Song:Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)
Album:Essential Collection
Of course The Four Tops are one of the greatest vocal groups of all time. They are best known for their success with Motown in the 60s. But they left Motown for ABC-Dunhill in 1972 and Ain't No Woman was their biggest hit at ABC-Dunhill. The Four Tops had their greatest success at Motown in the mid-60s working with the production and songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. When HDH left Motown in 1967, Motown owner Berry Gordy couldn't seem to find the right mix for The Four Tops. So they went through a significant dry period. The Four Tops biggest hit in that period was the 1970 hit Still Water produced by Frank Wilson. He had success with the late 60s version of The Supremes. Then Motown moved to Los Angeles in 1972 and they were pushing newer acts like The Jackson 5. The Four Tops stayed in Detroit and decided to sign with ABC-Dunhill and producer Steve Barri. Probably Barri's greatest success before this was The Grass Roots. Barri's challenge was he didn't want The Four Tops to sound like a pop group. So he asked The Four Tops' Lawrence Payton to help him with that. And he brought in the songwriting and production team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. The 1972 album Keeper Of The Castle was recorded in Los Angeles with studio musicians like Wilton Felder, Larry Carlton and Paul Humphrey. Jimmie Haskell wrote the arrangements with Lambert. They had immediate success when the single Keeper Of The Castle reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then Ain't No Woman reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was The Four Tops biggest hit since Bernadette in 1966. Lambert and Potter wrote the song and it was first recorded by Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds on their 1972 album Hallway Symphony. That was their biggest hit for ABC. You can get it on this budget comp which also has Motown hits and the 1981 hit When She Was My Girl which The Four Tops recorded for Casablanca. Lambert and Potter produced three Four Tops albums. They left ABC to start their own label in 1974. Lawrence Payton produced Four Tops albums until they left MCA in 1979. They recorded two albums for Casablanca and then The Four Tops returned to Motown in 1983. Here are The Four Tops performing Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got) on Soul Train 1972.
They were great. I still remember that song being played by request on the Am/Fm pop stations during the 70's. People loved it. They along with many old time vocal groups represented an era that is long gone, sadly. A time I grew up at the end of. I am sorry I was not more a part of it and live to see it replaced by what is going on today.
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