SUPREMES & FOUR TOPS: Magnificent - The Complete Studio Duets (2009)

SUPREMES & FOUR TOPS
Como seria fácil a vida deste escriba, se recebesse todos os dias um email como esse, do SÉRGIO ROCHA: era só publicar e correr pro abraço. Veio num bom momento, pois disponibilidade de tempo, atualmente, é matéria escassa por aqui.
Valeu Sérgio!

Oi Carlos, boa noite!
Encontrei essa semana os links para esses discos, em formato flac, em 13 arquivos que somavam 1,2 GB. Levou tempo, mas o resultado foi compensador. Aí vão os links, agora em MP3 de 128 Kb. Como você pode ler no texto da resenha, são os 3 álbuns lançados por eles em LPs, mais bonus tracks que dariam outro disco. E deu! E o material do livreto está todo em alta resolução + as capas originais. Tá tudo aí.
Abraços
Sérgio Rocha
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Product Description
In 1970, the Supremes were riding high with new lead singer Jean Terrell and their top 10 hit single "Up The Ladder To The Roof" while the Four Tops remained one of Motown's classiest groups and had hit big once again with "Still Water (Love)." As Motown had done with the '60s Supremes and the Temptations, the '70s Supremes were brought together with the Tops, this time for a series of three albums, all of which are included on this fabulous new two-CD set, Magnificent: The Complete Studio Duets. Two of the albums appear on CD for the first time. But that's not all. The Supremes and Tops recorded enough for a fourth album - 11 tracks of high-quality Motown magic that also are included in this collection. The newly formed supergroup was lovingly dubbed "The Magnificent 7," a name that stuck and became the title of the Supremes and Tops' first album together. Producers on the LP included Duke Browner, Clay McMurray, and Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson; Nick and Val, with Paul Riser arranging, delivered a spirited remake of "River Deep, Mountain High," which became a worldwide hit. Return Of The Magnificent Seven followed, with tracks - including the single "You Gotta Have Love In Your Heart" - produced by Clay
McMurray, Henry Cosby, Ashford & Simpson, Johnny Bristol and Bobby Taylor. Dynamite, their final LP together, included great covers of Bread's smash "If," the Barbara Lewis classic "Hello Stranger," Stephen Stills' "Love The One You're With," two from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell - "Good Lovin' Ain't Easy To Come By" and "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" - and Aretha's "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream," among others. Then there are the unreleased tracks: stunning remakes of "It's Your Thing, "Gimme Some Lovin'," "Joy The World" and the jazz standard "Poinciana," plus seven more that would have made up a fourth Supremes-Tops album. Also included are fresh mixes of their biggest hits together, "River Deep," and "You've Got to Have Love In Your Heart." Magnificent: The Complete Studio Duets collection also includes a beautiful 28 page booklet stuffed with rare photos, an essay by Mark Bego with personal reminiscences from the groups and detailed annotations - another loving tribute to two Motown supergroups from Hip-oSelect.com.
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MINHA OPINIÃO: dizer mais o que? Se acrescentar algo, estraga. Mas os fans destes antológicos grupos vocais, dois ícones na música vocal negra dos USA, iriam reclamar se eu não dissesse que é OURO EM PÓ!
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SUPREMES & FOUR TOPS: Magnificent - The Complete Studio Duets (2009)

TRACKS/FAIXAS:
CD - 01:
01 - Knock On My Door
02 - For Your Love
03 - Without The One You Love
04 - Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)
05 - Stoned Soul Picnic
06 - Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
07 - River Deep, Mountain High
08 - Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing
09 - Everyday People
10 - It's Got To Be A Miracle (This Thing Called Love)
11 - A Taste Of Honey
12 - Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music
13 - You Gotta Have Love In Your Heart
14 - I Wonder Where We're Going
15 - Call Me
16 - One More Bridge To Cross
17 - If You Could See Me Now
18 - I'll Try Not To Cry
19 - I'm Glad About It
20 - Let's Make Love Now
21 - I Can't Believe You Love Me
22 - Where Would I Be Without You Baby
23 - What Do You Have To Do (To Stay On The Right Side Of Love)

CD - 02
01 - It's Impossible
02 - The Bigger You Love, The Harder You Fall
03 - Hello Stranger
04 - Love The One You're With
05 - Good Lovin' Ain't Easy To Come By
06 - Melodie
07 - If
08 - If I Could Build My Whole World Around You
09 - Don't Let Me Lose This Dream
10 - Do You Love Me Just A Little, Honey
11 - Function At The Junction
12 - Hold On To Me
13 - When I'm With You
14 - Chain Reaction
15 - You Ain't Livin' Til You're Lovin'
16 - Bring Back Your Love
17 - I Had A Dream
18 - Poinciana
19 - It's Your Thing
20 - Joy To The World
21 - Gimme Some Lovin'
22 - You Gotta Have Love In Your Heart (2009 mix)
23 - River Deep, Mountain High (2009 mix)

THE FOUR TOPS ON BROADWAY (1967)

THE FOUR TOPS
Neste álbum os 4 Tops fogem do seu repertório habitual de "pop-rock-soul" e embarcam numa incursão pelos caminhos da Broadway. Dos membros originais o único sobrevivente
é Abdul Duke Fakir. Benson, Payton e - mais recentemente - Levi Stubbs, faleceram.
A formação atual dos 4T é: Abdul 'Duke' Fakir, Roquel Payton (filho de Lawrence), Theo Peoples e Ronnie McNeir.
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THE FOUR TOPS
This album is a precious collection of Broadway showtunes, such as The Sound Of Music, Make Someone Happy, Hello Broadway, Maria et al, with great (sometimes heavy, though) orchestration. It´s quite a bit different from the usual repertoire of the Four Tops. Pretty good stuff.
(CB)
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MINHA OPINIÃO: vou reiterar o que já disse antes, a respeito dos 4Tops: sempre gostei do seu trabalho; na "praia" deles, sempre achei que eram os melhores. Ao descobrir este antigo e raro álbum minha admiração se fez ainda maior, na exata medida em que, mais uma vez exibem seu induvidoso jogo de cintura, já demonstrado em outras postagens aqui do Blog. A vocalização de MARIA, (Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim) não deixa dúvidas: esses caras eram (ou melhor, ainda são) "pau-pra-toda-obra". BELEZA!
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THE FOUR TOPS ON BROADWAY (1967)

THE FOUR TOPS
Levi Stubbs
Lawrence Payton
Renaldo Benson
Abdul Duke Fakir

TRACKS/FAIXAS:
1 Hello Broadway
2 Maria
3 Climb Ev'ry Mountain
4 Mame
5 I Want to Be With You
6 On the Street Where You Live
7 Sound of Music
8 What Did I Have That I Don't Have
9 For Once in My Life
10 My Way
11 Make Someone Happy
12 Nice 'N' Easy

THE FOUR TOPS: ON TOP (1966)

THE FOUR TOPS
Formado em 1954 por Levi Stubbs, Lawrence Payton, Renaldo Benson e Abdul Duke Fakir,
todos nascidos e criados em Detroit, Michigan, Estados Unidos, "The Four Tops" foi o
único grupo da época de ouro da gravadora Motown a permanecer na ativa e com sucesso. Seu primeiro single foi "Baby, I Need Your Loving" (1964), que iniciou uma série Os Four Tops sempre pairaram numa região própria e bem peculiar, senão vejamos: nunca chegaram a ser um conjunto típico de "doo-wop", "gospel", "jazz" ou "rhythm & blues", embora tenham roçado os cotovelos em todos esses estilos e misturado um pouco de tudo, algumas vezes ao mesmo tempo. Talvez por isso, tenham ao longo do tempo ocupado um nicho próprio no mercado, fluindo ao sabor do modismo mais em voga, sem, todavia, abdicar de um estilo marcadamente próprio - O ESTILO FOUR TOPS, aceito por "gregos e troianos".
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ALBUM COMMENTS
Beginning with On Top, Motown started constructing their Four Tops LPs from singles
and a few similar-sounding album tracks, along with plenty of crossover material
(usually attempts at MOR covers or light supper-club standards). The first four]
songs display the Four Tops at the peak of their power; opening with the swinging
"I Got a Feeling," the quartet paused only briefly with a ballad ("Brenda") before
delivering their two biggest and best hits of the time, "Loving You Is Sweeter Than
Ever" and "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)." Hoping older listeners might be lured
in by crossover versions of a few current hits, Motown devoted the last half to some
seriously misguided covers: "Matchmaker," "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars," "In the Still of the Night," and a rather stiff version of the Beatles' "Michelle."
(All Music Guide)
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MINHA OPINIÃO - vivendo e aprendendo...ouvir os FOUR TOPS cantando BLUESETTE, CORCOVADO (Quiet nights of quiet stars) e IN THE STILL OF THE NIGTH, com arranjos de nítida influência "gene-puerlinguiana" foi uma inimaginável hipótese que jamais acalentei. Sempre gostei dos 4TOPS e do seu trabalho: na "praia" deles, sempre achei que eram os melhores. Nunca havia ouvido este álbum, já bem antigo, por sinal; mas, ainda que tardiamente, depois desse trabalho, a admiração se faz muito maior, na exata medida em que me defronto com seu insuspeito jogo de cintura, perfeitamente aclimatado com as levadas e harmonizações "jazzy" e "bossanovisticas" além da delicada vocalização de MICHELLE dos Beatles. Esses caras são mesmo "pau-pra-toda-obra". BELEZA!
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THE FOUR TOPS: ON TOP (1966)

THE FOUR TOPS
Levi Stubbs
Lawrence Payton
Renaldo Benson
Abdul Duke Fakir

TRACKS/FAIXAS
01 I Got a Feeling
02 Brenda
03 Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
04 Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)
05 Until You Love Someone
06 There's No Love Left
07 Matchmaker, Matchmaker
08 Michelle
09 In the Still of the Night
10 Bluesette
11 Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars
12 Then

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THE FOUR TOPS : EARLY CLASSICS

THE FOUR TOPS

Formado em 1954 por Levi Stubbs, Lawrence Payton, Renaldo Benson e Abdul ODuke ÕFakir, todos nascidos e criados em Detroit, Michigan, Estados Unidos, "The Four Tops" foi o único grupo da época de ouro da gravadora Motown a permanecer na ativa e com sucesso. Seu primeiro single foi "Baby, I Need Your Loving" (1964), que iniciou uma série de grandes hits compostos pelo time de Brian Holland, Lamond Dozier e Eddie Holland até 1967.
Outros grandes hits incluem "I Can't Help Myself" (1965), "It's The Same Old Song" (1965),"Standing in the Shadows of Love" (1966), "Bernadette" (1967), e aquele que talvez seja seu maior sucesso: "Reach Out I'll Be There" (1966).

Em 1982, o álbum "One More Mountain" marcou o vigésimo oitavo aniversário do grupo. É o único quarteto vocal a permanecer unido com a mesma formação por 40 anos.The Four Tops foi uma das poucas Bandas americanas a ficar em 1º lugar nas paradas nos anos 60, por causa do grande sucesso da banda ínglesa The Beatles.

Curiosamente, os Four Tops sempre tiveram sua própria "reserva de mercado" atuando numa região própria e bem peculiar, senão vejamos: nunca chegaram a ser um conjunto típico de "doo-wop", "gospel", "jazz" ou "rhythm & blues", embora tenham roçado os cotovelos em todos esses estilos, e misturado um pouco de tudo, algumas vezes ao mesmo tempo. Talvez por isso, tenham ao longo do tempo ocupado um nicho próprio no mercado, fluindo ao sabor do modismo mais em voga, sem, todavia, abdicar de um estilo marcadamente próprio - O ESTILO FOUR TOPS, aceito por "gregos e troianos". (Como sempre, maldosamente, houve quem dissesse que os Four Tops viviam "em cima do muro"...)
O fato é que, com muro ou sem muro, tiveram uma trajetória duradoura, profícua e de grande sucesso.
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FOUR TOPS

The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, and showtunes. Founded in Detroit, Michigan as The Four Aims, lead singer Levi Stubbs (a cousin of Jackie Wilson and brother of The Falcons' Joe Stubbs), and groupmates Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton remained together for over four decades, finally forced to endure a lineup change when Payton died in 1997.
At that time, Theo Peoples was added to the lineup; Peoples later replaced Stubbs, who fell ill from a stroke, and Ronnie
McNair assumed Peoples' spot. In July 2005, Benson died of lung cancer with Payton's son Roquel replacing him.
As of 2006, Fakir, McNair, Payton and Peoples still perform together as the Four Tops.
All four members of the group began their careers together while they were high school students in Detroit. At the insistence
of their friends, Pershing High students Levi Stubbs and Abdul "Duke" Fakir performed with Renaldo "Obie" Benson and
Lawrence Payton from Northern High at a local birthday party. The quartet decided to remain together, and christened themselves The Four Aims. With the help of Payton's songwriter cousin Roquel Davis, The Aims signed to Chess Records in 1956, changing their name to Four Tops to avoid confusion with The Ames Brothers. Over the next seven years, The Tops endured unsuccessful tenures at Chess, Red Top, Riverside Records and Columbia Records. Without any hit records to their name, The Tops toured frequently, developing a polished stage presence and an experienced supper club act. In 1963, Berry Gordy, Jr., who had worked with Roquel Davis as a songwriter in the late-1950s, convinced The Tops to join the roster
of his growing Motown record company.

Among a number of groups who helped define the Motown Sound of the 1960s the Four Tops were notable for having Stubbs, a baritone, as their lead singer; most groups of the time were fronted by a tenor. The group was the main male vocal group for the songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who crafted for the group a stream of hit singles, including two Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out I'll Be There".
During their early Motown years, the Four Tops recorded jazz standards for the company's Workshop label. In addition,
they filled in time by singing backup on Motown singles such as The Supremes' "Run, Run, Run" and "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes".

In 1964, Motown's main songwriting/production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland created a complete instrumental track
without any idea of what to do with it. They decided to craft the song as a more mainstream pop song for the Four Tops, and
proceeded to create "Baby I Need Your Loving" from the lyric-less instrumental track. Upon its mid-1964 release, "Baby I Need Your Loving" made it to #11 on the United States Billboard pop charts. After the single's success, The Tops were pulled away from their jazz material and began recording more records in the vein of "Baby I Need Your Loving."
The first follow-up single, "Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)", missed both the pop and R&B Top 40 charts by only three positions. "Ask the Lonely", released early in 1965, was a Top 30 pop hit and a Top Ten R&B hit, and the from there, the Tops' fortunes began to improve.
The quality of the Four Tops' output, like that of most of Motown, began to decline, and hits became less frequent The group worked with a wide array of Motown producers during the late-1960s, including Ivy Hunter, Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, Norman Whitfield, and Johnny Bristol, without significant chart success.

The Tops departed Motown for ABC-Dunhill, but by 1983, The Tops had rejoined Motown, and were featured on the company's television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. One of the highlights of the show was a battle-of-the -bands between The Tops and The Temptations, patterned after similar competitions Berry Gordy had staged during the 1960s. Levi Stubbs and Temptation Otis Williams decided the Temptations/Tops battle would be a good one to take on the road, and both groups began a semi-regular joint tour; as of 2007, the two groups continue to play dates together.

Since the late-1980s, the Four Tops have focused on touring and live performances, only recording one album, 1995's Christmas Here With You, released on Motown. On June 20, 1997, 59-year-old Lawrence Payton died as a result of liver cancer, after singing for forty-four years with the Four Tops, who, unlike many Motown groups, never had a single lineup change until then. At first, Levi Stubbs, Obie Benson, and Duke Fakir toured as a trio called The Tops. In 1998 they recruited former Temptation Theo Peoples to join the act to restore the group to a quartet. By the turn of the century , Stubbs had become ill from cancer; Ronnie McNair was recruited to fill in the Lawrence Payton position, and Peoples
stepped into Stubbs' shoes as lead singer.
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked them #79 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
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THE FOUR TOPS : EARLY CLASSICS
Tamla - Motown


THE FOUR TOPS ARE:
Levi Stubbs
Lawrence Payton
Renaldo Benson
Abdul ODuke ÕFakir


TRACKS / FAIXAS

01 - Reach Out I'll Be There
02 - Love Feels Like Fire
03 - I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
04 - I'm Grateful
05 - It's The Same Old Song
06 - Just As Long As You Need Me
07 - Baby I Need Your Loving
08 - Call On Me
09 - Where Did You Go
10 - Your Love Is Amazing
11 - Tea House In China Town
12 - Ask The Lonely
13 - Sad Souvenirs
14 - Don't Turn Away
15 - Love Has Gone
16 - Is There Anything I Can Do
17 - Darling, I Hum Our Song
18 - Helpless

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