''Reach Out'' is the fourth studio album by the

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Founded as the ...

, issued on

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

in July 1967. The group's biggest-selling studio album, ''Reach Out'' includes six of the Four Tops' most successful singles including the US and UK #1 hit " Reach Out I'll Be There", " Standing in the Shadows of Love", " Bernadette" and "

7-Rooms of Gloom "7 Rooms of Gloom" is a song recorded by the Motown Records vocal quartet the Four Tops. It was released as a single in 1967 on the Motown label and reached #14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was a Top 10 R&B Hit, charting at #10. It was also ...

". The album was the group's last with the songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland and also features covers of contemporary pop hits selected by Berry Gordy, among them Tim Hardin's " If I Were a Carpenter", the Left Banke's " Walk Away Renée" and two songs originally recorded by the Monkees. The album reached number 11 on ''Billboard'' Top LPs chart and peaked at number 4 in the United Kingdom, where it was released in November after delays. In 2020, ''Reach Out'' was ranked number 429 in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' magazine's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list.

Critical reception

Upon release, ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'' praised the album's "four fine 'A' sides and their versions of some of the best non-R&B tunes around" while

Penny Valentine Penelope Ann Valentine (13 February 1943 – 9 January 2003) was a British music journalist, rock critic, and occasional television personality. Biography Penny Valentine was born in London, of Jewish and Italian ancestry. In 1959 she became ...

of ''

Disc and Music Echo ''Disc'' was a weekly British popular music magazine, published between 1958 and 1975, when it was incorporated into '' Record Mirror''. It was also known for periods as ''Disc Weekly '' (1964–1966) and ''Disc and Music Echo '' (1966–1972). ...

'' described "Walk Away Renée" as the album's "only outstanding track". Among retrospective reviews,

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

's Daryl Easlea has described ''Reach Out'' as the Four Tops' greatest album, praising its cohesion and noting that it "can be seen as the high-water mark of the first decade of Motown". Easlea considered the album and ''

The Four Tops Greatest Hits ''The Four Tops Greatest Hits'' is a greatest hits album by the Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B ...

'' to contain "some of the most passionate, soulful music, exquisite playing and well-written melodies of all time".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

's John Bush was critical of the album's cover songs, opining "though it's one of the best Four Tops records of the '60s, ''Reach Out'' still feels weighted down by a few vain attempts at adult pop crossover". Writing in ''Motown Encyclopedia'', Graham Betts felt the album "reads like a greatest hits package" and considered Holland, Dozier and Holland to have "bowed out on a high".

Track listing

All tracks produced by

Brian Holland Brian Holland (born February 15, 1941) is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as a member of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the songwriting and production team that was responsible for much of the Motown sound, and numerous hi ...

and

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

, except for "Wonderful Baby", produced by

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chi ...

; and "What Else is There to Do (But Think About You)", produced by

Clarence Paul Clarence Otto Pauling (March 19, 1928 – May 6, 1995) better known and published as Clarence Paul, was an American songwriter, record producer and singer who was best known for his career with Detroit's Motown Records. Early life and career Bor ...

. Side one #" Reach Out I'll Be There" ( Holland–Dozier–Holland) #" Walk Away Renée" ( Michael Brown, Bob Calilli, Tony Sansone) #"

" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) #" If I Were a Carpenter" ( Tim Hardin) #"

Last Train to Clarksville "Last Train to Clarksville" is a song by American pop rock band the Monkees. It was released as the band's debut single on August 16, 1966, and was later included on the group's self-titled album, which was released on October 10, 1966.''The Monk ...

" ( Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart) #"

I'll Turn to Stone The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, Rhythm and blues, R&B, disco, adult contemporary music, adult contemporary, doo-wo ...

" (Holland-Dozier-Holland,

R. Dean Taylor Richard Dean Taylor (May 11, 1939 – January 7, 2022) was a Canadian musician, most notable as a singer, songwriter, and record producer for Motown during the 1960s and 1970s. According to Jason Ankeny, Taylor was "one of the most underrat ...

) Side two #

I'm a Believer "I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by the Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the week endi ...

" (

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

) #" Standing in the Shadows of Love" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) #" Bernadette" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) #"

Cherish Cherish or variants may refer to: Film * ''Cherish'' (film), a 2002 film by Finn Taylor * ''Cherished'' (film), a 2005 film by Robin Shepperd Music * Cherish (group), an American R&B, soul, and hip hop quartet * ''Cherish'' (David Cassidy ...

" (Terry Kirkman) #"Wonderful Baby" (

) #"What Else Is There to Do (But Think About You)" (

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, sou ...

, Morris Broadnax)

Personnel

Levi Stubbs Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles, June 6, 1936 – October 17, 2008) was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B group the Four Tops, who released a variety of Motown hit records during the 1960s and 1970s. He has ...

– lead vocals *

Abdul "Duke" Fakir Abdul Kareem Fakir (born December 26, 1935), professionally known as Duke Fakir, is an American singer. He is a founding member of the Motown quartet the Four Tops, from 1953 to the present day. A first tenor, Fakir is the group's lone survivin ...

Renaldo "Obie" Benson Renaldo "Obie" Benson (June 14, 1936 – July 1, 2005) was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was best known as a founding member and the bass singer of Motown group the Four Tops, which he joined in 1953 and continued to perfo ...

, Lawrence Payton,

The Andantes The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Ma ...

– backing vocals *

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The ...

– instrumentation *James Meese – cover artwork

References

{{Authority control 1967 albums Four Tops albums Albums produced by Smokey Robinson Albums produced by Clarence Paul Albums produced by Brian Holland Albums produced by Lamont Dozier Albums recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. Motown albums