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Their first two Motown albums

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The group had been around since the fifties, but it was only after they joined Motown that they became successful.The first album, simply titled Four Tops, yielded three American hits -Baby I need your loving, Without the one you love and Ask the lonely. All three singles were released in the UK but none charted. The Fourmost covered Baby I need your loving and had a British hit with it.The next album, with the equally unoriginal title Second Album, also yielded three American hits, but they were much bigger hits. The album opens with I can't help myself, which topped the charts and provided them with their first British hit. The lyrics are slightly silly but the song has an irresistible, infectious beat. It's the same old song just missed the top spot in America and also charted in Britain. Something about you was a top 20 American hit but failed to chart in the UK.Both of these albums are filled with songs written mostly by Holland-Dozier-Holland with a few by Smokey Robinson and one or two co-writers. Later albums would include plenty of covers but they are absent here. These two albums mark the beginnings of a great career."