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Santi Paradoa
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| Posted: 17 August 2018 at 6:03pm | IP Logged
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The Four Tops – The Complete ABC/Dunhill Singles 2CD
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!
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 Out 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
Release date is October 5, 2018 on the Real Gone Music label.
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Santi Paradoa
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Santi Paradoa
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| Posted: 17 August 2018 at 6:07pm | IP Logged
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This is an exciting upcoming release. Looks like some rare mono top 40 singles will be included on this set. The vocal group recorded some good music during this period including some b-sides that should've been a-side releases. With Aaron K. as sound engineer it is a must have for collectors. I pre-ordered my copy.
Edited by Santi Paradoa on 17 August 2018 at 8:10pm
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Santi Paradoa
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aaronk
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| Posted: 17 August 2018 at 9:33pm | IP Logged
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Thank you, Santi! I'm looking forward to the release date :)
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Aaron Kannowski
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prisdeej
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| Posted: 18 August 2018 at 10:54am | IP Logged
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Great read!
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Dave L.
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Brian W.
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| Posted: 19 August 2018 at 4:25am | IP Logged
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This is exciting!
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Bill Cahill
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| Posted: 02 October 2018 at 1:50pm | IP Logged
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I received my CD yesterday. SOUNDS AWESOME!!
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aaronk
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Wow, you received yours early, Bill! Thanks for the great review!! :)
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Aaron Kannowski
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The Hits Man
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| Posted: 03 October 2018 at 3:37am | IP Logged
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Bill, from where did you order your copy? I had just
resigned myself to getting it on Friday.
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Bill Cahill
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| Posted: 05 October 2018 at 4:09am | IP Logged
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I pre-ordered as soon as they were taking those orders from Real Gone.
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The Hits Man
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| Posted: 05 October 2018 at 1:30pm | IP Logged
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D'oh! I didn't even think to check if they were selling
it direct.
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EdisonLite
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| Posted: 12 October 2018 at 11:08am | IP Logged
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I really look forward to getting this. It's surprising that not all their ABC Dunhill albums have been released officially on CD in the US. I think one has, and a few have been released digitally, but not all.
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Paul C
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| Posted: 15 October 2018 at 2:42pm | IP Logged
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Got my copy today. I never thought we'd ever hear these recordings sound this good. Thanks, Aaron, for going "to the ends of the earth to track down sources for this collection." And I'm glad you didn't fall off any of the earth's edges.
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The Hits Man
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| Posted: 17 October 2018 at 4:33pm | IP Logged
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I've been living with my copy for a couple of weeks and it
sounds fantastic. The mono singles sound exactly as I
remember them.
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Topic: Four Tops Complete ABC/Dunhill Singles
