Post by Jonel on Feb 27, 2003 10:44:47 GMT -5
They can't help themselves
By Dave Richards
dave.richards@timesnews.com
Some things sound better as pairs: Salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, Tempts and Tops. The Motown legends have toured on and off together since 1983, when they engaged in a spirited duel during the label's 25th anniversary television special.
They're back at it again, teaming up for a show Sunday at the Warner Theatre. Abdul "Duke" Fakir of the Tops said the groups don't consider themselves rivals.
"We've had a great relationship," said Fakir, an original Top. "We're like fraternity brothers. All of us at Motown are like that. When we see Martha Reeves or Mary Wells or the Supremes — we don't see much of Diana — or Stevie (Wonder), we still crack jokes. I just talked to Stevie a few days ago.
"The Tempts and us still do a lot of gigs, we play golf together, and hang out a little. Not like we used to, but we have a great relationship with everyone from Motown. I still talk to Berry Gordy twice a year, and he's glad to hear from us. He comes to see our shows."
Gordy signed the Tops in 1963, but the group plugged away for a decade before joining Motown. They had a different sound.
"We sang a lot of jazz. We were a group like a black Four Freshmen, but we also did some R&B," said Fakir. "We had a diverse sound. We learned how to sing pretty much anything, from the Mills Brothers to Dominoes with Jackie Wilson to Mario Lanza."
The Four Tops amazed on stage, Fakir said, but their records flopped. They approached Gordy, though they'd spurned him earlier. "We could have started at Motown," said Fakir. "Berry and the Four Tops were good friends, but we didn't believe in him, at first, quite frankly. We went elsewhere."
In 1962, before they called Gordy, he called them after catching the Four Tops on "The Tonight Show." The group first cut a typically jazzy album for Motown, but Gordy decided it wasn't commercial. He then assigned a production team to the Tops — Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland.
"Bingo!" said Fakir. "They helped develop our recording sound. They basically took us away from jazz. They took the good harmonies and put with it the strong lead of Levi (Stubbs) and came up with songs that everyone loves."
Four Tops, who couldn't crack radio before, suddenly found themselves on the chart with "Baby I Need Your Loving." "We went bonkers," said Fakir. "It was the greatest thing that could happen. We knew it'd be a hit but we didn't know what a hit felt like."
They got used to it. "I Can't Help Myself" hit No. 1 in 1965, and plenty of hits followed, courtesy of Holland/Dozier/Holland, who wrote songs with the Tops in mind. Fakir thought of them as "great tailors" who could fashion hits for anyone. Still, he was shocked that "Reach Out I'll Be There" became a monster hit.
"That was the one song Levi and I didn't like when we first heard it," said Fakir. "We thought it was just a good album tune. So, Gordy called us in after we recorded and mixed it and said, 'You got another great smash, in fact, probably the biggest global hit you'll have.' And I said, 'When are we going to record it?' He said, 'You already did' and played 'Reach Out.' I said, 'Berry, don't do that to our career. We're on a roll. Don't mess us up."
Gordy knew best. "Reach Out" reached No. 1. The hits continued, and the Tops toured the world. Fakir fondly recalls attending a party in England hosted by Brian Epstein. "At the party were the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Four Tops, the Who, and the Small Faces. That was an incredible night. I can almost smell that whole evening right now, just talking about it. We certainly admired them; that British wave was incredible."
Fakir is quick to credit Gordy, Holland-Dozier-Holland and the Funk Brothers — the Motown band that backed virtually every Motown act — for the Four Tops' success. But collective chemistry was just as key. Stubbs, Faker, Lawrence Payton, and Renaldo Benson first sang together in 1954. They stayed together until 1997, when Payton died.
"We all kept the same motto," said Fakir. "When we started out, all we wanted to do was to sing, to entertain, and make a living so we could take care of our families. In those first 10 years we struggled very hard but we learned a lot. Probably the greatest thing wasn't musical but just how to live together, and how much we shared the same dreams. We learned to really share. We basically shared pants, hats, and coats to dollars and cents. When you do that for over 10 years, you really form a relationship. We became brothers."
Health problems forced Stubbs to step back a few years ago, though he hasn't officially retired. Theo Peoples, a former Temptation, now sings Stubbs' parts, while Ronnie McNeir essentially replaced Payton. Still, the group has big plans for 2004, their 50th year in show business. An HBO special is in the works. So is a Golden Anniversary tour.
Forget retirement; the Four Tops plan to keep going. They can't help themselves.
DAVE RICHARDS can be reached at 870-1703 or by e-mail.
Last changed: February 21. 2003 2:08AM
Erie Times-News
By Dave Richards
dave.richards@timesnews.com
Some things sound better as pairs: Salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, Tempts and Tops. The Motown legends have toured on and off together since 1983, when they engaged in a spirited duel during the label's 25th anniversary television special.
They're back at it again, teaming up for a show Sunday at the Warner Theatre. Abdul "Duke" Fakir of the Tops said the groups don't consider themselves rivals.
"We've had a great relationship," said Fakir, an original Top. "We're like fraternity brothers. All of us at Motown are like that. When we see Martha Reeves or Mary Wells or the Supremes — we don't see much of Diana — or Stevie (Wonder), we still crack jokes. I just talked to Stevie a few days ago.
"The Tempts and us still do a lot of gigs, we play golf together, and hang out a little. Not like we used to, but we have a great relationship with everyone from Motown. I still talk to Berry Gordy twice a year, and he's glad to hear from us. He comes to see our shows."
Gordy signed the Tops in 1963, but the group plugged away for a decade before joining Motown. They had a different sound.
"We sang a lot of jazz. We were a group like a black Four Freshmen, but we also did some R&B," said Fakir. "We had a diverse sound. We learned how to sing pretty much anything, from the Mills Brothers to Dominoes with Jackie Wilson to Mario Lanza."
The Four Tops amazed on stage, Fakir said, but their records flopped. They approached Gordy, though they'd spurned him earlier. "We could have started at Motown," said Fakir. "Berry and the Four Tops were good friends, but we didn't believe in him, at first, quite frankly. We went elsewhere."
In 1962, before they called Gordy, he called them after catching the Four Tops on "The Tonight Show." The group first cut a typically jazzy album for Motown, but Gordy decided it wasn't commercial. He then assigned a production team to the Tops — Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland.
"Bingo!" said Fakir. "They helped develop our recording sound. They basically took us away from jazz. They took the good harmonies and put with it the strong lead of Levi (Stubbs) and came up with songs that everyone loves."
Four Tops, who couldn't crack radio before, suddenly found themselves on the chart with "Baby I Need Your Loving." "We went bonkers," said Fakir. "It was the greatest thing that could happen. We knew it'd be a hit but we didn't know what a hit felt like."
They got used to it. "I Can't Help Myself" hit No. 1 in 1965, and plenty of hits followed, courtesy of Holland/Dozier/Holland, who wrote songs with the Tops in mind. Fakir thought of them as "great tailors" who could fashion hits for anyone. Still, he was shocked that "Reach Out I'll Be There" became a monster hit.
"That was the one song Levi and I didn't like when we first heard it," said Fakir. "We thought it was just a good album tune. So, Gordy called us in after we recorded and mixed it and said, 'You got another great smash, in fact, probably the biggest global hit you'll have.' And I said, 'When are we going to record it?' He said, 'You already did' and played 'Reach Out.' I said, 'Berry, don't do that to our career. We're on a roll. Don't mess us up."
Gordy knew best. "Reach Out" reached No. 1. The hits continued, and the Tops toured the world. Fakir fondly recalls attending a party in England hosted by Brian Epstein. "At the party were the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Four Tops, the Who, and the Small Faces. That was an incredible night. I can almost smell that whole evening right now, just talking about it. We certainly admired them; that British wave was incredible."
Fakir is quick to credit Gordy, Holland-Dozier-Holland and the Funk Brothers — the Motown band that backed virtually every Motown act — for the Four Tops' success. But collective chemistry was just as key. Stubbs, Faker, Lawrence Payton, and Renaldo Benson first sang together in 1954. They stayed together until 1997, when Payton died.
"We all kept the same motto," said Fakir. "When we started out, all we wanted to do was to sing, to entertain, and make a living so we could take care of our families. In those first 10 years we struggled very hard but we learned a lot. Probably the greatest thing wasn't musical but just how to live together, and how much we shared the same dreams. We learned to really share. We basically shared pants, hats, and coats to dollars and cents. When you do that for over 10 years, you really form a relationship. We became brothers."
Health problems forced Stubbs to step back a few years ago, though he hasn't officially retired. Theo Peoples, a former Temptation, now sings Stubbs' parts, while Ronnie McNeir essentially replaced Payton. Still, the group has big plans for 2004, their 50th year in show business. An HBO special is in the works. So is a Golden Anniversary tour.
Forget retirement; the Four Tops plan to keep going. They can't help themselves.
DAVE RICHARDS can be reached at 870-1703 or by e-mail.
Last changed: February 21. 2003 2:08AM
Erie Times-News
