Motown for me, as with so many others was my introduction to soul music. The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Miracles, Marvin, Diana, Stevie all proved to kick start my interest in music at a young age. The care taken on each of those productions, from a concept album to a two and half minute single was impeccable. You only have to listen to ‘Reach Out (I’ll Be There)’, ‘Stop In the Name of Love’ or ‘Tears of a Clown’ to notice this. As an arranger, I always took note of the wonderful arrangements of musicians like Paul Riser, Wade Marcus, Gil Askey or Norman Whitfield, and the range of colours, textures and dynamics that made these records so evergreen. And, as an arranger myself, some of the albums which spurred my curiosity weren’t necessarily the albums that everyone associates with Motown and its roster of legendary acts.

In 1966, the Temptations released “In a Mellow Mood.” An album of showtunes, standards, and Great American Songbook classics such as ‘For Once In My Life’, ‘Somewhere’, and ‘Hello Young Lovers’. Incidentally, the album is a lesson in technical singing. Challenging arrangements both instrumentally and vocally, it’s a dream listen for anyone keen to hear interpretations of these songs with the gusto and power of vocalists like Paul Williams (‘For Once In My Life’), Melvin Franklin (‘O’l Man River’), and David Ruffin (‘Somewhere’).’”In a Mellow Mood” was a huge success, and got the Temptations to a wider, mainstream audience. Following on from this success, Motown’s other premier vocal group were now brought to the front to record a similar album.

Having joined the roster in 1963, and despite their first album of Jazz standards with a full Big Band shelved (eventually released 40 years later as “Lost And Found: Breaking Through”), the Four Tops had already achieved international success by 1966 with a string of classic hits including ‘Baby I Need Your Lovin’, ‘Ask The Lonely’, ‘It’s the Same Old Song’, and the national number one hit ‘I Can’t Help Myself’ which firmly cemented them as major recording stars and one of the labels hottest acts, both on record and live (their 1966 ‘Live’ album is a must for any fan). Motown was keen to use the success of the Tops to help the label crossover into the Pop world even more, by recording the “Four Tops On Broadway” album in late 1966 into early 67.

The album, released in March 1967, was not a commercial success and did not meet the dizzy heights of some of their previous records. However, it did sell, making the hot 100 in pop albums and 15th in the R&B album charts, most likely spurred on by the purchases of already dedicated Tops fans. Interestingly as a sidenote, despite the group’s enormous success in the UK, the album didn’t receive a release on Tamla Motown, so fans at the time would have been reliant on US imports to grab a copy.

For me though, “Four Tops On Broadway”, stands as one of my favourite albums. The performances, arrangements (vocal arrangements masterfully created by Lawrence Payton) and interpretations are nothing short of sensational. Led of course by the Tops booming baritone Levi Stubbs, it’s one of the first times we also really hear Duke, Lawrence, and Obie individually. Not as soloists, but as stand out accompaniment. Take their version of Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Maria’ from West Side Story. For the build up into the final verse, which has tested even the most experienced opera and theatre performers (Jose Carreras’ performance conducted by Bernstein springs to mind – check it out on YouTube!), it is dealt with such emotion and accuracy, starting with Lawrence, then Obie, then the final line by Duke, showing his prowess as one of the top (no pun intended) tenors in the business (still is!). The recording sends shivers down the spine. I will take this moment to mention a thing or two about the great Levi Stubbs.

Although much has been said of the incredible voice of Stubbs, I still feel it’s not enough. He was one of the greatest voices of the 20th Century. I have no doubt whatsoever in stating this. He knew exactly how to approach any song given to him, whether emotional ballads like ‘Ask the Lonely’, or the 70’s floorfiller ‘Catfish’, the man knew no bounds, and despite his talent and potential as a solo artist, he remained loyal to his friends.

“Four Tops On Broadway” showcases his voice in the best possible way. Ever soulful, but as dynamic in range and technique as any major theatre vocalist. Some particular highlights on the album include ‘I Want to Be With You’ a song originally made famous by Sammy Davis Jr from the show Golden Boy. It’s worth stating at this point that the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha, also made mention to their version of this song on the album during a taping of the Tops and Aretha for a TV special in the mid 80’s. Levi and Aretha duet the song with theTops singing background. Once again, thanks to modern technology, this clip is available on YouTube. Even the Tops version of standards such as ‘My Way’, ‘For Once In My Life’, ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Mame’ are done with such care.

It’s also worth noting that this album in production, doesn’t sound very ‘Motown.’ The majority of the album was recorded in Los Angeles under the guise of producer Frank Wilson. This being said, one track, their version of ‘’Nice N Easy’ was recorded in 1963 in Detroit as part of the sessions for what would be the 1999 afore-mentioned release, “Lost & Found: Breaking Through” and remixed for inclusion on the 1967 “On Broadway” LP.

But for me, the highlight track of this album is the heart wrenching ‘Make Someone Happy’ written by famed composer Jule Styne (who interestingly also wrote the liner notes to this album).  This song, originally from the Broadway show Do-Re-Mi is spellbinding in the hands of the Four Tops. It’s simply perfect. It evokes emotions you didn’t know you had. In my opinion, one of the groups best performances and should not be overlooked.

However, with the group’s now iconic album “Reach Out” released July of the same year and including six charting singles (including the number one now-classic title track), “Four Tops On Broadway” ended up being overshadowed, and destined for the discount bins. A tragic demise for such a beautifully-crafted album, although, I was thrilled when years later I found out that “On Broadway” was amongst the group’s favourite albums they recorded, and I’ve heard a number of mentions of it from family members of group members to state the same.

I was around 12 or 13 when I first heard this album. Fast forward ten years and I was fortunate enough to work alongside the Four Tops when I was studying with the then Temptations’ musical director McKinley Jackson (who also wrote the Tops classic ‘Midnight Flower’), when both groups were touring the UK. I was lucky to speak at length with Duke and the current Tops throughout that day, mentioning my love for their work like the “On Broadway” album and their versions of classics like ‘Mack the Knife’. “Are you a Tops fan?” Duke asked me, quite taken back. “Since I was about 10 years old, you’ve been my favourite group” was my response. He placed his hand on my shoulder, patted me on the back and wished me the best of luck in my career as an arranger. I never looked back.

“FOUR TOPS ON BROADWAY” is currently available for streaming & download:  US LINK  UK LINK

Alex Lloyd is a UK based composer, arranger, and producer, grounded in the traditions of Classic R&B and Soul music. A dedicated musician, he has written arrangements for artists such as the Chairmen of the Board and the Drifters, and has recorded with members of Motown’s legendary house band the Funk Brothers. He has also written and produced hit UK soul songs for Dayton Grey, Hayley Ria-Christian, Steve V. King and Michael Williams. 

SoulMusic Records-Digital released the 2022 EP “A Moment In Time”  and the 2023 album, “Mosaics” which includes two Four Tops’ classics, “Ask The Lonely”and “7 Rooms Of Gloom.”


ALEX LLOYD WEBSITE

ALEX LLOYD ON FACEBOOK