Sweet insomnia
It may well be the case that their 1967 album "Reach Out" marks the accepted high point of the recording career of Motown stalwarts the Four Tops, and it is easy to see why this would be the case. While the latter tracks (or Side 2 in vinyl parlance) are standard covers of popular songs from the hit parade of the day, Side 1 is simply outstanding and as close to Motown perfection as any other album to come out of Hitsville, USA. A long player that includes three of the greatest soul songs ever committed to plastic * "Bernadette", "Reach Out, I'll Be There" and "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" * is always going to be well regarded.
However for me the archetypal Four Tops song is not one of these superbly sophisticated pop productions, as incredible as they are, but rather their first offering for Motown, the simple yet sensational "Baby, I Need Your Loving". Written by the genius threesome of Holland-Dozier-Holland, for whom the Four Tops were the main male vocal group outlet and with whom they had a dynamic partnership similar to that with The Supremes, "Baby I Need Your Lovin" is just a great pop song. However, what elevates it to brilliance is undoubtedly the quite awesome voice of lead singer Levi Stubbs. For me Stubbs is one of the great vocalists of all time, and his gritty baritone is never better displayed than on this tune.
For a man to swing so sweetly is almost indecent, and while the sentiments of the song are basic, Stubbs' voice adds an ambiguity that elevates it to a new level, and takes what could have been a pathetic plaintive begging to an almost heroic declaration of affection. The production team often wrote Stubbs' vocals as tenor parts to put him at the top of his range and give the vocal performance an added dimension. It is this intentioned straining, combined with Stubbs' own natural vocal power, that provide an added element of drama and tension to the Four Tops' music missing from that of many label mates. And in "Baby I Need Your Loving" the template is set for a quite startling run of success.
One should not forget the vital contribution of the three other band members * Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton * to the group's sound, but Levi Stubbs was born to sing soul music in its truest sense and on this song he single-handedly turns a potentially ordinary single into something spectacular. The lyrics are straightforward, the arrangements relatively unremarkable, and yet in the second verse Stubbs reaches a phenomenal level which sets the bar for the group's output, and arguably for that of Motown's male singers more generally. And when he sings the immortal coda that says that lately he's been losing sleep, a line so effortlessly soulful, surely a million ladies yearned to be the baby whose loving Stubbs so desperately needs. Absolutely timeless. Now, just don't get me started on the Tops' later offering "Loco In Acapulco", for that really is next level!
However for me the archetypal Four Tops song is not one of these superbly sophisticated pop productions, as incredible as they are, but rather their first offering for Motown, the simple yet sensational "Baby, I Need Your Loving". Written by the genius threesome of Holland-Dozier-Holland, for whom the Four Tops were the main male vocal group outlet and with whom they had a dynamic partnership similar to that with The Supremes, "Baby I Need Your Lovin" is just a great pop song. However, what elevates it to brilliance is undoubtedly the quite awesome voice of lead singer Levi Stubbs. For me Stubbs is one of the great vocalists of all time, and his gritty baritone is never better displayed than on this tune.
For a man to swing so sweetly is almost indecent, and while the sentiments of the song are basic, Stubbs' voice adds an ambiguity that elevates it to a new level, and takes what could have been a pathetic plaintive begging to an almost heroic declaration of affection. The production team often wrote Stubbs' vocals as tenor parts to put him at the top of his range and give the vocal performance an added dimension. It is this intentioned straining, combined with Stubbs' own natural vocal power, that provide an added element of drama and tension to the Four Tops' music missing from that of many label mates. And in "Baby I Need Your Loving" the template is set for a quite startling run of success.
One should not forget the vital contribution of the three other band members * Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton * to the group's sound, but Levi Stubbs was born to sing soul music in its truest sense and on this song he single-handedly turns a potentially ordinary single into something spectacular. The lyrics are straightforward, the arrangements relatively unremarkable, and yet in the second verse Stubbs reaches a phenomenal level which sets the bar for the group's output, and arguably for that of Motown's male singers more generally. And when he sings the immortal coda that says that lately he's been losing sleep, a line so effortlessly soulful, surely a million ladies yearned to be the baby whose loving Stubbs so desperately needs. Absolutely timeless. Now, just don't get me started on the Tops' later offering "Loco In Acapulco", for that really is next level!
posted by Twelve Bar at 4:25 PM
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