Second Album – THE FOUR TOPS****

I Can’t Help Myself/Love Feels Like Fire/Is There Anything That I Can Do/Something About You/Its The Same Old Song/Helpless/Just As Long As You Need Me/Darling I Hum Our Song/I Like Everything About You/Since You’ve Been Gone/Stay In My Lonely Arms/I’m Grateful

Second Album by the melodic Motown vocal group The Four Tops provides another showcase for the songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland. It includes three US hit singles, the No. 5 Its The Same Old Song, the No. 19 Something About You and the chart topping I Can't Help Myself which also reached No. 10 in the UK. (US:20)

"The Four Tops second album is quite possibly the most hit bound of all their early Motown work. The perennial favourites I Can’t Help Myself and It’s The Same Old Song as well as a totally winning batch of other tunes, all produced to perfection by the Holland/Dozier team. The sound is classic Motown all the way through, with still some nice rough edges on the group’s vocals and killer lead work from Levi Stubbs."

"I bought The Four Tops Second Album in 1966 when I was in the eight grade. After listening to this album I became a Four Tops fan forever. They sing with so much soulfulness on this LP. You won't regret buying it."

"The Four Tops second album is formulaic; vibraphone laced Motown pop, with a strident beat and vocals as sweeping as the strings. Definitely can hear some saxophones encroaching there too. It may be formulaic, but it's a tried and true formula, and The Four Tops turn in one of their best albums."

"There are three recognisable hits, the other songs are, for the most part, not as good. However, they are all exciting, uptempo songs, and are all of a fairly high standard."

"The album opens with I Can’t Help Myself, which topped the charts and provided them with their first British hit. The lyrics are slightly silly but the song has an irresistible, infectious beat."

"Filled with songs written mostly by Holland-Dozier-Holland with a few by Smokey Robinson and one or two co-writers. Later albums would include plenty of covers but they are absent here. This album marks the beginnings of a great career