Indestructible (Four Tops album)

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Indestructible
The band posing, wearing suits
One of two covers released simultaneously by Arista in different markets and formats; the other features the band in matching vermilion suits pointing to the camera
Studio album by
Four Tops
ReleasedAugust 25, 1988 (1988-08-25)
Studio
GenreSoul
Length44:53
LanguageEnglish
LabelArista
Producer
Four Tops chronology
Magic
(1985) 		Indestructible
(1988) 		Christmas Here with You
(1995)

Indestructible is a studio album by American soul music vocal group Four Tops. The album was released on August 25, 1988, their sole release on Arista Records.

Recording and release[edit]

Four Tops joined Motown in the mid-1960s and had several hits before leaving the following decade and experiencing a period of commercial and critical decline. After performing on the television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and collaborating with fellow Motown artists The Temptations on a subsequent tour, the Tops resigned to their first label.[1][2] They were also able to reunite songwriting team Holland–Dozier–Holland to produce one of their 1980s Motown albums and worked with other 1960s collaborators like Willie Hutch and Smokey Robinson.[3] The group re-entered the studio in 1986 with producer David Wolfert, who had previously produced them in many non-Motown releases.[4] Despite working on the release for several months[5] and issuing the single "Hot Nights" in July,[6] the sessions did not result in a new album and the group signed to Arista Records in 1987.[7] This would be the only album the group released with Arista; the song "Loco in Acapulco" appeared on the soundtrack to the film Buster and the group dueted with Aretha Franklin on her album Through the Storm on this label.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]

A brief review in Ebony recommended this album as a "sizzling set" and asked readers to "listen and marvel at the genius displayed".[9] Editors at AllMusic Guide scored this release three out of five stars, with reviewer Ron Wynn noting that Levi Stubbs' vocals remain strong late into the group's career.[8] The 1992 edition of The Rolling Stone Album Guide also rated this release three out of five stars.[10]

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Indestructible" (Michael Price and Bobby Sandstrom) – 4:32
  2. "Change of Heart" (Paul Kelly) – 4:50
  3. "If Ever a Love There Was" (Todd Cerney and Pamela Phillips Oland) – 4:48
  4. "The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine" (Albert Hammond and Diane Warren) – 5:01
  5. "Next Time" (Eric Lowen and William Peterkin) – 3:19
  6. "Loco in Acapulco" (Phil Collins and Lamont Dozier) – 4:35
  7. "Are You with Me" (Mike Duke, Sean Hopper and Huey Lewis) – 4:46
  8. "I’m Only Wounded" (Hammond and Warren) – 3:34
  9. "When You Dance" (Jeffrey Cohen and Narada Michael Walden) – 5:09
  10. "Let’s Jam" (Steve Bogard and Rick Giles) – 4:20

2013 SoulMusic Records deluxe edition bonus tracks

  2. "The Four of Us" (Lawrence Payton) – 4:13
  3. "Loco in Acapulco" (Body Mix) – 4:24
  4. "Loco in Acapulco" (Ph Dub) – 6:45
  5. "Loco in Acapulco" (Ph Balance Mix – Full Version) – 9:08
  6. "Indestructible" (Extended Mix) – 7:43

Personnel[edit]

Four Tops

Musicians and additional personnel

Production[edit]

  • Clive Davis – executive producer
  • Steve Barri – executive producer (1), producer (10)
  • Bobby Sandstrom – producer (1)
  • Narada Michael Walden – producer (2, 4, 9)
  • Aaron Zigman – producer (3, 5), additional production (8)
  • Jerry Knight – producer (3, 5), additional production (8)
  • Phil Collins – producer (6)
  • Lamont Dozier – producer (6)
  • Huey Lewis – producer (7)
  • Albert Hammond – producer (8)
  • Tony Peluso – producer (10)
  • Julie Barri – production coordinator (1, 10)
  • Gail Pierson – production coordinator (1, 10)
  • Margery Greenspan – art direction
  • JM – design
  • David Katzenstein – photography
  • Andrew Macpherson – front cover photography

Technical

  • Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
  • Bobby Sandstrom – engineer (1)
  • Terry Christian – engineer (1)
  • Tony Peluso – engineer (1)
  • Erik Zobler – engineer (1), mix engineer (1)
  • David Frazer – recording (2, 4, 9), mixing (2, 4, 9)
  • Daren Klein – engineer (3, 5), mixing (3, 5)
  • Rick Ruggieri – engineer (6)
  • Reggie Dozier – mixing (6)
  • Robert Missbach – recording (7), mixing (7)
  • Mick Guzauski – engineer (8), mixing (8)
  • Tony Peluso – recording (10), mixing (10)
  • Mitch Gibson – second engineer (1)
  • Dana Jon Chappelle – assistant engineer (2, 4, 9)
  • Bryan Haggerty – additional vocal engineer (2)
  • Wally Buck – assistant engineer (7)
  • Jim "Watts" Vereecke – assistant engineer (7)
  • Debbie Johnson – assistant engineer (10)

Chart performance[edit]

Indestructible peaked at 149 on the Billboard 200 and reached 66 on the R&B charts.[11] The album also spent 10 weeks on the German charts, peaking at 33.[12] The single of the title track reached 35 on the Hot 100[13] and 57 on the R&B charts;[11] the followup single, "If Ever a Love There Was" subsequently reached 31 on the R&B chart.[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (May 27, 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1228. ISBN 9780857125958.
  2. ^ Betts, Graham (May 2, 2014). "Four Tops". Motown Encyclopedia. AC Publishing. ISBN 9781311441546.
  3. ^ Dozier, Lamont; Bomar, Scott B. (November 26, 2019). How Sweet It Is: A Songwriter's Reflections on Music, Motown and the Mystery of the Muse. BMG Books. ISBN 9781947026513.
  4. ^ George, Nelson (January 25, 1986). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 4. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. ^ George, Nelson (January 25, 1986). "The Rhythm and the Blues". Black. Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 24. p. 28. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. ^ Grein, Paul (July 5, 1986). "July's Releases Bring Fireworks". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 27. p. 4. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ "People Are Talking About...". Jet. Vol. 72, no. 6. May 4, 1987. p. 59. ISSN 0021-5996.
  8. ^ a b Wynn, Ron. "The Four Tops – Indestructible". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "Sounding Off: The Best in Recorded Music". Ebony. Vol. 44, no. 2. December 1988. p. 24. ISSN 0012-9011.
  10. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; George-Warren, Holly; Henke, James, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely New Reviews : Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist. Random House. p. 260. ISBN 9780679737292.
  11. ^ a b c "US Albums". AllMusic Guide. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  12. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). Officielle Charts. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  13. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1994). ""Four Tops"". Top Pop Singles 1955–1993. Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-105-5.

External links[edit]

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