Any details?b,121b,121I know that he'd been ill for some time, but I saw no news of this on my AOL news screen...b,121b,121The Four Tops don't always get their due...everytime a Motown thread pops up on the Strut, the Tops are usually viewed as the Temptations' docile older brothers or something. But lead singer Levi Stubbs had this WAY of "arrogant begging" that I just love (Marvin Gaye and David Ruffin had it too)...listen to Levi's bitter ad-libs on "Standing In The Shadows Of Love," that was probably his greatest performance of all of 'em. The Tops may have been mellower than the Tempts, but they got their point across; they weren't secondary by any means. And Levi Stubbs was a major reason why...b,121b,121I have this bootleg DVD of Soul Train episodes with the Four Tops on them...it is said that off-mic, Stubbs was a hell of a comedian and could "play the dozens" as well as anyone...on one episode, he and Don Cornelius are trading good-natured barbs; at one point, Levi actually sez "hey Don, nice suit; maybe one day it'll come back in style"; he has the audience just cracking up, even though the line was probably old even then ('74 or '75)...
Quote:/font1h,121b,121My fave male voice on Motown. RIP b,121b,121h,121
b,121b,121Without question. I'm on my way to the Motown Museum AKA Hittsville USA in a few minutes actually... I'll get the chance to pay my respects to Mr. Stubbs in the vocal booth that he recorded so many of those songs in.b,121b,121RIP
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
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Quote:/font1h,121b,121My fave male voice on Motown. RIP b,121b,121h,121
b,121b,121The man sang everything like he meant it. RIP.b,121b,121It sure has been a shitty year for losing soul legends.
One of the most recognizable voices in Soul.b,121b,121There are a handful of Motown cats that defined the overall style and Stubbs was part of the main DNA.b,121b,121Eternal
RIP, a legend. I love the Four Tops & I agree they should be given more propers than they do. Levi Stubbs was a massive vocalist who brought that southern soul style grit to so many of their songs, not something that can be said about many of the other Motown singers.
Quote:/font1h,121b,121The Tops may have been mellower than the Tempts, but they got their point across; they weren't secondary by any means. b,121b,121h,121
Quote:/font1h,121b,121What less obvious Four Tops songs would folks recommend? b,121b,121h,121
b,121b,121"What Else Is There To Do But Think About You" (from the Reach Out LP)b,121"Seven Lonely Nights" (ABC)b,121"Ain't That Love" (early single on Columbia; has a definite Twist-y feel)b,121"Lonely Summer" (b-side of that same Columbia single; a ballad)b,121"I'll Turn To Stone" (Motown)b,121"I'm A Believer" (from the Reach Out LP - yes, this is the Monkees joint)b,121"If You Want My Love" (Motown)
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
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Quote:/font1h,121b,121What less obvious Four Tops songs would folks recommend? b,121b,121h,121
b,121b,121Well, it's hard to say what's less obvious by Strut standards. I'll go with a couple of albums instead.b,121b,121 b,121b,121Massively slept-on record, imho. There's a great version of Stevie's "All I Do" on here, and the big hit off it, "When She Was My Girl", was probably the closest to golden-era Four Tops that they got after leaving Motown. A really solid album.b,121b,121 b,121b,121Kind of their shot at a concept kind of thing. It didn't always come off, and sometimes has you thinking that, just because Stevie and Marvin were headed in that direction, it wasn't a good fit for every act on Motown. But when it worked, it was great, and Levi is outstanding throughout. "Something's Tearing At The Edge Of Time" is a fantastic tune.b,121b,121 b,121b,121I only have the 80s reissue of this with the shitty cover, but I really like this record. "Sweet Understanding Love" is a fine Motown throwback, "Are You Man Enough" everyone knows from Shaft In Africa, and "I Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind" has a lovely proto-Philly feel to it. Another unfairly overlooked late-period Tops album.
Quote:/font1h,121b,121b,121 b,121b,121Kind of their shot at a concept kind of thing. It didn't always come off, and sometimes has you thinking that, just because Stevie and Marvin were headed in that direction, it wasn't a good fit for every act on Motown. But when it worked, it was great, and Levi is outstanding throughout. "Something's Tearing At The Edge Of Time" is a fantastic tune.b,121 b,121b,121h,121
b,121b,121I don't have the LP, but I've always been struck by that COVER...the Four Tops looking down from the top steps of their mansion down at some homeless bum that Motown likely found at Central Casting...Motown had a lot of unusual-looking cover designs prior to 1972 or so, and this is one of their better visual moments.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
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Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121b,121 b,121b,121Kind of their shot at a concept kind of thing. It didn't always come off, and sometimes has you thinking that, just because Stevie and Marvin were headed in that direction, it wasn't a good fit for every act on Motown. But when it worked, it was great, and Levi is outstanding throughout. "Something's Tearing At The Edge Of Time" is a fantastic tune.b,121 b,121b,121h,121
b,121b,121I don't have the LP, but I've always been struck by that COVER...the Four Tops looking down from the top steps of their mansion down at some homeless bum that Motown likely found at Central Casting...Motown had a lot of unusual-looking cover designs prior to 1972 or so, and this is one of their better visual moments. b,121b,121h,121b,121b,121It reminds me of a mid-period Impressions album cover, or that Modulations album (It's Tough Out Here, I think it's called). There was a lot of that cold-wind-blowing-through-the-ghetto kind of iconography being used on album covers for soul/r&b acts around this time. Maybe not so much of it here, but you got the sense that they had that sort of thing in mind.
Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121/font1Quote:/font1h,121b,121b,121 b,121b,121Kind of their shot at a concept kind of thing. It didn't always come off, and sometimes has you thinking that, just because Stevie and Marvin were headed in that direction, it wasn't a good fit for every act on Motown. But when it worked, it was great, and Levi is outstanding throughout. "Something's Tearing At The Edge Of Time" is a fantastic tune.b,121 b,121b,121h,121
b,121b,121I don't have the LP, but I've always been struck by that COVER...the Four Tops looking down from the top steps of their mansion down at some homeless bum that Motown likely found at Central Casting...Motown had a lot of unusual-looking cover designs prior to 1972 or so, and this is one of their better visual moments. b,121b,121h,121b,121b,121It reminds me of a mid-period Impressions album cover, or that Modulations album (It's Tough Out Here, I think it's called). There was a lot of that cold-wind-blowing-through-the-ghetto kind of iconography being used on album covers for soul/r&b acts around this time. Maybe not so much of it here, but you got the sense that they had that sort of thing in mind. b,121b,121h,121b,121b,121There was a while there when it seemed like ALL the Impressions album covers took place on some urban city street...Young Mod's Forgotten Story, Times Have Changed (!!! - similarity to the Four Tops), This Is My Country.
mrmatthew
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