Four Tops discography
Releases | |
---|---|
↙Studio albums | 27 |
↙Live albums | 2 |
↙Compilation albums | 5 |
↙Singles | 61 |
This is a listing of all the singles and albums released by Motown singing group the The Four Tops. Throughout their career, twenty-four of their singles reached the Billboard Top 40 with seven of them reaching the top ten and two of them reaching #1 on the chart. An additional twenty-one have reached the UK Top 40 with ten reaching the top ten and one reaching #1 on the chart.
Much of the group's catalog is now controlled by Universal Music Group, as a result of various transactions involving the Motown, ABC, and Casablanca labels (all of which the Four Tops recorded for over the years). In 1976, PolyGram bought 50% of Casablanca, buying the rest in 1979 (later merging the label with Mercury Records). That year, ABC Records was sold to, and merged with MCA Records (who later bought the Chess Records catalog, including the group's 1956 single "Could It Be You?", in 1985). In 1988, Motown was sold to a joint venture between MCA and Boston Ventures, allowing MCA to gain distribution rights to the group's Motown material. BV bought out MCA's share in 1991 as Motown switched distribution to PolyGram, who bought Motown outright in 1993. In 1999, PolyGram was sold to Universal, which continues to own all the aforementioned labels' catalogs today.
Albums
Motown releases
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | UK | ||||
1964 | Four Tops | 63 | 1 | — | ||
1965 | Four Tops' Second Album | 20 | 3 | — | ||
1966 | On Top | 32 | 3 | 9 | ||
Four Tops Live | 17 | 1 | 4 | |||
1967 | On Broadway | 79 | 15 | — | ||
Reach Out | 11 | 3 | 4 | |||
1968 | Greatest Hits | 4 | 2 | 1 | ||
Yesterday's Dreams | 91 | 7 | 37 | |||
1969 | The Four Tops Now! | 74 | 18 | — | ||
Soul Spin | 163 | 30 | — | |||
1970 | Still Waters Run Deep | 21 | 3 | 29 | ||
Changing Times | 109 | 20 | — | |||
The Magnificent 7 (with The Supremes) | 113 | 18 | 6 | |||
1971 | The Return of the Magnificent Seven (with The Supremes) | 154 | 18 | — | ||
Dynamite (with The Supremes) | 160 | 21 | — | |||
Greatest Hits Volume 2 | 106 | 22 | 25 | |||
1972 | Nature Planned It | 50 | 4 | — | ||
1973 | The Best of the 4 Tops | 103 | 35 | — | ||
The Four Tops Story 1964-72 | — | — | 35 | |||
1983 | Back Where I Belong | 202 | 47 | — | ||
1985 | Magic | 140 | 33 | — | ||
1986 | Hot Nights (cancelled) | — | — | — | ||
1995 | Christmas Here With You | — | — | — | ||
1997 | The Ultimate Collection | — | — | — | ||
1999 | Lost & Found: Breaking Through | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
ABC-Dunhill releases
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | ||||
1972 | Keeper of the Castle | 33 | 6 | ||
1973 | Main Street People | 66 | 8 | ||
1974 | Live & In Concert | 92 | 29 | ||
Meeting of the Minds | 118 | 22 | |||
1975 | Night Lights Harmony | 148 | 24 | ||
1976 | Catfish | 124 | 26 | ||
1977 | The Show Must Go On | — | 54 | ||
1978 | At the Top | 208 | 73 | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Casablanca releases
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | ||||
1981 | Tonight! | 37 | 5 | ||
1982 | One More Mountain | — | 45 | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Arista release
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | ||||
1988 | Indestructible | 149 | 66 | ||
Singles
Levi Stubbs sings on all listed songs except where noted.
Early releases
- 1956: "If Only I Had Known" / B-side unknown (Grady Records, credited as "The Four Aims")
- 1956: "Kiss Me Baby" b/w "Could It Be You?" (Chess Records)
- 1960: "Ain't That Love" b/w "Lonely Summer" (Columbia Records, reissued in 1965) (US #93)
- 1962: "Where Are You" b/w "Pennies From Heaven" (Riverside Records)
Motown releases
All the following songs were released on the Motown subsidiary.
Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | UK | |||
1964 | "Baby I Need Your Loving" b/w "Call On Me" |
11 | — | — | Four Tops |
"Without the One You Love (Life's Not Worth While)" b/w "Love Has Gone" |
43 | — | — | ||
1965 | "Ask The Lonely" b/w "Where Did You Go" |
24 | 9 | — | |
"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" b/w "Sad Souvenirs" (from Four Tops) |
1 | 1 | 23 | Four Tops Second Album | |
"It's The Same Old Song" b/w "Your Love Is Amazing" (from Four Tops) |
5 | 2 | 34 | ||
"Something About You" b/w "Darling I Hum Our Song" |
19 | 9 | — | ||
1966 | "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" b/w "Just As Long As You Need Me" (from Four Tops Second Album) |
18 | 3 | — | Four Tops On Top |
"Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" b/w "I Like Everything About You" (from Four Tops Second Album) |
45 | 12 | 21 | ||
"Reach Out I'll Be There" b/w "Until You Love Someone" (from Four Tops On Top) |
1 | 1 | 1 | The Four Tops Reach Out | |
"Standing In The Shadows Of Love" b/w "Since You've Been Gone" (from Four Tops Second Album) |
6 | 2 | 6 | ||
1967 | "Bernadette" b/w "I Got a Feeling" (from Four Tops On Top) |
4 | 2 | 8 | |
"7-Rooms Of Gloom" / | 14 | 10 | 12 | ||
"I'll Turn To Stone" | 76 | 50 | — | ||
"You Keep Running Away" b/w "If You Don't Want My Love" (Non-album track) |
19 | 7 | 26 | Four Tops Greatest Hits Vol. 2 | |
1968 | "Walk Away Renée" b/w "Your Love Is Wonderful" (Non-album track) |
14 | 15 | 3 | The Four Tops Reach Out |
"If I Were A Carpenter" b/w "Wonderful Baby" |
20 | 17 | 7 | ||
"Yesterday's Dreams" b/w "For Once In My Life" (from Four Tops On Broadway) |
49 | 31 | 23 | Yesterday's Dreams | |
"I'm In A Different World" b/w "Remember When" |
51 | 23 | 27 | ||
1969 | "What Is A Man" b/w "Don't Bring Back Memories" |
53 | — | 16 | Four Tops Now! |
"Do What You Gotta Do" b/w "Can't Seem To Get You Out Of My Mind" (from Yesterday's Dreams) (U.K. single only) |
— | — | 11 | ||
"Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me" b/w "The Key" |
45 | 25 | — | ||
1970 | "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" b/w "Baby I Need Your Loving" (U.K. reissue) |
— | — | 10 | Greatest Hits |
"It's All In The Game" b/w "Love (Is The Answer)" |
24 | 6 | 5 | Still Waters Run Deep | |
"Still Water (Love)" b/w "Still Water (Peace)" |
11 | 4 | 10 | ||
"River Deep – Mountain High" b/w "Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music" (The Supremes & The Four Tops) |
14 | 7 | 11 | The Magnificent 7 | |
1971 | "Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)" b/w "I Wish I Were Your Mirror" (from Still Waters Run Deep) |
40 | 9 | 36 | Changing Times |
"You Gotta Have Love In Your Heart" b/w "I'm Glad About It" (The Supremes & The Four Tops) |
55 | 41 | 25 | The Return Of The Magnificent Seven | |
"In These Changing Times" b/w "Right Before My Eyes" |
70 | 28 | — | Changing Times | |
"MacArthur Park (Part II)" b/w "MacArthur Park (Part I)" |
38 | — | — | Four Tops Now! | |
1972 | "A Simple Game" b/w "L.A. (My Town)" (from Still Waters Run Deep) |
90 | 34 | 3 | Non-album track |
"I Can't Quit Your Love" b/w "Happy (Is A Bumpy Road)" |
102 | — | — | Nature Planned It | |
"Bernadette" b/w "I Got a Feeling" (from Four Tops On Top)/ "It's The Same Old Song" (U.K. reissue) |
— | — | 23 | Greatest Hits | |
"Walk With Me, Talk With Me, Darling" b/w "L.A. (My Town)" (from Still Waters Run Deep) (U.K. single only) |
— | — | 32 | Nature Planned It | |
"(It's the Way) Nature Planned It" b/w "I'll Never Change" |
53 | 8 | — | ||
1983 | "I Just Can't Walk Away" b/w "Hang" |
71 | 36 | — | Back Where I Belong |
1985 | "Sexy Ways" b/w "Body and Soul" (from Back Where I Belong) |
— | 21 | — | Magic |
1986 | "Hot Nights" b/w "Again" (from Magic) |
— | — | — | Hot Nights |
1988 | "Reach Out I'll Be There" b/w "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" (U.K. reissue) |
— | — | 11 | Greatest Hits |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
ABC/Dunhill & ABC releases
Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | UK | |||
1972 | "Keeper Of The Castle" b/w "Jubilee With Soul" |
10 | 7 | 18 | Keeper Of The Castle |
"Guardian De Tu Castillo" ("Keeper Of The Castle") b/w "Jubilee With Soul" (from Keeper Of The Castle) |
— | — | — | Non-album track | |
1973 | "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)" b/w "The Good Lord Knows" |
4 | 2 | — | Keeper Of The Castle |
"Are You Man Enough" b/w "Peace Of Mind" |
15 | 2 | — | Main Street People | |
"Sweet Understanding Love" b/w "Main Street People" |
33 | 10 | 29 | ||
1974 | "I Just Can't Get You Out Of My Mind" b/w "Am I My Brother's Keeper" |
62 | 18 | — | |
"One Chain Don't Make No Prison" b/w "Turn On The Light Of Your Love" (from Keeper Of The Castle) |
44 | 3 | — | Meeting Of The Minds | |
"Midnight Flower" b/w "All My Love" |
55 | 5 | — | ||
1975 | "Seven Lonely Nights" b/w "I Can't Hold On Much Longer" |
71 | 13 | — | Night Lights Harmony |
"We All Gotta Stick Together" b/w "(It Would Almost) Drive Me Out Of My Mind" |
97 | 17 | — | ||
1976 | "Catfish" b/w "Look At My Baby" |
71 | 7 | — | Catfish |
"I'm Glad You Walked Into My Life" b/w "Mama You're All Right With Me" |
— | 76 | — | Night Lights Harmony | |
1977 | "Feel Free" b/w "I Know You Like It" |
— | 29 | — | Catfish |
"Strung Out For Your Love" b/w "You Can't Hold Back On Love" |
— | — | — | ||
"The Show Must Go On" b/w "Runnin' From Your Love" |
— | 84 | — | The Show Must Go On | |
1979 | "H.E.L.P" b/w "Inside A Brokenhearted Man" |
— | 38 | — | At The Top |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Casablanca & RSO releases
Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album as indicated |
Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | UK | |||
1981 | "When She Was My Girl" b/w "Something To Remember" |
11 | 1 | 3 | Tonight! |
"Don't Walk Away" b/w "I'll Never Ever Leave Again" (U.K. single only) |
— | — | 16 | ||
1982 | "Let Me Set You Free" b/w "Let Me Set You Free" (Short version) |
— | 71 | — | |
"Tonight I'm Gonna Love You All Over" b/w "I'll Never Ever Leave Again" |
— | 32 | 43 | ||
"Back To School Again" b/w "Rock-A-Hula Luau (Summer Is Coming)" (by The Cast of Grease 2) |
71 | — | 62 | Grease 2 (Soundtrack) | |
"Sad Hearts" / | 84 | 40 | — | One More Mountain | |
1983 | "I Believe In You and Me" | — | 40 | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Arista releases
Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | R&B | UK | |||
1988 | "If Ever A Love There Was" (with Aretha Franklin) / | — | 31 | — | Indestructible |
"Indestructible" | 35 | 57 | 30 | ||
1989 | "Loco In Acapulco" b/w "Change Of Heart" |
— | — | 7 | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
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