic Motown sound.

There is one single where Steve Barri and Lawrence Payton succeeded in recreating Motown exactly, and that is "Seven Lonely Nights".

What I don't like is the over-reliance on ballads, and the slide down to disco on the second disc.

[soulster]

Actually, upon further listening, the last few disco sides aren't as bad as I thought, but the lyrics to "This House" are still terrible. Embarrassing!

[TomatoTom123]

The Tops' 1978 At The Top is disco of the highest quality in my opinion mr. soulster, produced by Norman Harris. I love "H.E.L.P." and "This House", which I'm pretty sure has a reference to "Seven Rooms Of Gloom" in the lyrics!!!! Although not included on the set, "Put It On The News" is also wonderful.

Also, while I wouldn't consider their ABC/Dunhill debut a recreation of the classic Motown sound, it isn't that far removed. Interesting that the label were actually trying to recreate it anyway.

I had never thought about how Motown-ish "Seven Lonely Nights" is! That's why I love it SOOO much!!! :D

[thommg]

Was so excited to have mine delivered yesterday direct from Real Gone Music, but... I opened the package and it was Joe Simon, The Pop Collection. I haven't heard back from Real Gone regarding an exchange. <sigh>

[PeaceNHarmony]

I like the photo and the fonts, but I'd change the colors. The magenta looks good with the blue tones of the picture, but then the yellow with orange clashes. And it's okay it says "The Four Tops" instead of "Four Tops"--even some of their albums weren't consistent with the official group name, such as Nature Planned It which calls them "The 4 Tops" [[at least the colors match with the picture though--Haha!):

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61d4os02aJL._SS500.jpg
That's a great lp and I've always loved the cover. Corny, yes, but suitable for the times.

[luckyluckyme]

My copy came today. But I've got a problem. I was able to gently edge Disc 2 loose after several tries at babying it, but Disc 1 is not budging [[I don't want to crack the cd). Has anyone encounter a cd that is so tight that it seems to be glued down? No amount of pressure on the hub seems to do anything. Is there such a thing as a defective hub?
Is there an alternate way of removing a cd from the case hub without damaging the cd?

[luckyluckyme]

I guess I just got lucky. I put a few drops of dishwashing liquid on the hub and worked it in and allowed it to set. It finally allowed me to remove the cd without breaking it.

[Buttered Popcorn and so forth]

I had the same problem. The first CD was in so tight that every time I tried to pull it out, it looked like the CD was gonna bend and crack in half! I finally decided I'd rather have a cracked case than a cracked CD, so I broke off one of the little pegs on the hub and was then able to take the CD out. The hub is so tight that it still holds the CD in place even with a missing peg.

[booty]

My copy came today. But I've got a problem. I was able to gently edge Disc 2 loose after several tries at babying it, but Disc 1 is not budging [[I don't want to crack the cd). Has anyone encounter a cd that is so tight that it seems to be glued down? No amount of pressure on the hub seems to do anything. Is there such a thing as a defective hub?
Is there an alternate way of removing a cd from the case hub without damaging the cd?

I'll have to watch for this when my copy arrives. I've had a couple of discs snap in the past as they were in the hub so tight.

[soulster]

Usually I can press down on the center with my thumb while gently pulling the CD up, but this is ridiculous. It isn't just this CD set, it's most new CDs I buy. Good thing I immediately rip and tag them with EAC before I play the files so I don't have to deal with repeatedly removing the CD to play it.

[thommg]

Finally got mine yesterday! Thanks for heads up on the tight spindles. I was able to get mine out of the case without problem. I find it interesting that the picture of the cover above, which is also on the Real Gone website, is not the picture on the cover of the booklet. It's from the same session but Lawrence Payton is facing out, and Duke Fakir is standing straight up with no head tilt. I wonder why the picture switch happened.

[soulster]

Anyone else get their CD? Very odd. On most other music forums, people are giving very positive comments on it. Over here, the crickets are chirping, and it's about The Four Tops!.

[mysterysinger]

Where's Buddy Holly?

[TomatoTom123]

Anyone else get their CD? Very odd. On most other music forums, people are giving very positive comments on it. Over here, the crickets are chirping, and it's about The Four Tops!.

What other music forums soulster...? I must know :rolleyes:

[jack020]

Bought it here in Amsterdam last week, but due to a backlog of new cd's [[a.o.Thelma:))
have not played it yet!

[marybrewster]

It's too bad the cover is not worthy of the content of this collection.