the four tops- something about you

...the great Motown Bass Drum is in full effect here (how Benny Benjamin kept that nearly non-stop pace with his foot, I'll never know!) Levi is in full Raging Glory and the Tops (with the Andantes) provide a whopping 1-2 punch on backing vocals...

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[recordguy4321]

I gotta think either Pistol allen or Uriel Jones did the drum work. Benny played on all the early hits from Shop Around to Postman, My Guy ,Hitch Hike, Money, too many too mention.Pistol Allen and Uriel Jones pretty much took over by 65. I could be wrong but one thing is for sure. The snakepit studio got the hottest drum sound back in the day. That bass drum is INTOXICATING!

[tomovox]

Yes!!! "INTOXICATING" is the word! Have mercy, but nobody had the bass drum sound that Motown got in that Snakepit studio. I had never heard anyone else who got that big, booming sound. On "Something About You," it's almost the entire focal point of the track. You'll notice how quickly those pictures flash by; that's my musician's way of trying to telegraph visually the excitement my ears get when I hear those amazing, nearly non-stop runs with that pounding bass drum. You get it, my friend!

[Lena Gordon]

I am 60 now but thankyou for bringing this music to britain loved it from the start and what came later was mindblowing.RIP all of you

[tomovox]

Hi Lena! Thanks for dropping in and I'm right with you- this one and the subsequent Four Tops recordings were amazing!

[PassionForMusic68]

@tomovox - I researched the question about who played drums on the Four Tops "Something About You" released in November 1965. I didn't find the individual Funk Brothers that played on this jam, but I believe Benny Benjamin was the drummer. And James Jamerson played bass on this track. Benny and James played their respective instruments on Steve Wonder's "Uptight" and my ear for music tells me they did work on the cut in question.

[sauquoit13456]

On this day in 1966 {January 30th} the Four Tops appeared on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'...

They performed a medley of their hits; "It's the Same Old Song" {#5 in 1965}, "Something About You" {#19 in 1965}, and "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" {#1 for 2 weeks in 1965}...

Lead singer Levi Stubbs, aka Levi Stubbles, passed away on October 17th, 2008 at the age of 72...

R.I.P. Mr. Stubbs and Mr. Sullivan {1901 - 1974}...

[tomovox]

Motown seemed to really perfect that Four On The Floor sound!

[cheetahchirps]

Four on the floor, yeah baby

[tomovox]

Oh man did he ever!

[jamar22100]

They could have also song Shake Me Wake Me but Levi really delivered on that one.